Dogs, and cats, are welcome at the Beach Front Motel! In fact, all the shores of Flagler Beach,…read morenorth of Gamble Rogers State Park, are very pup-friendly. And most of the restaurants we found had outdoor seating for dining with our four-legged friend.
For our anniversary this year, hubs & I wanted a leisurely beach weekend on Florida's east coast with Gilligan (our 6 year-old chiweenie). And since driving down A1A a couple of years ago, Flagler Beach has been on my radar as a cute beach town with an old-Florida vibe. Our stay at Beach Front Motel perfectly fit that image, and we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend.
I'd reserved a few days in advance; rental rates were great for the first weekend of December 2023, and the pet fee for one dog was incredibly reasonable at $30 for our entire stay. Driving across the state from Tampa on a Friday afternoon, I'd noted on my reservation that we were not sure of our arrival time. Day of, I received contactless check-in details via text. Super easy! As we entered our room, I found our invoice/receipt inside awaiting my signature, with a note to drop it off at the office in the morning.
Room #8 wasn't huge, but was a good size with a good layout, and I loved the bright artsy decor & antique-esque furniture. I also liked being on the ground floor with Gilligan, with #CRVyLuna parked directly across the narrow patio for quick & easy unloading and packing up again on Sunday. Two Adirondack--style resin chairs sat right outside our door, with a peek-a-boo view of the ocean, and several tables were a few steps away. Inside, we had a mini fridge, coffee maker & microwave, plus the TV had Spectrum cable so I didn't have to *learn* a new remote for two days since it was exactly the same as my remote at home (don't ask how many times I pressed the "List" button trying to access my DVR). We also found dog treats & a beach towel bundled on the ottoman, along with an extra blanket. The window-style A/C was super loud but it was less bothersome at night after setting the thermostat a little lower so it would stay on longer (for constant white noise). And then that extra blanket came in handy! Our queen-size bed was comfy but we didn't have enough pillows. So when I dropped off my signed invoice/receipt the next morning, I asked for more pillows, and two were brought to our room within a few minutes. The bathroom had plenty of towels, but my favorite thing ever was the bag of rags! Our zip bag had two or three well-used washcloths with a note stating that they were indeed clean in spite of the stains, and ideal for things like make-up removal or extra dirty dog feet. What a great way to re-purpose!
Hubs made coffee in our room the first morning & I thought it was fine. That said, the next morning, he went to the office for a Keurig coffee & the variety of flavored creamers offered. I passed on coffee that day; hubs said the coffee he made in-room was better but he loved the creamer choices in the office.
Please note that almost all lodging on this stretch of Flagler Beach is on the other side of A1A, from just north of Gamble Rogers State Park to where A1A cuts west a bit south of Palm Coast. So "beach front" means unobstructed views & ample beach access, though you do need to cross A1A on foot to put your toes in the sand & into the Atlantic Ocean. But the beach is narrow (not a lot of sand), and nearly non-existent during high tides, so the walk from our room was still shorter than at many of my local beaches in Pinellas County. Also, A1A is just a two-lane road here, and not very busy, so crossing is easy. In fact, cars stopped for us on several crossings, which we appreciated! I'll add that we found plentiful parking (parallel-style) on the ocean (east) side of the road all along A1A in this area, with many many pedestrian access points to the sand.
All of the staff we encountered at Beach Front Motel were friendly & helpful. I'll add that the building is older, but that only adds to the charm in my opinion. I definitely want to return to Flagler Beach, and stay here again!