We recently took a last minute mini vacation to Rehoboth Beach, DE, and decided to stay at The Bellmoor Inn and Spa. I had never been to Rehoboth before nor had I ever heard of The Bellmoor so I really didn’t know what to expect other than seeing pictures on their site. We had been planning to go somewhere a little more south and at the last minute (literally, the day we were supposed to leave) changed our plans to stay a little closer to home to avoid hitting too much Memorial Day traffic. Suffice it to say we were all pleasantly surprised when we arrived at The Bellmoor.
This hotel popped up multiple times in our searches for “Best Hotel on the East Coast” and “Best Beach Hotels on the East Coast” and though it is not right on the beach like I initially wanted, it really is the perfect location for Rehoboth. The Bellmoor is about 2 blocks off the beach but I actually love the location because Rehoboth can get a little crowded (we were there on a Wednesday-Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend and it was already very crowded) so this hotel feels like a little escape.
We stayed on the second floor which was extremely convenient since that’s where the pool is. I took the kids out in the morning on Saturday to check it out while Joe was still sleeping because they got up pretty early and they loved dipping their toes and sitting on the edge. The pool is wonderfully kept and I could totally imagine waking up and having my coffee here (in hindsight, I should have taken them down to make myself a cup of coffee first- the courtyard and breakfast room are right beneath the pool!). It was really nice to run from our room to the pool and back to our room and not have to get in an elevator with the kids dripping wet (they do provide towels, though, which was really nice!)! The spa is also on the second floor so we will be returning so that I can try it- it looks gorgeous!
The hotel is beautifully decorated in creamy hues of white, sandy neutrals, and various shades of ocean and sky blues and there are gardens all over outside complementing the classic green accents on the exterior. We ate breakfast outside in the courtyard both mornings that we were there and it was so nice!
One of the reasons we were excited to stay here was that the breakfast is included. While I love walking around during the day and exploring new places, I love to stay somewhere where breakfast is on site (especially when it’s included in the price of your stay). It makes mornings so much easier and it makes good coffee much more accessible when I need it (I’m not a fan of the mini coffee makers in the room, mostly because I like mine with real cream or milk and those things are not typically kept in the mini fridge). Anyway, the breakfast here was way more extensive than I expected, complete with an omelette-making station, and everything we had was delicious.
After breakfast, we walked to the beach and stopped in a few of the shops that were open. There are SO many adorable gift shops! I could seriously spend all day just walking up and down the main street.
It was an overcast day (my favorite!) so we just let the kids play for a while in their clothes. Joseph was actually scared of the ocean, which is strange because we go to the Jersey Shore all the time, but this beach was shorter and the ocean felt really close (which I thought was cool) so I think it seemed new to him.
When we walked up onto the boardwalk, Joe found an arcade so we took the kids for their first arcade experience. It was a lot more fun than I expected and they both really enjoyed the games! Joseph didn’t really care about getting tickets but Amelia loved collecting them and turning them in at the end for a “prize.”
I think this game was their favorite- they played it twice on Thursday and again on Friday before we left!
The boardwalk has this really cool nostalgic feel and because it was a Thursday morning, it wasn’t super busy so we decided to walk the length of it after the arcade. Walking as a family is one of my favorite activities and this was particularly nice because the whole time we could look at the ocean as we were talking.
This is the Juice Box where we stopped for a smoothie after picking up sandwiches to bring back to the hotel. It was pretty perfect- we ate in the room and then walked over to the pool to spend the afternoon swimming. Because we were all in one room, it was hard to get the kids to nap so after the pool we went for another walk and they did sleep a little. For this walk, we actually walked around the residential side of town and I loved how lived in it felt. It definitely had more of a residential town feel than most beach destinations on the Jersey Shore that I’ve visited.
She LOVED the pool so much! She was trying to organize games for us all to play and she loved throwing her mermaid and then swimming to rescue her. I thought this pool was the perfect size (if only I had a Pina Colada poolside…)! Joseph loved it, too, but he was ready to get out well before Amelia was done swimming.
Thanks so much for reading along! We really loved The Bellmoor and Rehoboth and we’re already talking about going back in the off season! Have you been to Rehoboth or any of the other Delaware beaches? Do you have a favorite? Or do you have another favorite coastal town on the east coast? We’re always looking for new places to weekend to take a mini getaway to and small coastal towns are my favorite!
WHERE TO EAT:
Summer House– American food (the crab cakes were really good!)
Kilwin’s– Homemade ice cream and chocolate (both are delicious!)
Dave & Skippy’s– Sandwich Shop (the Caprese sandwich was incredible!)
JuiceBox– Juice & Smoothie Bar- we shared a smoothie from here on Saturday before lunch and everyone loved it!
Kaisy’s Delights– Austro-Hungarian- The Kaisy is delicious and you need to try it! We had it as a snack and added chocolate & homemade whipped cream but you can add ANYTHING you want! I wish I would have thought to add ice cream and fruit, too!
Grotto Pizza– We had this delivered on Saturday night because it was raining and we all loved it!
Greenman Juice Bar & Bistro– Juice Bar- I got a green juice and felt 10 times healthier after drinking it.
See my other travel diaries from Stonington, CT, Asheville, NC, St. Michael’s, MD, Middleburg, VA, Stone Harbor, NJ, Lenox, MA, & Montauk, NY. Click on “travel” under categories in the top menu to see everywhere we’ve been (well, almost everywhere since starting/documenting our travels on the blog!)!
Fun fact: Before I started doing official travel diaries (some of these linked are very old so consider yourself warned!), I’ve visited Spain (Madrid, Toledo), Italy (Rome, Perugia, Florence, Pisa, Cortona), Cancun, Tulum, Punta Cana, Cap Cana, Santo Domingo, Disney World, Naples, FL, Chicago, IL, Universal Studios, Amelia Island, FL (I don’t know what I was thinking but I never posted a travel diary from when we were in Universal & Amelia Island last August… maybe I will work on that!), Annapolis, MD (also was just there and no travel diary), New Orleans, Ireland (County Meath, Donegal, Galway, Dublin), Charleston, The Greenbrier, WV, Crystal Springs, NJ. It’s fun to look back on everywhere you’ve traveled and to make a list of places you want to see- I highly suggest it! Especially if you’re working on a gratitude attitude (like me, haha!) or need something to pull you out of a mood!
