SHIP BOTTOM / LBI: During our day trip to Long Beach Island, we stopped by The Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of the island, just steps from the beach, dining, shopping, and more. Pups are welcome in the Ocean Breeze and Ocean Front buildings, making it a great pet-friendly option for your stay. For their full pet policy and more info, check out their website. read more

Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

I'm sorry, over $450 for a room that is worth AT LEAST half that and I'm being kind. There seems to be at least 3 or 4 separate (motel not hotel) buildings. Look at the beautiful view we have from our room, as well as the "beautiful" room. No door on the closet or hangers in there either. TV wires hanging down the wall. The door looks as though it was painted with an old paint roller and they ran out of paint. We had to walk across the street to the reception area because the in-room refrigerator was leaking all over the floor. We had to walk over because there was no house phone in the room and they didn't answer when we called the desk from our cell phone The place looks ok from the outside but for almost $500, I feel I've been ripped off - an expensive bad experience. Is it clean - yes - but check out some of the other reviews. Prior to booking we saw the other bad Yelp reviews but came here because a block of rooms were reserved for a party and transportation was being provided from here to there. Looks like I should have picked someplace else and driven or taken Uber to the party. Update: we spoke to someone at the party who also is staying here. I showed them my review and they totally agreed with what I wrote. Save your money- try somewhere else. read more

See all

Stayed there for a few days. Very good location and facing the ocean. Everything is old and out of date. Front desk people are always very nice. First day no room service, no bedding, no changing towels, ... Bath drain is clogged. BTW, there is no elevator. You have to bring up and down stairs whatever you have. Dog friendly! That is the reason besides the ocean front why we stayed here. read more

Staff is helpful & friendly Booked an ocean front room the view is amazing the breeze off the water means you not need the a/c on during the day. close to shops & attractions some eateries are in walking distance read more

We had an ocean front room and it was great. I don't think we would've had the same experience in a different room because the rest of the hotel (more motel vibes) didn't seem as nice. Turn down service was just new towels, no bed made or sand swept from the floor. They also came around 5p so we had to wait for towels. I asked for new ones but they said they'd be around to service the room soon and wouldn't give me any. I had to wait to give my baby a bath, that was odd. Also the outdoor showers were pretty convenient but annoying that a lot of non guest users were using it. Had to wait 15 mins in a line for a couple to shower with soap!!! only to realize they weren't even staying at the hotel. read more

I'm not sure what happened in the past with other Yelpers, but our stay was very pleasant and the people working throughout were friendly and helpful. If you love a nice cup of coffee in the morning while listening to the waves lap the shore, you won't go wrong here. Right on the beach, the views are great and the passes included with the room to get on the beach made for a very pleasant stay. The room was very clean and also pet friendly. Water pressure in the shower was very good. Coffee in the lobby saves you a trip in the morning to the convenience store so you can relax on your balcony. We are already trying to coordinate our next stay. read more

They need to improve housekeeping. I wouldn't stay there again after seeing so much dust in our hotel room. The room also smelled musty like it had water damage or something. Beds were not that comfortable either. Location was great but cleanliness is key! read more

Communications and website information are bad! They don't tell you, until after you've booked the room, that there is a $25 per day parking fee. They don't tell you what amenities you do or don't have. They said that, with a service dog, we would have a ground floor room but that was not the case. That said, the room itself is nice and clean though old. Water pressure is good. The sign at the desk said daily housekeeping. Haven't seen it yet. But it's early yet. I do want them to come because we'll need some re-supply of some items. But maybe they charge extra for that? Like the parking? read more

This hotel has a beautiful location right on the beach. The view from the Oceanfront rooms is outstanding. The rooms themselves are clean, and include all of the expected amenities. A small fridge, a coffee maker and a microwave. It is roomy and has some really great pillows for a truly comfortable nights sleep. The only amenities on this property is the beach. They need to add a pool in the back area and a tiki bar would be great but I know that will never happen because LBI is a family town and it would not fly in this town. I was there to meet some family that rented a house and we truly enjoyed our time there. So when you're looking for a great place to stay in LBI look to this Hotel. read more

See all

This is the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. The front desk is absolutely rude. On the day of checkout, the keys to our room weren't working. This delayed our checkout significantly. We had to walk all the way to the front desk to fix the issue. This caused us to still be in the room 10 minutes after check out, caused by their own fault. They decided to send someone to our room to start yelling at us to get out of the room or they'll call the cops. That's how ridiculous this place is. Do not stay here. read more

We decided to stay here for one night a beach front first floor first impression was the place was very outdated just basic stuff inside view is nice just needs a lot of updating for were it is located the worst thing that happened was in the morning we found a cockroach so we quickly start packing up after that normally don't leave reviews but it was a bad experience read more

This hotel is pet friendly. Right off the causeway which is a blessing but a curse to leave the property. The room we had was extremely spacious and completely reasonable. Maybe it is a little dated but it was certainly very clean and the staff was super friendly and helpful. I would definitely stay here over any of the other places we have stayed down on the island hands down. Kitchenette was tiny but useable. Nice big refrigerator. Awesome balcony and two rooms. We have stayed in other places with tiny rooms and very little parking. We were extremely happy. read more

This hotel is really a motel and it's horrible. I made the mistake of not reading the reviews. The only positive is the location. The carpet was dirty stained and had a hole in it. No closet or hooks for your belongings. The shower curtain had mold on it. The sliding door lock was non existent. They had a piece of wood to put in it to keep it from opening. I really wanted to just leave but we visiting family and had no other options. They don't clean the rooms daily. We tipped the cleaning lady to have the bed made and to get clean towels. We would have tipped anyway but to the get an expected service is ridiculous. We brought the issues up at the front desk. They could have cared less. read more

Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

The hotel has a 4PM check in and an 11 AM checkout. Sometimes they are later than 4, as we experienced. The people behind the desk are unfriendly. The manager is friendly, but when we requested housekeeping, he promised but did not deliver. The hotel is dirty because the rooms are not cleaned often enough. We slept on the same sheets for our entire 3 night stay. On the third day, we asked for housekeeping at 9 AM and again at 4 PM, and again at 8 PM. The towels were changed once. One of the check in persons said that you do not get daily housekeeping unless you are staying 5 nights. We were never told this until the end of our stay. The print out that they give you at check in states that there is daily housekeeping. I think that they do not have enough towels to cover all the rooms, and perhaps they are understaffed with cleaning people. We feel sorry for the cleaning crew. read more

I'm not sure how exactly to review this place but bc it's directly in the beach it should get at least 3 stars. I'm giving more bc if the location, bc of the amazing service from the girl Alex at the desk during the night shift who is an absolute delight, is sweet, and pleasure to be around. Also 4 stars bc they have staff that will bring chairs and an umbrella to the beach, set them up and then collect them for you which is amazing. However the place is just so poorly maintained that I can see giving far less stars. Hotel LBI which is far nicer and not on the beach charges 750. per night and offers van service to the beach but a nicer room isn't worth another 250 and the drama of a van. read more

See all

Update, Drifting Sands "found" my clothing after my rant on social media. My brother went to pick them up for me and they refused to give them to him!!!! Then I called and asked them to send to me, they refused. They have the clothes, they have my address, they least they could do is mail to me. This happened in September. Why!!!!! I think they should refund me the price of the room. I live in Virginia, it's not next door! They don't deserve one star, they deserve a negative star!!! read more

See all

Do not stay here. you will regret it. Hotel staff could care less about your stay. there is a section of rooms across the street that is horrid. no towel service even though they state they have. Beware!!!!!!!!! There was a loud screeching noise that came on at 1 -1:30 AM then again at 5 AM staff said they knew about this and were going to get a big refund due to the problem. This did not help me at all. They are rude. Also said I was put the across the street building because I booked through a 3rd party! read more

Great location !! Clean rooms . You need to Get rid of the carpets and have wooden floors other than that perfect The only reason I won't give a 5 . The humidity makes carpet have a smell read more

We actually stayed here again and knew what to expect. The Oceanfront rooms are just glorious - and this time we got the "end room" so there was a cross-breeze and no nasty smells. King size bed - but very hard. Not comfy. Room had been repainted, too. Front desk lady seemed to remember us and was nice (they can get grumpy). My advice? Go in November. Cheaper, less crowded, better service. read more

This is my spot, and it's not for everyone. If You want the Hyatt, do not come to the Drifting Sands. If You want a funky old school room by the Ocean at LBI, Brothers and Sister's (because you're my people) this is it. Little private area that connects to the entrance to the ocean, the outdoors shower do not work, but that only adds to the charm. I love this place and it loved me right back. Much love LBI - miss You already. read more

Drifting Sands hotel is in a central location on Long Beach Island, NJ and they have beautiful oceanfront views from the rooms on the 2nd & 3rd floors. If you want to be on the ocean without renting a house this is one of the few spots on the island. First I want to say that the office staff was very nice. I know complaining on a very busy day when the office was packed and phones were ringing off the hook, was going to get me no where. Drifting Sands was booked and I knew the staff couldn't do much about my issues & I was only there for two nights. I get it. It's peak time. But I feel compelled to alert the management of a couple of things. Inside room 323: Slider balcony door does not have a lock. The coffee pot does not work. The bathroom wall heater was rusty and the cover would not stay on. (really gross to look at especially at these prices) The air-conditioning was very cold but it sounded like a jet engine was in the room with you. The electrical box behind the TV is falling off the wall. During a rain storm water seeped under the front door and made a puddle. Outside: The outer hall stairwell has handrails with screws pulled out of the wall so it's not secured. (between 2nd & 3rd floor). The outer hall stairwell doesn't look like it's been painted or kept up in years. The outer stairwell emergency lights looked corroded and were falling off the wall. I'm pretty sure they don't work. Drifting Sands is in a great location and could be so more if someone paid attention to the details on the property. Its a shame. Lastly and this has nothing to do with the Drifting Sands.... why does LBI Township, after many many years, allow that monster CVS building to sit abandoned? It's an eyesore and its one of the first things you see coming onto the island. read more

I was a little leery when we drove up and saw a big sign that says HOTEL on what looks like a motel type building. As I made my way to the front desk, I realized that contrary to everything on the website that states that this is a hotel, it is a glorified Motel. Limited staff, one person to handle the whole "Hotel". We needed towels, called the front desk four times, no answer, finally somebody picked up and put us on hold for over 15 minutes. When she came back, we get an attitude with her stating, I'm sorry, but I'm the only one here dealing with everyone. On top of that, when my wife went to take a shower, there was an old pubic hair in the bathtub, Since we couldn't get towels delivered to our room because they were understaffed, I went down to the front desk to request towels. I was greeted with a surprising question, the lady asked, why would you need extra towels you just checked in. I asked her do I really need a reason? She said yes. When I gave her my reason, she didn't like it and said, sorry we don't have the extra towels, you'll have to wait till tomorrow. Needless to say, we will not be returning to this "Hotel". read more

This hotel ought to be ashamed of themselves for the price of this raggedy room. I get it that the hotel is on the beach but there is no way this room should be $400 a night. We Stayed for 2 nights. Thank goodness we had relatives who had a place on the beach for us to enjoy ourselves. I was totally depressed when I opened the room door. NO ONE CLEANED THE ROOM OR BROUGHT TOWELS. There was hair in the bathtub. Broken furniture and no baseboards. The room smelled like mildew. I will never stay here again!! Disgusting. read more

Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel - Broken furniture - Hotels Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

See all

We stayed there last week. the room smelled. the bathroom had no electricity so u couldn't dry your hair in there. you had to dry it outside the bathroom with the only light was a lamp behind you. the radiator in bathroom was all rusted. the towel rack was broken so they left the broken one and just added a cheap one the curtains didn't even cover the windows and were kept together with safety pins. I had to call 2x for towels and toilet paper upon check in it took the person 4x of swiping 3 of my credit cards bf she could finally get it right was definitely not worth &1000 for 2 nights. what a ripoff. would not stay there again. should be called Dirty Sands Hotel. read more

See all

For the record We never got the towels. They were never delivered to our room read more

This place is awful. The room doesn't even have a closet to hang clothes. It is dusty and old. The sink was broken and the blinds in the bathroom were broken,so anyone can see in. I had to put a tissue box between the blinds and the window for privacy. Anyone walking by can see in. There was trash on the porch entryway in front of our room for two days. Water was overflowing from somewhere all over the entire parking lot. There was one hand towel and no wash cloths. When we checked in we asked if someone could help us with our luggage. The answer was "we are not a concierge hotel!" I can even begin to guess when the last time the air conditioner filter was changed. The front part kept falling off to reveal the most disgusting filter I have ever seen. Even the check filter light was illuminated. I could go on and on. This is the worst hotel I've ever been in. Gross!! read more

Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel - Air condition filter. Disgusting and very unhealthy. When was the last time this was changed? - Hotels Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

Sadly, I decided to ignore the ratings and make a trip to Drifting Sands.... bad decision! The online advertising of ocean front room never stated we would look directly into the sand dune. The picture shown seems to have been from an upper floor although we were assigned first floor from the onset. This was told to us as part of the welcoming comments upon check-in almost like a script they have to tell you upon check-in. Was okay with it for the most part, but it became aggravating on a rainy day when at least I wanted to admire better views. Noted WIFI problems by the second day of a 4 night stay... comments from desk staff was simply sorry and too many folks are using the connection. I have stayed in much more extensive hotels with plenty of rooms and never had this problem. Inquired again third day and only got more excuses and a suggestion to go up to a coffee shop for internet when I explained I had an important meeting to connect with the following day. In the midst of a rain shower I did what was suggested and was able to partake in my meeting. When I checked out, I simply asked for some consideration of costs/fees since there was NO WIFI the entire stay from Sunday to Thursday. All I was told was NO and a few random apologies provided again. I explained that my decision in part to come here was the WIFI because I knew I would need to connect to an important meeting, etc. Again, an apology, but nothing to be done. I have worked in all types of service operations over the years and being told there is nothing that can be done is simply not true. There are varied nightly rates so very easily there could have been a simple adjustment to that daily rate yet no true customer service was shown by the manager on duty. Let me also add that there were other items noted in the room (bulbs blown out of lamps, no hair dryer until you call for one, a room that is supposed to be ready for persons with disabilities that no wheelchair could pass through the narrow hall into room because of a refrigerator that does not provide the space needed and could easily be sited as non-compliant. I did appreciate the locale and for that reason I provided the one star rating as it was within walking distance from a few great restaurants. Customer service really needs to improve! read more

Can't beat the location. Right on the beach. They have a handy market for beach snacks.

Absolutely do not stay at this place. I travel for work and this is where my boss booked a room for us. we did a bed bug check like we always do (especially because of the disgusting smell and obvious stains everywhere) whole we didn't see any actual bugs there was brown spots all over the mattress, a sign bed bugs are present. Aside from that there was blood stains in the shower and stains all over the carpet. We ended up not spending the night and chose to sleep in our car. When I called David the general manager in regards to a refund I got nothing but excuses and attitude. He said because I didn't notify the front desk at midnight (because we got back to the room late due to work) he wouldn't give a refund even though I could provide him with pictures of the nasty room. He said "we don't have bed bugs and our rooms aren't nasty " then hung up on me. Basically this place is trash. read more

I stayed here for 3 days last week. This motel charged me my full balance when I checked in plus an additional $100 hold that they didnt explain what that was for. Several hours later they added another $100 hold and another for $589. The notices for these came from their direct email. Days later none of these 'holds' have fallen off my bank account and Ive been going back and forth with them to find out what they were even for and why am I being charged anything additional when I paid the balance up front at check in. No one can tell me. They told me they cancelled these holds and to call my bank. The bank says these all still show as pending and not cancelled. My bank told me to have them fax an authorization to remove these holds to which I was told by the motel that they dont know if they have a fax machine. I was also told that the $589 was a deposit, and then it was due to booking through expedia, then it was a glitch in the computer. The person I spoke to changed their story so many times over the course of a ten minute conversation it was baffling. Not to mention a truly poor display of customer service. You dont know if you have a fax machine? What? Someone clearly made a mistake, or has no idea what theyre doing, and no one is owning it or willing to make it right and so now here I sit with nearly $800 being held in limbo and no one can even so much as say sorry. There's plenty of motels in LBI, save yourself the headache and avoid this one. read more

This place is a dump. They advertisement is completely different. The rooms are dirty and old. There is never a manager to talk to. They charge your credit card multiple times. Avoid this place. read more

DO NOT STAY HERE WHATEVER YOU DO!!! A horrible experience right from the check in. The staff is completely ignorant and do not care if they keep your business or not. We were told we would receive a partial refund over the phone and via email (with a confirmation) and they refused to give it to us when we got there. They said they would have a talk with whoever sent us the incorrect information instead of making it right by giving us the refund that we were entitled to via an email from their hotel. After check-in, we received a room that reeked of gas. We called maintenance and they already knew that the gas was leaking, but still wanted us to stay in the room. After demanding to be switched, we received yet again another shitty room. The rooms are all pieces of junk with broken furniture, rusty metal, dust, dirty sheets, sweat stains, blood on the comforter, and more! After complaining yet again, we received a third room that they claimed would be "much better" and it in fact was not. After our first night, somebody walked into our room while we were sleeping because our lock was broken and never fixed. The entire time we were sleeping with an unlocked door! To sum it up, every room at this hotel is dirty and not maintained, the front desk is rude and disrespectful, and the management could care less about your experience. Way overpriced for a roach moach hotel. It seems that they want you to know for sure that this is HOTEL by the giant ugly sign on the side rather than the motel that this is. read more

In town for a wedding that has a shuttle coming to this hotel at 4:30. Was told that we cannot check in until 4:00pm. Unbelievable rude staff and completely mismanaged bookings. We were told "we can't check everyone out from yesterday and people in today". Rude nasty staff and it seems like the 2.5 stars are 1.5 too many for this Wildwood trashcan of a motel. Worst stay on the planet. read more

My friend and I saw lovely photos of this hotel and made a reservation. Imagine how disappointed we were when we were sent to their 4th building (NOT featured on the website and for good reason). It was a run down motor lodge across the street. The dated air conditioning unit was so loud we had to turn it off one night. Only one outlet worked, the bathroom was teeny tiny, the dresser had a hole in it, the flooring was cracked, the ice machine was broken- I could go on. When we complained at the desk we were told by the unfriendly clerk that it was stated on the website that there were multiple buildings. True, but this building is not shown on the website and is not the equal of the rest of the hotel. We felt as if we had been baited and switched. I will never go back. read more

See all

BEWARE!! The pictures online are NOT what this place looks like. They have another hotel across the street that they dont tell you about, my family got put in that place and i cant stress enough how bad the rooms are. Its basically a crackhouse across from the hotel in the pictures. It was filthy dirty and disgusting, like legitimately it reminded me of a crackhouse thats the only way i can best describe it. When i go to the beach i dont care too much about the room because the point is to not really be in it, but this was so awful and skeevy that it actually ruined the weekend. Stay away from this place unless ur interested in experiencing what its like to sleep in a crackhouse for the weekend. Apparently the people at "Drifting Sands" think thats something customers might be into i guess read more

Poorly run, dingy rooms, high prices. Front desk staff tries to be accommodating, but they are lost. Little tip if you stay here - if you complain to them about anything, they will discount your rate or comp your room. read more

Such an adorable hotel by the ocean! Staff is SUPer friendly and accommodating! There's several different room types. Be aware of this BEFORE booking! If you want the suite it is definitely outdated but it does have a stove and full size fridge. Book on the newer units for a lovely stay! Rachel at the front desk was a great help! I appreciate people who go out of their way to be helpful! read more

Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel - Front area - Hotels Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

Just got home from a stay at Drifting Sands with my daughter, sister-in-law and 3 of her kids. It was our 1st time staying here but won't be our last. Upon arriving around 11am, we knew our rooms wouldn't be ready for hours but we were ready for the beach. I had called ahead and was pleasantly surprised to hear that we'd be granted use of our beach passes and chairs/umbrellas/towels too! The rooms were perfect for what we needed and the ocean view from 9th Ave balcony was fantastic. My only negative comment would be that the outdoor showers weren't in operation yet but was told they would be next week. There was a hose to use, which worked fine. *Bonus point to the young man who helped us fix our personal umbrella that we weren't able to close due to a rusted screw. read more

Horrible experience! May get charged $150 for leaving the room after 11:30am! Got charged for my registered service dog that is TRAINED!! I have a rare brain condition that effects the pressure of the fluid around my brain (which can cause me to go blind at any point and causes me a great deal of physical pain). My service dog is trained to assist me in numerous areas, such as helping me regulate my emotions due to the pressure and get me out of bed when feeling unwell. She also assists my 2 kids that have PTSD and one is Autistic. I couldn't access their internet late at night while I was working, which nearly cost me 2 jobs since I could barely stay in my meetings on my phone Hotspot. Was told AFTER that I could've called the front desk to get it fixed even at 3am (which is when my meetings ended), not that dealing with maintenance at that hour DURING meetings would've helped (while my kids were sleeping in the room too). Shower head sprays all over with very low pressure. Crack in the roof of the bathroom. Blow dryer wouldn't work. Kept getting disturbed by employees while trying to get packed and dressed (even before the check out time)! Someone went in our room while we were out and unplugged something. Was woken up by a VERY loud noise through a vent in the morning - followed by the numerous staff disturbing us while trying to get ready, packed, and out of the room. Not so easy to do timely when you have to keep stopping to speak to the staff. Overall, way overpriced SUPER cheap motel with VERY poor customer service!! General manager pretty much kept blaming me and/or making excuses rather than trying to make things right. I wasn't even able to finish getting ready before I had to leave my room cause the maid threatened to report me to the office since I didn't leave promptly when she told me to. read more

See all

DRIFTING SANDS HOTEL SHIP BOTTOM NJ..Sitting at work on 9/27 thinking LBI was the only place I wanted to be for the weekend. Figured it was too late to book. Wanted to be there next day..beautiful weekend coming up..just needed it. MELANIE MADE IT WORK FOR ME!!! Melanie always takes the best care of me whenever I feel like blowing into town..so accommodating and always pleasant. Goes out of her way for anything and everything! Her customer service and attention to detail is unmatched! I hope this establishment knows how lucky they are to have her and I pray she never leaves. CORPORATE OFFICES plz do whatever you must to make sure she stays..Also want to give Melissa a mention, also a great member of the staff. read more

See all