Surf Villa Apartments

The Quality Inn next door runs these villas, and we love the QI. We've stayed there a handful of times, and getting access to the Inn when you book a villa is a great perk. The Villas are dog friendly, which is why we chose one this year. We were upstairs in Villa 3. The online photos on Google maps and the Surf Villa website are from when the Villas were new, and they're definitely misleading now. The building is run down and needs landscaping. Paving stones were missing, the pavement was uneven, weeds were overgrown, and there was no grassy backyard picnic-table area like one photo shows. A parking lot lamp had fallen right behind the place, with broken glass all around. It didn't feel like a nice or safe lot for a dog, and there was barely any grass, though the QI next door has lots of grassy areas out front. Inside was okay, with a somewhat stocked kitchen and plenty of towels. It was off season, so we expected it to be fairly clean. It was mostly clean, but some spots were dusty and the toilet hadn't been cleaned in a while. Not nice. The shower pressure is VERY low, so rinsing long hair takes a LONG time. The bed was comfortable and clean, the touch lamps were frustrating, and the off-season weekday price was great, especially for a pet-friendly place. The blinds were broken and left gaps, so it wasn't private. One morning at 6:55, we woke to aggressive banging on the villa door below us. Housekeeping left the porch a moment later. It wasn't a regular knock and call, it was persistent, almost militant banging that shook our whole wall. At first we thought something violent was happening. It was just housekeeping, but after a short night we were still tired and couldn't get back to sleep. The Villas were not the same good experience as the Quality Inn next door. They're larger than the Inn rooms and give your dog more space, but the trashy outside, low water pressure, old furniture, broken blinds, and rude housekeeping tainted the trip. The hotel and QI service, and the staff who booked our room and helped at the front desk, are always great. One more thing: if you say the hot tubs and pools are open until 10 pm, please stop rudely badgering people to leave by 9:45. It happened consistently. They even drained the whirlpool while we were in it, well before closing. The atrium is beautiful, the atmosphere is beautiful, and the staff are usually amazing. We'll be back, but not to the Villas.

For somewhere to sleep, it was better than passable. The rooms were spacious, clean, and comfortable, and housekeeping did a good job. I felt safe leaving my things there. The location is the main draw: one block from the boardwalk, on the third row, with a reasonable seasonal price. The window unit cooled the room. Water pressure was only fair, though that wasn’t their fault. They supply soap and nothing else, not even shampoo, toothbrushes, razors, or toothpaste at the desk. And the soda from the machine tasted like it had been sitting outside in July.

We were only there for one night, and the clean, nicely put-together bathroom worked for us, even with its small shower. The room was adorable, with a very comfortable bed that did make a lot of noise. There’s a mini fridge, and a TV that you have to pay to use. The staff were friendly and lovely to chat with. Our room was at the top, facing the bay, though nearby buildings blocked the view. The boardwalk is just a two-minute walk away. Free parking is behind the building, but when that lot fills up you can use another free lot two blocks away. I’d rather walk than pay the regular $2 per hour parking rate. It had a cute bed-and-breakfast feel, just without breakfast. We had a great stay and will come back on our next vacation.

The layout was awkward and didn’t use the fairly generous room space very well. There wasn’t a dresser, which seems like an easy fix if the room were arranged differently. Still, it was clean, affordable, and the staff were friendly and available. The shower was very small and the water pressure low, but the AC worked really well. I’d stay again if I needed a budget place.