The Sanderling

Wonderful property with exceptional service. We had been fishing earlier in the day before we checked in and the bellman took our fish and put them in the freezer to store until the following afternoon when we checked out. The front desk staff was super friendly and efficient. And the spa... my masseuse knew just where to apply the pressure. I felt great afterwards!

Breaks my heart to give them an "average" review but this review would have been lower if I didn't love it here so much. The redecorating is excellent. Our room was bright & cheerful and I loved the painted "chest." There were some quirky things...like the 4 poster beds blocked the TV viewing. And the safe wasn't working. But, I'm not going to get crazy about that. My 2 main concerns were: #1 - it took 5 calls for me to finally get a confirmation. The issue was an incorrect email address; which I corrected on every call. This made no sense to me as I get all the marketing emails at the correct address. On my 5th call, I opted out for GUEST SERVICES and got Lisa -- HALLELUJAH. She is on-site and knows what she's doing. All the other options dumped me into their off-site, Home Office?? #2 - This was just plain old UNACCEPTABLE -- when the A/C was on, it sounded like a jackhammer!!! Sleep was impossible (such a shame as the beds were divine). I challenge the Manager to spend the night in that room (357 - North Wing) and see if this is up to Sanderling standards!!! They were having some issues with getting fully staffed & I can overlook some of that. But the A/C situation is simply UNACCEPTABLE!!! And one more suggestion. If you have mobility issues, be sure & tell them when you book. The main building does not have an elevator.

Overall, resort provides great beach access and umbrellas and chairs so less you have to bring with you. Rooms are very nice and newly renovated, but this may have contributed to our room missing a few basic things. When we went to front desk to ask for the items that were missing from our room, no one was there. Waited several minutes and no one ever came. I was surprised it was left unattended for so long. Additionally, the on site restaurant (Life Saving Station) is incredibly overpriced. It feels like they take advantage of the fact that they are the only close by breakfast and lunch. $38 for two Cesar salads is ridiculous.

We were really looking forward to our stay. At $650/night (including tax and the resort fee), our expectations were high. We were extremely disappointed. The room was beautiful. That's about the best thing I can say about the place. No elevator, so four floors up and down is a bit of a pain, but even that wasn't the worst part. Having been there last September, we expected coffee service each morning in the lobby. Nope, not available. I had to trudge across the parking lot in my bathrobe to the LifeSaving station, hoping my robe wouldn't open in the wind! Then when I got there, I had to wait 10 minutes for coffee, only to pay $8.62 (not including tip) for two cups of coffee, hoping they would still be hot by the time I made it back to my room (across the parking lot and up four flights). We planned to enjoy the bar they advertise in the lobby...nope! Not open. We planned to sit outside and have cocktails at the bar by the pool and hot tub (the Sand Bar). Nope, not open. The pool was freezing (not heated) and the one time my friend and I went to the beach, the guy wasn't there to carry our chairs or put up the umbrella. (Another hotel guest helped us.) Bottom line: no real amenities, and yet $39-$45/day for a "resort fee". One evening, we played a game in our friend's room which was directly below ours. We couldn't figure out how to turn the overhead light on, (silly us, the switch was in the clothes closet!) so our friend called down to the front desk. It just rang and rang...no one answered. (It was about 7:30pm or maybe even earlier.) So my friend stepped out of the room, walked down the hall and looked over the railing to the lobby. There he saw two workers chatting in the lobby, one who should have been behind the front desk. He yelled down, hey! Hear that phone ringing? Maybe someone should answer it! (That's not atypical of the service.) One afternoon, neither our room nor our friends' room could get hot water, so it was cold showers! Even the refrigerator in the room is about big enough for two cans of Coke (which is good, because the vending machine didn't work for our friend with either cash or a credit card). I'm sure they've made it super small to encourage guests to use the hotel bars and not bring their own, but since they're not open???? As I said, the room was beautiful, and the staff who works the outside was super nice, but the word "resort" is really stretching it. We expected a lot more for the money, and are annoyed at the misleading advertising The website shows you all about these great things they have so you make a reservation, but then they don't tell you that none of it is available at the time you're going! (And they still charge the daily "resort fee" which is now up to $45/day).

Excellent property. The location right on the beach can't be beat! Also enjoyed the outdoor fire pits. Although we only had breakfast at the restaurant, it was delicious and enjoyable. The rooms are spacious and clean, and the bed was very comfy.