I stay in the area every couple months or so but my usual place required a two night minimum even…read moreon a Sunday. I had seen the Chateau Inn and Suites but since it was about ten more minutes away, I hadn't stayed there yet. When I looked into booking, Sundays were available for one night stays, so I booked a standard queen room.
About a week or so before my stay I was reading reviews to get a feel for the place, coffee situation (very important!!) parking etc. and someone mentioned that they do not have elevators. I have a lot of medical issues so this was a big red flag for me and I had not seen it mentioned anywhere. I gave them a call and asked if they could give me a room on the first floor and they told me they'd be happy to, which eased my worries.
The parking was described in the reviews as difficult to say the least - it's a very small lot and first come first served. They do have additional parking across the street as well at the station but if you are anything like me and pack for a week even though it's only a night, you definitely want a close spot to carry all of your thirty bags inside. (That being said, and also now that I know their staff is so helpful, as you'll see in my photos I do have a rather gigantic vehicle so I think when I stay here next I will take them up on the additional parking lot offer!!) But this time, I did back my gigantic van into one of the spots and everything worked out just fine so please know it can be done.
Walking over to the main entrance I was surrounded by lush hostas, classic beach bicycles and that lovely gray shaker siding that just screams "the shore" and made me super happy. I was greeted inside by Jeff who made me feel very welcome. He then told me that since I had requested the ground floor but they hadn't any more of my specific room on this floor, they upgraded me to a double queen suite with a kitchenette and patio. (I was completely floored by this and thanked him since I needed the ground floor due to a medical issue. It was really important to me and they took it so seriously, it really meant so much.) Jeff gave me a tour of the main reception area and informed me of all of the complimentary refreshments, amenities, beach information and rentals. He offered suggestions on local food and any other businesses should I need them. He seemed very well-informed and experienced on both the area and his work in general. He helped carry my bags to my room and pointed some cool things out along the way. Jeff definitely elevated my experience from the second I walked in that beautiful door and is a perfect first and lasting impression for the Chateau.
The incredible room, I imagine, will also be in my memory for a pretty long while. Entering on your very own red brick patio with a real heavy brass key is a kind of charming you cannot buy at a big hotel chain. It just feels a certain way, very North East and classic.
The beds are big, fluffy, and the best part is that there is no itchy cover on top - they have giant white (I think down??) quilts and huge pillows, four on each bed. I noticed that there were also a variety of pillows - each bed had two soft and two firm (I'm crazy about my pillows and bring a tiny neck pillow with me but I didn't even need it.) Great mattress, extremely comfortable, like sleeping in a nest of clouds. Impeccably clean. Perfection.
The kitchen looked brand new. And spotless. (I even recognized the Kitchen Aid oven as a very high end oven, the Café series maybe??) Beautifully done and a Keurig machine! What more could you want?
The bathroom - The room itself of course (does it even need to be said at this point) BEAUTIFUL. One of the things in particular I I enjoyed about this Inn was that everything was so solid and of impressive quality, from the countertops to the bar stools. Nothing felt cheap, or breakable. And I loved that we're not just expected to use a smaller towel as a bath mat - it's an actual real fluffy bath mat!! This is so rare and such a minor detail but to me it made a difference. And the bathroom was probably the cleanest I've ever seen at any hotel I've ever been to (not exaggerating- the entire room was completely spotless.)
I highly recommend staying here. Yes, during peak season it can be a little more expensive than some other Inns/hotels but I've stayed at a lot of places in the area and nothing has compared to this level of service, cleanliness, beauty and amenities. And off-season, I have seen the rates being much less than other places. I'd love to come back and stay for longer than one night to be able to explore the beach. I'd probably upgrade myself this time because now that I've had that kitchen and patio I don't think I'd be able to NOT have that kitchen and patio. What have they done to me!