Oceanic Inn, Asbury Park

My husband and I recently stayed at this hotel on Friday, August 24th. We were a little nervous because of some reviews we had previously read but decided to give it a try anyway because the price and location were right. What a pleasant surprise! The room was very neat and clean and cozy. Now this is definitely not a Hilton, but if you're looking for a nice, cheap, clean and conveniently located place to stay, you can't beat the Oceanic Inn. We will definitely be back!

Like - it's close to the ocean, staff friendly (when they were in the office, which was not when we needed them.) Dislike - smelly rooms, awful bathrooms, no phone in room to call for help when the guy came around at midnight knocking on doors asking if anyone needed rolling paper. Yes, it would have been helpful to have a staff member to speak to at that point.

Well, the property isn’t the Four Seasons but for all that you get versus what you pay, the Oceanic Inn surely screams value! We went to the recent Pride weekend in Asbury Park and stayed at the facility. In not wanting to pay $260/night with a two day minimum (outrageous!), we searched for alternatives. Needless to say there are not many choices in Asbury Park! Either you have the Berkley, the Empress, the Tides, a number of Bed & Breakfasts, and the Oceanic Inn. Admittedly, we were put off by the negative reviews here, BUT concluded that since we were only going to be staying the night, would not be in our room at any length of time, …and c’mon, how bad can it REALLY be without the Board of Health closing them down? …we would try our luck! Here’s our objective review: Its not bad at all. Yep! Its old (or as they say in the industry—the rooms are tired—think structure and furnishings from late 60’s or early 70’s), but the hotel is very clean. Yep! There was a “stale” odor upon entering the room but if you turn on the A/C and leave for an hour, you will come back and you have no problem. Actually, it would benefit management if they picked up a bottle of industrial strength desensitizer spray to squirt in the rooms after each use. That’s what the larger concerns do. In any event, the motel, (a much more accurate description), is perfectly located (less than a block from the beach—actually you just cross the street), a 4 or 5 short picturesque block walk to a liquor store, Welsh Farm, 7-11, and McDonalds… did I mention liquor store? …and a presentable maintained outside facade. The rooms (at least ours) are ample in space; The beds are comfortable covered in fresh linen; cable television; a refrigerator; and a micro-wave. Oh yeah! They do provide soap (little bars but its there) but it probably helps to bring your own; and towels (face & bath.) The only thing we found missing was an Internet connection. Oh well!... Overall, think of an older Red Roof Inn or Motel Six. I spoke with management about the negative reviews here (they are indeed aware of them.) He (management) admitted that at one point there was a bed bug problem HOWEVER, it was an issue plaguing the whole city pretty much at the time (happens in NYC too folks—even in the 3 and 4 star places). Changes were made and an exterminator is in monthly and “on-call” if anything is spotted. He further stated that many of these negative reviews were from “kids” who rented a room and then crowded 10-12 people in one room. A bit rowdy were some of these groups and sometimes they required police action. What’s the best way to seek retribution on a business? —write a bad review on the Internet of course! So, for us, all that we experienced for $75/per night is GREAT!!! Oh yeah… we wanted to spend some more time in the city and the owners graciously held our stuff (without charge) until we came back. Did I mention that we got $5 back because we turned in our key??? LOL!!! Its makes it $70/night! Would I return? Absolutely! For day trips and weekends, it will probably be my first stop to set up a base! Anything longer I would probably want a bit more upscale. ...But then that's me!

Liked - Room has a fridge, beds were clean, cable TV, motel is practically on the boardwalk. Disliked - Service was terrible, the man at the front desk was obnoxious and refused to give us towels after being caught in the rain. There was no light in the room (one small lamp, I couldn't even see enough to get dressed). I got locked IN because the door was jammed and I had to climb my fat rear end out the window and force the door from the outside. They said they had a pool and advertised for one, but when we asked where it was, they pointed us to an empty pool and said it won't be ready till next summer. When we argued that they should not advertise a pool that cannot be used, his answer was, "Well, we HAVE a pool, it's just not ready." Well, I have a hundred bucks, but I'm certainly not going to spend it staying another night in that place! Roach traps were everywhere, although I must admit there were no roaches. They gave us two small pieces of soap to wash with, no toothpaste. The room had a stove but it didn't work. The maid must be challenged, she took our dirty towels and left us none, and asking for new ones led to another argument with the lovely man at the desk.