Crystal Beach Oceanfront Hotel

This hotel is conveniently located on 25th street on the boardwalk. Although we have visited the bar on site here, this was our first time staying at Crystal Beach. The rates weren't terrible compared to other hotels and the lady who took my reservation over the phone was super friendly.

We arrived around 2:30 and I went to check in. The lady at the counter was super friendly and welcoming but advised our room wasn't quite ready yet. She asked up to return around 4 but was able to complete the check in paperwork to save time later. At 4:30 I returned and was advised the room was still not ready yet although check in is at 4. The whole lobby was full of families who were clearly waiting for their room as well. Although I was slightly annoyed we ended up going to the hotel bar and had a great time for a few hours.

We stayed in room 310 which is categorized as a partial view room. We were on the side of the old building but the closest room to the boardwalk. The view, in my opinion, was just as good as an oceanfront would have been. We had a very clear view of the beach and boardwalk and spent a good amount of time on our balcony. The room was pretty clean and had two beds. There was a mini fridge which was convenient and a microwave.

I noticed that there was a yellow stain on one of the towels so I simply didn't use it. I also took note that they only provided shower towels, no wash clothes or hand towels. Not sure if they are never provided or if they simply weren't provided to our room when it was cleaned. I read some of the other poor reviews for this hotel and did not experience any of those issues. Although housekeeping is not coming into the room during your stay, the front desk was able to provide us additional towels and toilet paper when we asked.

My only suggestion of what to fix is the doors to the stairwells. Our room was right next to the stairwell on the 3rd floor and every time someone came or went the door slammed so loud that it shook us. Although it wasn't super detrimental to our stay, it would have been nice not to hear it so often!

In the past my family has stayed on 9th Street but after this visit we agreed that we will definitely be returning to Crystal Beach on 25th. They are in walking distance to all of our favorite spots and you can always catch the tram down to the inlet although walking it isn't impossible.

First time that my husband and I have stayed here and have zero regrets! Jeff at the front desk was super friendly and helpful! All the staff we encountered were friendly. Had dinner at Barracuda's and the service and food were very good. Perfect oceanfront room and comfortable.

Do not stay at this hotel.. The air conditioning vent was so dirty and smelly it was gross. We had to get our own towels and toilet paper daily. Only had our room cleaned once in 5 days. They are now back to doing it daily, just so you know. My husband lots his key went to front desk got a new one, they didn't even ask his name or for ID. It's so poorly run, we paid good money to stay at this Disgusting hotel.. The Management did contact me, but , did nothing but apologize.. I wouldn't even give it one star..Never again they are part of the Carousel group of hotels.. in ocean city Maryland

We stayed in a room with two beds and pull out sofa bed. We had to ask the front desk for sheets, blankets, and pillows for the pullout bed. We were told they "ran out of pillows." We went back the next morning and the gentleman told me he didn't have any pillows and that we had enough pillows because each bed came with 3 pillows. Totally unacceptable, each bed should come with 4 pillows and I paid for a sofa bed which should come with pillows and blankets for it as well. We also made them aware after checking in, that the WIFI was not working in our building which was closest to the boardwalk. Their comment was "it should work soon," it never worked. The tv was horrible, pixelated, and not good quality. Horrible experience for the price we paid. Would not recommend, and would never stay here again.

Paid premium for a crap hole. We won't even talk about the pools. When you address the issues they could care less. Second day here and still no Wi-Fi

My wife and I visited for Memorial day weekend 2023.

First off, I called the hotel and spoke to Jeff a few times. One of the nicest, most helpful people I've ever met!
We arrived early, around 11AM, they gave us a parking pass so we could park and enjoy the day.
We were also able to check in early and we got a great top floor, corner room. The ocean front, double queen room.

There are two buildings, I can only speak for the ocean front building.
Upon walking in, the room smelled and looked freshly cleaned, and well stocked.
I simply cannot think of any negatives about the room, or staff.
The rooms were immaculate, no stains, three pillows per bed and quite comfortable after a long day of walking.
A kitchenette with plenty of cabinet space, a good size mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, etc. Ironing board and iron in the closet space.

The Barracuda restaurant has one of the best cheesesteaks I've ever had! And I've had "several" over the years. ;) 'Adult' drinks are good, at $7 each, no surprise there. The bartender and staff are very friendly and create a lively yet relaxed atmosphere.

A fantastic view and right on the boardwalk.
The end, or beginning, of the tram is about a block and a half away. $5 per person, each way, or pay $4 to get an all day bus pass.

I don't understand the negative reviews, they must have been before the last renovation. It's a nice spot, nice people, nice room and not as expensive as other hotels.

We wanted an inexpensive hotel with off season rates. The rooms were cheaper if you used a hotel web site such as hotels.com or similar searches. The hotel has two buildings. The front building is on the boardwalk. The owners bought the front building.

Our third room was decent. Checking in and sorting out room issues (sand clogging the balcony door, a room lock not opening due to a dead battery) was frustrating.

The first room had a musty smell and no closet. The couch was crammed up against the wall. The second room wouldn't unlock. Our final room was wonderful. The place was spacious. The sofa pulled out into a bed and had more space to walk around it. The Queen bed was comfy. We kept our luggage on the other bed. There was a long shelf that served as a closet.

The kitchenette area was convenient. There was a dorm sized refrigerator and a microwave. This would be the perfect sized room for a week's stay. There were plenty of cupboards.

The bathroom was under the second floor office. We could hear noises above if we were in the bathroom but it didn't wake us up. The bathroom didn't have any towel racks. I used a hanger to place dripping bathing suits on the shower nozzle. The view of the boardwalk was better on the right side of the building, if you were facing the beach. It was nice sitting on the patio area and watching the waves.

The lobby in the main building has tables for visiting or playing games. There are also comfy sofas. The front building has a pool facing the boardwalk. The rear building has a pool on the second floor, by the bar. A gust of wind could blow your hat or towel right off of the deck. Don't leave anything unattended.

If you are spending the day at the beach and checking out, you can leave your car in the parking lot and change clothes in the pool room. I think this place is "hit or miss." The quality of the rooms are different. Some have a musty smell and some don't. I would visit again, especially off season. I would only stay in the front building, closest to the boardwalk.

Im going to be honest here...I never even made it to the hotel and I cancelled my booking and ate the cost of it! the staff are nasty. each and every time I contacted the hotel I much have spoke to the nastiest people! the final straw was as I was arriving to ocean city and called to see if my room was ready as I got in a bit early and needed to park somewhere. I get it. Times are rough but being a receptionist or in customer service is all about service and NOONE I spoke to was even a little nice to speak with!

Well what can I possibly write?!?!? Unfortunately some of the people who stay here are just disgusting! The parents have no control of their kids! Eating pizza and ice cream inside the pool is unacceptable behavior! There needs to be rules! I paid fortune to stay here and don't need to be subjected to such environment! The staff works hard but some of these guests are disrespectful to others. Leaving their kids without proper rules! Leaving pizza and ice cream can Inside pool! I'll never stay here again. This is not appropriate behavior by anyone!

This place was completely filthy. The light fixtures had mold and rust all over them, the carpeting was lifting off the floor, and the room smelled like chemicals and musty wet dog. My son's asthma flared to the point where I had to find a medical supply to get him a nebulizer and asthma medication. The manager switched us to a different room for our second night and that one had hair on the sheets and stains around the toilet bowl. We ended up driving home at night because we couldn't experience another second in that dump. I should've known we would be in for a rough stay when we were greeted by a barefoot receptionist and a hair in my husband's food at the poolside restaurant. Do yourself a favor and stay someplace else.