Chateau Inn and Suites

The staff were friendly and professional, and everything we needed was nearby. After staying in a number of places around Spring Lake over the years, I’ve found my favorite: I won’t choose anywhere else on future Jersey Shore visits. Our suite was bright, spacious, and sparkling clean, with a great bed, a Jacuzzi bath, wet bar, and lovely tin ceilings with chandeliers. French doors separated the sitting room, where there was a gas fireplace that was easy to use, a comfortable leather sofa, coffee table, and desk. Both rooms had TVs. It’s a gorgeous 1800s Victorian hotel, and after visiting the Jersey Shore since the 60s, I can say it’s the nicest place I’ve stayed. Very highly recommended!

The reception area is nice, and the location is good, but the stay was disappointing and I wouldn’t return or recommend it for a relaxing break. Staff weren’t outright unfriendly, though they seemed indifferent. There’s coffee and tea from 7am in a nicely decorated lounge, but no breakfast. We knew that when booking, though it would’ve been nice to have something like hot chocolate for kids in winter. We paid a lot for a deluxe room in January after seeing the online photos and expecting a cozy, peaceful couple of nights. The room was much smaller than pictured. Its glass-paneled front door opened right onto the street, which felt unsafe and let in cold air. The bathroom wallpaper was old, discolored, and showed water damage. The shower had decent pressure, but the water only got kinda warm. The room itself was freezing, and the heater was so noisy when it started that it kept waking us. We eventually turned it off and slept cold. We could also hear our neighbors loudly, and their toilet sounded like a bullet train through the walls. Parking is limited. We were warned that if the lot filled up, we’d have to use the train station down the street, though in January we always found a space. I’d also expected a special touch after noting our anniversary in the booking request. At check-in we got a half-hearted “happy anniversary” and nothing else. Not a huge deal, but it was the first letdown. The hotel is marketed as “the #1 hotel in Spring Lake.” If that’s really true, I’d look at another shore town instead.

I’m writing this years later because it still bothers me. Ten years ago, my father died just before a vacation we’d planned to the NJ shore, so I called to cancel my reservation and asked for a refund. The Chateau Inn refused. I live in Colorado and couldn’t say when I’d be back at the NJ shore, but they showed no sympathy and gave me no refund. Don’t book here. It’s also far from the beach and next to a railroad station.

My fiancé and I spent New Years Day here as a Birthday present for him, and it was a great stay. We had the King Parlor suite, which was perfect, beautiful, and clean, with plenty of amenities. The lobby is lovely as well. All the innkeepers were friendly and helpful. We’ll definitely come back!