Sea Gem Motel and Apartments

The pool was beautiful and just the right temperature for a night swim after a long beach day. My family and I stayed for the weekend, and the rooms were spacious and clean. The great customer service at the office made us feel at home. I'd recommend it to anyone who asks me.

I think many of these reviews come from people who've never been to the Jersey Shore or don't travel enough to know what the prices get you. Seaside Heights isn't a luxury vacation spot, even on its best day. It's an ocean getaway for people who can't spend a fortune, so come prepared and enjoy it. This is a budget Jersey Shore motel, and if you're paying under a hundred a night for a place 350ft from the ocean, it obviously won't be the Ritz. My family booked a room with two king beds and were happy. The staff were friendly, the pools were clean, and we could use everything at the Skyview next door, which has the same owners. Yes, the floors are sticky, but that's hard to avoid with people tracking ocean water in and out, so wear flip-flops. The WiFi is fine if you ask staff for the password, and the bathroom worked as it should. I bring a small throw rug for beside the bed, plus my own pillows and blankets. I haven't seen bugs, despite people reporting them, apart from a fly that came in when I left the door open.

It's really close to the beach and boardwalk, but I wouldn't recommend it. The room smelled of smoke and burnt blunts, and the bathroom reeked of urine like it had never been cleaned. There was mold on the shower curtain, hair and dirt on the towels, and stains all over the bed. It felt like nothing had been washed. The bathroom door wouldn't close, there were gaps in the front door, and the window curtains didn't work. I also wouldn't use the pool, since they don't seem to know maintenance or chemical regulations.

The office was closed and being used as someone's bedroom, so we had to go to the neighboring place to check in and out. There were full-time residents making a lot of noise, and the odor of cigarette smoke got into my jacket and probably won't come out. The off-season pool was full of garbage and crime scene tape. I could keep listing problems, but I'll leave it at this: I can't recommend it. The bed wasn't crawling with bedbugs like other reviewers said, though the dead bugs were lying on the sheets. There was a cheap $10 rolling desk chair as the only seat, and one leg was broken. The beds had only bottom sheets and dust covers, with nothing else. The toilet was so low it seemed made for an elementary school, and there was no support under one side of the shower and tub, which felt like it might break through to the room below. I guess you get what you pay for. It's not the worst place I've stayed, but that's about the only positive I can offer.