My siblings and I are planning to gather in Lordship Township, which is part of Stratford,…read moreConnecticut, to celebrate my sister's birthday in January 2025. Our family has gathered here for about 30 years, for holiday dinners at our mom's house, which is in Lordship Township, right on Long Island Sound. For all of those years, those of us who traveled from a distance would stay at Marnick's, a locally owned hotel that's right on the beach near our mom's house.
Our mom passed a few years ago and I hadn't returned to Lordship Township since then. On a whim, browsing online for hotels in the area, I learned about The Surfside Hotel. I learned that Marnick's had closed and that a while later Surfside emerged, sporting a whole new vibe. Prior to committing to recommending a sibling gathering there, I spent the night last week at Surfside.
I'm happy to report that the upgrade is impressive. While the rooms now cost more than they did when Marnick's owned the place, the prices are well within reason for the area. I took an Amtrak from D.C. (about 6 hours), paid about $12 for an Uber/Lyft from the train station, and arrived to meet Iona at the hotel's front desk. She took my information and offered that she'd been there for about 2 years and the present owners have been there for about six years.
All the features of the hotel appeared to be solidly restored and improved upon. I had a second-story room (21) with a balcony looking out to the Sound. There was a complimentary coffee bar with self-serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fruit, and snack bars. There's a beach-reading library, so I contributed my copy of Rachel Kushner's recent novel, "Creation Lake," which I finished reading on the train ride from DC.
There were no downsides. There's a decent efficient fitness center that includes a Peloton and free weights. There's a map of the area suggesting pleasant walks along the seawall, Russian Beach, the Prospect Light House, and Long Beach Gatehouse. There are paths taking hikes of two miles, 3.6 miles, and five miles, and a suggestion for a longer bike ride.
The main reason for this visit was to see whether the siblings would be able to stay on site for meals. There's a well-populated bar and restaurant attached to the hotel called The Little Pub (see my Yelp review.) There's also a neighborhood Italian restaurant and bar half a block away. There's a deli and an adjacent pizza parlor three blocks away, where I picked up a single slice of pizza and a portion of carrot cake. The Lordship Corner Market is right next to the pizzeria, and has sandwiches, newspapers, and sundries for days at the beach.
For those with cars, I can recommend the Cricket Car Hop, a mile or two inland, for great hot dogs, burgers & fries (it was a favorite of my mom's, and we went there just about every time I visited, but I wasn't in town long enough this time to visit).
Things to keep in mind: Surfside is a small business, not part of any chain. Iona needed to know when I was likely to arrive, to be sure someone was available for check in. No one was at the front desk when I checked out (but I received a check-out acknowledgement shortly after 9 a.m. the day I checked out). I believe pets are welcome (I saw a service dog there as I was leaving in the morning). There are no elevators, and my room was on the second floor. The hotel is still using single-use plastics for the shower, and the tub lacked handholds. But the vibe is good . . . we get the aloha and mahalo greetings, suggesting Hawaiʻi roots.
The innkeepers report that "Boy knows nothing about running a hotel, but restaurant comes with a hotel attached so it's all or nothing. Boy must convince Girl it's a good idea. Girl is not impressed. Boy breaks into song. Girl is impressed and says YES! Restaurant and hotel are redone, there is singing and dancing, and everyone is happy."
True Romance!
Mahalo
