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Bellmoor Inn
6 Christian Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
800-425-2355 or 302-227-5800
Bellmoor Inn Home Page
June 2006
Welcome to
www.weloveourlife.com. This is our page dedicated to our experiences while staying at
the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Accommodations
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We chose to stay on the 4th (top) floor, in a Bellmoor Club
suite. The 4th floor is accessible only with a special key and
guests must be age 25 or over. Our suite was the Rodney Suite. It
contained a gas fireplace, TV, DVD player, wardrobe (in place of a
closet), king size bed, two comfortable chairs, a wet bar with small
refrigerator, and a private balcony that accommodated two Adirondack
teak chairs and table.
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The marble bathroom was spacious and
beautiful, with an expansive vanity, corner shower, toilet, and
whirlpool in the corner opposite the shower that was big enough
to accommodate both of us. The whirlpool had a succession of very
small jets around the bottom. There was an intensity control and
also a control to keep the water warm. We used the tub quite a
bit. Two very luxurious silk robes are provided, as well as plenty
of thick towels. Our only complaint about the bathroom was an
actual lack of places to hang the towels.
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The bed was comfortable
and we easily made ourselves at home in the room.
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The 4th floor has beautiful hardwood floors with Oriental rugs
scattered throughout. There is a common library where guests can
obtain soft drinks and bottled water from a refrigerator, ice, and
snacks for free – a nice feature.
Our room was serviced twice per day (we’re not sure if this
applies to all rooms or just the Club suites), with the second
service offering turndown, complete with chocolates. Shampoo,
conditioner, lotion, and bath grains for the tub were replenished
whenever they were used without our having to ask. We tried to
conserve and reuse our towels as much as possible, but the lack
of towel racks made that difficult. Note to the manager: adding
towel racks may conserve on water consumption.
Inn Amenities
The inn boasts 46 rooms and features many amenities. First a
word about the common areas: they are beautiful and the staff
clearly takes a lot of time and effort in upkeep. The lobby area
on the first floor is sumptuous with hardwood floors, elegant
furnishings, and nooks and crannies to lounge about in. The
breakfast room is lighter and is ringed by an area that resembles
a closed in porch, complete with brick floors and beautiful
furnishings. The inn’s website refers to this area as the
“sun room.”
Adjacent to the sun room is the outdoor garden which is
beautifully landscaped, complete with a fish pond. There are a
large number of tables, chairs, and umbrellas for enjoying breakfast
or sitting at throughout the day.
The second floor has a full-service day spa; we did not partake
of their services but it looked lovely and calming. Opposite the
spa is the fitness room.
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There is an outdoor family pool located
on the 2nd floor across from the entrance to the spa. This pool is
a nice size and the water is no deeper than 4 feet. There are
plenty of lounges scattered about and pool towels are provided
that are color-coded for that particular pool. Just off the pool
area is an indoor hot tub which is for adults only. The ceiling is
wood and there are 3 sets of sliding doors that open out to the
family pool area. There are towels provided – again, color-coded
for the hot tub only. Public restrooms are available just inside
next to the hot tub room. We spent some time by the family pool
but generally left whenever noisy children showed up (after all,
that’s why they called it the family pool). We were in the hot
tub a couple times. This was one of the cleaner public hot tubs
we have been in.
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Since this inn has an adults-only floor and hot tub, it would
only seem to make sense that they have an adults-only pool, and
indeed they did. It was located next to the garden. It is a
smaller pool, really an oversized plunge pool, but it was perfect.
It was 3’10” at its deepest, had steps on either end and built-in
benches on either side – perfect for sitting on while reading. The
pool was fenced off and there were towels color-coded specifically
for this pool. A sign informed guests that this pool was for adults
only and was a “quiet zone.” That didn’t stop some children from
looking longingly at the pool. We were a bit dismayed to find that
some parents ignored the sign to keep children out of the hot tub
(especially since they had a designated pool that was plenty big),
but we do have to point out that the staff did check on things
periodically and would replenish the towels.
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The inn also has a gift shop, plenty of covered parking (including
an underground parking area accessibly via elevator), and a concierge
to help with planning things to do.
Inn Food
Although the inn does not have its own kitchen, breakfast was
included with the room. It was buffet style, served from 7:30 –
10:30 every day. It generally consisted of eggs, a breakfast meet,
and some sort of special offering such as pancakes wrapped around
blueberries. An assortment of breads was available, as well as
yogurt, fruit, cereal, pastries, coffee, tea, and fruit juices. On
the Saturday and Sunday mornings we were there, an omelet chef
prepared eggs/omelets to order, and had a variety of ingredients.
Newspapers were also provided free-of-charge in the mornings. While
the breakfast was not the best we have had while visiting an inn, it
was satisfying, and managed quite nicely to be many things to many
people (there are over 40 rooms at the inn). On one morning the
rain forced crowded conditions, as it was not possible for guests
to dine outdoors. The staff seamlessly opened up a conference room
for guests to dine at those tables.
Between 3 and 4 p.m., cookies are served in the sun room. Coffee
is available 24-7, which is probably a real plus to coffee drinkers.
(There was also a coffeemaker and coffee in our suite.) Since we
were on the Club floor, we had snacks and soft drinks available to
us 24-7, which was definitely a nice feature. We aren’t coffee
drinkers, so in the morning we would grab our caffeine of choice
(Diet Coke for Lori and Coke for Keith) and take it downstairs for
breakfast.
Inn Bar/Lounge
The inn does not have a liquor license. No matter; we took our
own. An inn policy wisely forbids glass in swimming areas but does
not forbid drinks, so we took insulated “sippies” (the sort of thing
you see cyclists using, with a built-in straw and insulation around
it to keep it cold) with us to the pool and the hot tub with our
drink of choice (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic). The suite was
supplied with regular glasses and wine glasses, and with a corkscrew.
Inn People/Service
The people we interfaced with at the inn were clearly
professionals. Check-in was smooth. We had one minor issue – two
days into our stay, our keys refused to work and we were not able to
get up to our floor (and we had damp bathing suits on). We simply
went to the front desk and told them the key had stopped working.
They asked our name, room, and check-out date, and discovered the
keys had been coded with a premature check-out date. In only a
minute, they gave us two fresh keycards, and we were on our way.
Everyone was pleasant and professional and they made it a point
of walking around and talking to the guests, asking them how they
were doing and if things were to their satisfaction. That being
said, they did not intrude too much, and if solitude was what was
sought, it was possible to find it. Based on our experience, we
would definitely recommend – and return to – The Bellmoor. Note
that the Club suites are not cheap, but we definitely felt we got
what we paid for.
Area/Attractions
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Rehoboth Beach is one of Delaware’s resort beaches. It is the
only Delaware beach town with a boardwalk. While it’s not on the
scale of, say, Wildwood, NJ, it has its share of shops, restaurants,
and attractions.
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Rehoboth Beach is a family destination and is also
extremely gay-friendly and there are a good number of gay owned and
operated businesses. In our opinion, the visitors seem to mingle
very well in this resort town.
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Just south of Rehoboth Beach is Dewey
Beach, which is more of a beach/party destination. If you are
staying in Rehoboth and would like to visit Dewey, take the
Jolly Trolley. As of
summer 2006, adults can travel between the towns for $2 each ($3
each from midnight to 2 a.m.). There are stops along the way and
the drivers are friendly and will often drop you off wherever you
request, as long as it is on their route and traffic permits. We
discovered this a number of years ago and love it – it eliminates
the hassle of finding a parking space, paying for parking, sitting
in beach traffic, and lets one imbibe without fear of getting behind
the wheel. If you are uncertain of where to pick up the Trolley,
just ask any local or someone at your accommodations.
We have stayed in Dewey Beach multiple times, but this was our
first stay together in Rehoboth Beach for more than one night. In
our opinion (and note that this is only our opinion), Dewey is
definitely more of a party town with limited fine dining options
(although one notable exception is Two Seas Restaurant). Rehoboth
Beach, on the other hand, has many fine dining options, which was
one of the reasons we decided to try the more northern town this
time around (in addition to the fact that the place we stayed three
times in Dewey was turned into condos). We simply park the car and
walk the entire time we are there (with the exception of a couple
forays down to Dewey Beach on the afore-mentioned Jolly Trolley).
There are amusement rides on the boardwalk, and we did ride a couple.
Dining
Deck at the Rusty Rudder
Rusty Rudder Web Site
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There is one place we always have to go whenever we are in the
area: The Rudder Deck (the deck at the Rusty Rudder). It’s a simple
concept, but well executed. It is a large deck that overlooks the
bay, which means it is on the west and you can see sunsets from
there. The deck contains a number of tables with bright plastic
tablecloths and chairs (all of the tables are removed at 9 p.m. to
accommodate those who go to see the bands that play later in the
evening).
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On one end of the deck is a covered stage that is home
to the Island Boyz (and has been as long as we can remember). Their
line-up has changed a little over the years, but you can count on
them to play a good mix of calypso/reggae music, including some very
interesting covers, that appeal to people of all ages. The
waitresses on the deck will serve you cold drinks as well as
casual fare (burgers, hot dogs, appetizers, wraps, fries, etc.). It
is a great place to hang out and get in a vacation state of mind. We
went to the Rudder Deck on our first evening (to get in the vacation
spirit) and again a few nights later.
Frogg Pond
Frogg Pond Web Site
The Frogg Pond is sort of an institution in Rehoboth Beach.
We’ve been there a number of times over the years. We specifically
went there on our first night (a Thursday) for karaoke, but had a
bite to eat first: some very tasty all-beef hot dogs. The karaoke
was great. We ended up back there during a rainy spell Saturday
afternoon for lunch (we ducked in as it was pouring). They had
Blue Moon on tap, which we enjoyed some pints of (served with
slices of orange). Keith had a black and blue chicken sandwich
(tasty) and Lori waited patiently as they made up some fresh shrimp
salad. This place is consistent and a good place to go to have fun.
Grotto Pizza
Grotto Pizza Web Site
OK, now this place is really an institution, no kidding. There
is just something about the way their pizza tastes. We like it
plain. There is a Grotto’s Pizza location right in the center of
Dewey Beach, and multiple locations in Rehoboth Beach, which is
where Grotto Pizza got its start. When in Rehoboth, we like the
Rehoboth Boardwalk North location, and like to sit in Whisky Jack’s
bar with a cold one while we eat our pizza. It provides a great
view of the people on the boardwalk as well as the beach and
ocean. That’s when we know we’re at the beach! We had lunch here
Friday afternoon and got a late night slice on Monday evening. The
pizza always tastes the same – great!
Eden Restaurant
Eden Restaurant Web Site
We had originally planned to have dinner Friday evening at Dish
restaurant on Baltimore Avenue (we had dinner there the year before
and loved it). Unfortunately, there was a fire that briefly took
Dish out of commission (we understand it was to be functional within
a week) and the proprietor of Dish automatically (and thoughtfully)
made a reservation for us the same day and time at Eden, across the
street. (It was actually a very savvy move on the part of Dish, as
we’ll be sure to visit them next time we go to Rehoboth.) Eden has
a very cool interior. We had a 6:30 Friday evening reservation, and
the restaurant was fairly empty, so the host gave us our choice of
seating. (The restaurant did fill up as the evening wore on.) We
chose a booth. Booths lined one wall, and were separated by thin
gauzy drapes – a nice touch. The colors throughout were Earth
tones, with strategically placed candles. It was a very serene
setting and we somehow felt we were in for a good meal. We were
correct. Our Russian waiter was excellent, always seeming to know
when we needed something but not hovering too much. The bread and
herbed butter was a nice start, and we ordered a Sileni Sauvignon
Blanc from New Zealand. We loved the description of the wine:
“more grass and acid than a Grateful Dead show,” and it was
accurate. The grassiness accompanied everything we ate nicely,
and at $36, we felt it was very fairly priced. Keith had Bob
Russel’s Organic Field Greens, with baked persillade crusted
goat cheese (quite a large bit of cheese). We learned something
new: we saw EVOO throughout the menu and our waiter informed us
it stood for extra virgin olive oil. OH. We thought we were
foodies…indeed that was a new one for us. Lori had the lobster
and crab tower with and excellent accompaniment of mango salsa,
guacamole, roasted peppers, and a balsamic reduction – really a
good meal in itself. For an entrée, Keith had the Mac N Cheese
Pasta, with goat cheese, parmesan reggiano, grilled chicken,
spinach, roasted peppers, and bow ties. It was delicious, and
the freshly shaved cheese really punched it up a notch. Lori
opted for one of the daily flatbreads – one of a number of daily
personal-size specialties, hers with shrimp and corn and the
ever-present EVOO. The dough was unbelievably flavorful but
very filling and she couldn’t eat all of it. We had a wonderful
dining experience and would recommend and return to Eden.
Sydney’s Blues & Jazz Restaurant – 25 Christian Street
We made a reservation for 7 p.m. on Saturday and would strongly
suggest a potential diner make a reservation. This restaurant does
not look like much from the outside – and frankly, really doesn’t
look like a lot from inside, either. We did get a private table by
a window (likely courtesy of the advance reservation). The nice
thing about this place is you can order almost anything in two
different sizes. We started off with a bottle of white wine
(Conundrum – a mixture of several different white varietals that
goes well with, well, a variety of things). We were served slices
of crusty bread with a pineapple horseradish sauce that was very
good and unique. Keith ordered the smaller portion of the Hanger
Steak sandwiches – really nicely done beef that tasted like a fine
filet accompanied with a nice chive sauce. Even Lori – who is not
a steak aficionado – liked it. Lori had the cold cooked shrimp with
a variety of three sauces. The shrimp were huge (belying their name)
and she actually preferred the pineapple horseradish sauce that
accompanied the bread to go with the shrimp. Keith had a pork
dish that was good but a little heavy on the cabbage, and Lori
went for the smaller portion of lobster mac n cheese (and even
the small portion was too much). For dessert, we ordered an
artisinal cheese plate and two glasses of Riesling. We did not
stay for the jazz; dining patrons get 50% off the cover charge. The
food was excellent and interesting, and while the actual restaurant
itself was not as elegant as Eden the night before, it was a great
experience and we would recommend and return.
Tijuana Taxi – 207 Rehoboth Avenue
We had been to Tijuana Taxi on several other occasions. We
like to sit at the bar, order margaritas, and have our dinners
there. We’ve never been there when it was crowded, but we like
the food and the margaritas are good. They also give these really
cute little plastic animals on the drinks that we always steal!
Dos Locos
Dos Locos Web Site
This was the first time we went to Dos Locos (on a
recommendation). Excellent margaritas, with a great selection of
top shelf tequilas! The bar was manned by two guys wearing black
with very colorful vests. We were served fresh chips and salsa and
the guacamole was to die for (Lori is pretty picky when it comes to
guacamole). We ordered a second round and split an order of tacos –
two very large hard corn shells, plenty of ground beef, freshly
grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and used our guacamole, of
course. We really enjoyed this place and hope to return!
Nightlife
Both Rehoboth and Dewey have plenty of nightlife – not really the
dance club type, but the live music scene. Karaoke is also available
at multiple places. We did try to get into the Frogg Pond on
Saturday night to see a band that apparently was playing its final
gig, but the line was too long and we gave up. Remember, we aren’t
20-something anymore!
Weather
There is definitely a season. “High” season is July 4th to Labor
Day Weekend, but you will stay pay high rates in June, even though
the weather may be a bit more “iffy” during that month. September
can be a very nice time to visit the beach in Delaware. During the
summer, expect daytime highs mostly in the 80s and nighttime lows in
the 60s and 70s, but because you’re at the beach, there is a breeze.
You may want a jacket for evenings.
Tips/Suggestions
Hey, it’s the beach – take plenty of sun protection for the
daytime and bug spray for the nights. Don’t hassle with the
parking; walk or take the Jolly Trolley. If the restaurant you
have chosen is popular and/or it’s a weekend, make an advance
reservation. If you’re unsure, ask at the place you’re staying
or just go ahead and make a reservation. Most of the fine dining
establishments open around 6. Remember, Delaware is non-smoking,
so you can visit the bars without enduring the smoke. You will
find people smoking at outdoor venues, of course. But beware that
the no-smoking status is strictly reinforced. Bars close at 1 a.m.
in Delaware.
Here are some helpful links for the area:
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