Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.
Hotel Rehoboth
247 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 302-227-4300
We love the staff at this hotel on the main drag—relaxed, friendly, attentive, and helpful. The rooms are comfortable and contemporary, and you couldn’t ask for a more convenient location. Summer rates: $320 to $469.
Dogfish Inn
105 Savannah Rd., Lewes; 302-644-8292
The hippest stay in the area can be found at the Dogfish Head brewery’s retro-rustic inn near Lewes’s main beach and Henlopen State Park. The former motel’s rooms aren’t lavish, but perks abound: chicory coffee, a nightly bonfire, mini-fridges stocked with local treats, free bikes, and beach-ready canvas chairs. The staff is eager to help with anything from kayak rentals to brewery tours. Summer rates: $249 to $495.
Boardwalk Plaza Hotel
2 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 302-227-7169
The dark Victorian colors and patterns might not scream summertime, but if you can snag a room with a view, you won’t be complaining. The hotel is 20 feet from the beach, and that first morning glimpse of the Atlantic is stirring. Summer rates: $349 to $679.
The Bellmoor Inn & Spa
6 Christian St., Rehoboth Beach; 302-227-5800
This quiet hideaway is plush, serene, and a little bit quirky—laze with a book in the garden and you might see a mother duck tending to her eggs in a flowerpot. While many rooms are snug, the sheets boast a high thread count, and we’re drawn by such amenities as a beach shuttle, free hot breakfast and afternoon tea, and two pools. Summer rates: $299 to $679.
Bethany Beach Ocean Suites
99 Hollywood St., Bethany Beach; 302-539-3200
While it wasn’t yet open at press time—it debuts August 1—this all-suite hotel right on the shore looks to be one of the more elegant places to stay in laid-back Bethany. All the suites have kitchenettes and either balconies or porches, and most overlook the lapping waves. Summer rates: $489 to $839.
This article appears in our August 2015 issue of Washingtonian.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
