I wouldn't stay anywhere else
For starters, the staff was incredibly nice. The rooms are no frills and very clean. We stayed in an oceanfront efficiency in the South Building. I like the south building a little better because you can keep an eye on the hot tub so that you can make a beeline for it when it's free :)
The housekeeping staff were very nice as well. On the days that we had the dnd on the door, they called to make sure that we had enough towels and necessities like soap/shampoo and coffee.
I hadn't been there in about 12 years, and having read some of the reviews on here I was a little bit concerned that things may have changed for the worse at the Dayton House, but I was more than happy with out stay. We wanted to stay an extra day and they worked it out for us. I am sure most of these people that gave bad reviews failed to follow the correct procedures or had a bad attitude from the start. If you are expecting your every whim to be catered to, go someplace else and pay four times as much. This is a great place for couples and families who need a good vacation with no hassle or aggravation. Since I had last been there, they have put in a much larger overflow pool. It's not quite as deep as the old pool, but thanks to stupid people that sue over their own lack of responsibility, you will be had pressed to find any hotel pools deeper than 5 feet anywhere. Still, 5 feet deep is plenty enough for your average person and more than enough for kids. I also really liked the new hot-tub, it's quite a bit bigger than the old one. The fact that they have 3 pools, 3 hot tubs and a lazy river also helps if you want to get away from the main pool area.
In terms of negative things to say, the only thing gripe I had was that someone who had stayed in our room prior to us had failed to wash some of the dishes to a high standard. It is clearly put up on the cabinets that it is the renter's responsibility to clean the dishes, not housekeeping. Wash your dishes, people!!!!
My wife and I will continue to stay there every time we go back to the beach and I am already planning for next year! We sincerely thank the staff at the Dayton House for helping us to have a great vacation that we both so desperately needed! Thanks Dayton House!!