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About
3.0
#1 of 1 motel in York Harbor
Location
Cleanliness
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Value
A unique and lively oceanfront resort and hotel with an outdoor heated saline pool in York, ME. Inspired by Maine surf culture, York Beach Surf Club is a fully amenitized resort with thoughtful hospitality that’s ideal for the modern traveler. From renovated, historic bungalows to oceanfront private rooms, our accommodations place you at the heart of the beach with everything you’d need. Fully-fitted and carefully considered, each private coastal retreat is authentic to our community featuring local products and art. Our on-site amenities will help you fill the time not spent on the beach. Whether it’s unwinding with poolside service, an exclusive yoga class on “The Lawn” or a moonrise cocktail as you listen to live-concert, we’re excited to play host your vacation. York Beach Surf Club is located 1.6 miles from York Harbor Beach, 2.6 miles from Nubble Lighthouse, 12.4 miles from Portsmouth and 46.4 miles from Portland.
Our room was extremely dirty. Room is pet friendly and small rug that is in middle of room was filthy and looked like it was soaked in dog urine. Floor was not swept and I had to ask for a bloom and dustpan to clean the room. First day we arrived one of the 2 pools were out of order because it needed to be shocked so the other small pool was extremely crowded on a 90 degree day. Other pool did not look much cleaner, very green and when I asked the staff if that pool would also be shocked that night she told me no, shrugged her shoulders and said she is not the pool engineer. She had a terrible attitude and does not seem to like her job. I witnessed bartender talking about another family saying how rude and tactless the family was while I was waiting in line to order my food, very unprofessional. I waited in line for about 10 minutes to order chicken fingers for my children and 20 minutes later had to ask when my food would be ready only to receive cold food . Bartender did apologized and brought me warm food immediately. Plus side, food was very good. But don’t order their frozen drinks, not good at all. Strawberry daiquiri was very sour. It’s too bad because this place has great potential. They really need to figure out the pool situation. The filters do not appear to be running (water does not move) and water gets greener by the hour. The 2 nights we stayed there, they had to shock the pool both nights because of the color. I can’t imagine how hygienic those pools are with little babies and kids swimming in them. Very gross. I also asked for shower towels both nights and never received them. I will add that most of the staff that I did speak with were nice and tried to be helpful. One of the managers did refund me for one night stay due to the filth of our room. I would have left if I could have found another place to stay but everything was booked of course.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was truly looking forward to this vacation with our family to celebrate a major anniversary. "Newly renovated, pet friendly, breachfront" is what enticed us. Thankfully I noted some recent poor reviews and had expectations low.
Pros; amazing sunrise, nice location at not super busy end of beach. Private bungalow, dog friendly. Bungalow was cleaner than anticipated reading reviews but did notice some other guest complaining about cleanliness from main hotel rooms. Staff at front desk was super pleasant and easy to work with.
Cons: the bungalow had one small love seat and one chair for a family of 5. Kitchen island had zero chairs. Where do we sit? Noting previous reviews I assessed towels stat. There were two sets of small hand towel sized towels for a family of 5. Front desk did give me 3 towels when I mentioned how many we truly needed but even then it isn't enough for 5 people at a beach vacation when they make you sign a no housekeeping for 3 days. There was no coffee maker in room (even a cheap 50$ hotel has coffee for free w maker in the room). This should be expected when front overpriced coffee from cafe isn't available until 7am. Zero kitchen items which would've been ok as long as advertised to bring what you need (hotels at this price should have enough to accommodate the guests). Pool was not heated as claimed. Pool bartender said he "closed out our tab" already when we went to cash out. We found this fishy so when I checked out and the front desk didn't give me anything to review before saying I was all set--, I asked for the pool tab bc we found it odd and noticed that he added $110 extra charges in food and gratuity! Front desk staff was helpful in refunding the money but makes me wonder how many people are being swindled if they didn't ask.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The pool area was cute and the food we ordered was delicious. Pricy but high quality and surprisingly good. We ended up ordering food again the next day because it exceeded all of the other places nearby. The staff at the pool were working hard.
They had live music one night and that was amazing. The setting really made you feel like you were on vacation.
The view from our oceanfront room was beautiful.
The whole concept of the hotel is super cute and they did a nice job with updates.
The Not so Good:
Our room wasn’t gross but definitely wasn’t fully cleaned. We had a beautiful ocean view but our slider had hand prints all over it, same with all the other glass surfaces so it took away from the view. No one had vacuumed or swept our floor and there was a bunch of random trash under the bed. The whole weekend I was wishing I had a broom and windex. The walls of the room were white (not the most forgiving color) and already scuff marks all over. This hotel will not age well if they don’t start taking better care of it.
Only had two towels in the room for 4 of us and housekeeping never came by for our our three night stay, you had to flag down or go to reception for all of that. Not that big of a deal but when you are spending a hefty nightly rate, you expect a little more or at least a mention of how it all works at check-in.
Before we came I followed on social media and saw that sometimes they had movie nights and happy hour. I asked a few employees if there would be a movie and if happy hour was a thing and got a different response from three different people. Employees definitely not on the same page and there ended up being no happy hour and no movie night. They should take down mention of happy hour on their social profiles if it’s not a thing.
Not that big of a deal but you definitely had to walk a little to get to a spot on the beach that had no rocks or major seaweed. When booking I didn’t realize the beach right in front of the hotel is all rocks.
This hotel has a lot of promise. Hopefully they will figure out housekeeping soon and getting all their customer facing employees on the same page. They should also take down all of your inaccurate pictures and social posts.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When you first arrive at York Beach Surf Club, Taylor Perkins and his hospitality staff welcome you with a friendly greeting and offer you a beverage from the coffee or traditional bar. Immediately your drive and cares melt away.
The cozy coastal decor paired with friendly service Is the perfect pairing to starting a vacation. The framed photos and decor pay homage to the cold water cowboys of the sea, the Maine surfers.
The rooms and bungalows are all airy, immaculate, bright and beachy. The large showers and the tile selections are all well planned for comfort and easy sanitization. Split unit HVAC make the rooms quiet and comfortable.
This is not your typical motor court motel. It’s a hybrid of the former familiar establishments you grew up with as child but reimagined for the newer generation of travelers that wants an updated decor and on site food and beverage. Vending machines crammed in nooks and crannies will not suffice. The resort has nostalgic charm with a modern perspective.
The enormous hearted pool is the vibrant epicenter during the day with a fully staffed pool bar. Alexis or Tony will make the perfect cocktail tailored to your palate.
For the afternoon and sunset, the pool crowd migrated to the front of the property where fire pits, and overhead lighting strings are joined with local music and the vintage bar van, the white pearl for cocktails and appetizers while taking in the sunset
The food service is familiar with a creative twist. Breakfast think sourdough blueberry pancakes or avocado toast with homemade tomato jam. For lunch or dinner, the menu is the same except for the revolving daily features. The lobster sliders are unbelievably good with just a hint of mayonnaise, allowing the lobster meat, lettuce and bread combination to speak for itself. Everything is from scratch, including the croissants that are baked on site.
There are so many employees to thank for my outstanding stay, Gary, Will, Samantha, Josh and chef. All of whom said hello and stopped working to ask how we were doing, right out of a Ritz Carlton playbook.
This August, I experienced the York Beach Surf Club as the perfect blend of nostalgia, quality, value and service.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Their sister property, the sea latch has the best three bedroom loft on york beach!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just stayed at the York Beach Surf Club for 5 nights at the end of August 2022. Similar to some of the other recent experiences, I would give the management team the benefit of the doubt that they are perhaps still working out the kinks of being new (everyone we interacted with was very nice) but we had a pretty terrible experience. First of all, I booked an ocean front room back in March. I saw that many other ocean front resorts in the same York area seemed to be booking up for this period of time so when I saw this brand new resort had availability for our desired dates, I booked it. I got a rate of $625 per night and see based on other comments that perhaps I overpaid and that makes me even more frustrated. My expectations at that price point were very high and they did not even come close to meeting them.
We arrived around 6 pm the day of check in and we were exhausted. We're a family of 4 with two little ones under the age of 6. When we got in the room, I noticed the floor was filthy after my older son was running around for a few minutes and his white socks were dirty on the bottom. However, I had just signed an acknowledgement at check in that they told me and I agreed that housekeeping would refresh our room on the third day of our stay. Clearly house keeping was not going to do anything about a dirty floor at 6 pm on our first night. We also had only two towels in the room so I had to ask for more and they only had hand towels so I had to use tiny hand towels to dry off my kids after their shower!
The third day came and I asked about house keeping. They said housekeeping would come at 11 am, so we left and came back in the afternoon. Nothing had been done so I asked again and they said they would get to it as soon as they could so we left again and came back. They did not clean our room until 4 pm that afternoon right when we all wanted to take a nap, so we had to rush the kids out of the room a third time. It was extremely frustrating. They did clean the floors but did not change the sheets (even though I specifically asked and noted we were staying for 5 days total!) and did not leave enough towels so I had to ask again. We also ran out of toilet paper.
Another issue - they had bags and bags of towels, linens, and who knows what all over the hallway outside our room every single day of our 5 night stay. I guess they don't have storage? The room certainly did not have any storage. There's no closet of any kind and the picture on the site shows a small table with two chairs but there is no seating in the actual room. Someone else mentioned the poor quality linens which I completely agree with. The sheets were so thin, the towels were worn and old. Nothing seemed clean.
Again, for over 600 per night, this was not the experience I was hoping for. I would not stay here again and am chalking up the cost as a loss. Live and learn.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our visit to York was during quiet season and we loved our stay at YBSC. The clean modern style was really inviting. The beds were very comfortable and everything just felt crisp and bright. The cafe next door is NOT to be missed. These folks know their coffee drinks! Vibe is calm and inviting. Being directly across from the beach cannot be beat. You can hear the ocean from your ocean facing room. Don’t book with all the online hotel sites - call them and book directly with them. Local love is appreciated! Will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Book with the hotel directly. The are super responsive and you’ll pay the same as what you see...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have stayed a few times before the renovation and were happy with our experience but this time was way different. We wanted to relax outside our room while our kids stayed in the room and there were only 5 chairs for all the rooms in our section and when I asked if we could get a couple we were told no. Our TV wasn't working in our room took maintenance over an hour to come check it was told we would have to use the buttons on the TV to change the volume and other stuff but after we said we weren't getting up to do that everytime, especially with what we paid for the room, he programmed the remote for us. There was a lot of hair inside of our clean towels and bugs in our shower. Also for being a new reno there was cracks in the bathroom walls and lots of scratches from dogs on the door.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason Gerard, General Manager at York Beach Surf Club
Responded Aug 24, 2023
I am very sorry that your experience did not meet your expectation. hank you for your feedback, we appreciate it. I have shared your comments with our leadership team for review. Thank you again. Safe Travels
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is exactly what we have been waiting for in New England!! We love the York Beach surf club and cannot wait to come again and again! Cannot beat this location. Right on the beach! We stayed in a homey bungalow with pristine, minimalistic, and clean furniture. The pool is amazing and unlike anything you’ll find in New England. The bar tenders are very friendly and make such fun cocktails. The cafe equally as good for a morning coffee. The entire hotel staff is welcoming and eager to assist in any way. They were helpful in recommending restaurants and things to do in the York area! Such a cute town. The owner happened to be on site during our stay and was eager to meet guests and even bought us a round of cocktails! We already booked our next stay and cannot wait to bring more friends and family along next time!
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are current guests. When we booked the room on their website, we added the breakfast package for three people. Both their website and their virtual concierge state that breakfast begins at 7 AM. After wandering around at 7:30 this morning and nothing being open, we ended up going to town to pay for breakfast. Both my husband and I requested from the front desk manager that our breakfast rate be refunded. He refused. The best that he offered was a credit of some kind for their food while we were here but we don’t want to be eating from their café for any other meal as we are out doing things on this trip. He tried to tell us that the breakfast rate is charge based on a percentage of the room, but it pretty clearly shows up as $15 per additional person when added on their website. He also tried to tell us that this is a small family-run hotel and that is why they haven’t updated any of their informational material. However, we are aware that this hotel group owns somewhere between three and six hotels so not quite as small as stated. We travel frequently and have never encountered a situation such this. We love York and have never encountered this type of experience here either.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason Gerard, General Manager at York Beach Surf Club
Responded Sep 24, 2023
I'm sorry that you are feeling this way about your experience with us. The offer for the credit was to off set what you experienced with missing breakfast. Thank you for your feedback. Safe Travels.
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The problem with this hotel is that the owner and his staff don’t know what they are doing. I asked them to transfer my children’s charges to my card and they ended up charging us over $600 per night per room. I stayed in a suite at the Ritz and I didn’t pay that much. Then when you try to contact anyone for help, first they’re never available and if you do reach someone they can’t or won’t help and they’ll certainly never call you back. So, good luck to anyone who chooses to stay there. Then there’s the trash that was left in the hallway outside our room for the entire day.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Don’t stay there.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason Gerard, General Manager at York Beach Surf Club
Responded Jul 2, 2023
I am sorry that you are feeling this way regarding your recent experience with us. Our Ownership and Management's top priority to to create the best guest experience. Collectively, there is over 75 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Our time and leadership is filled with seasoned professionals, and team members that are empowered to handle any concerns a guest may have. Your billing error, has already been corrected and was corrected exactly when you requested it. Thank you again. Safe Travels
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There are more places to choose from in the York Harbor area.
PRICE RANGE
C$323 - C$537 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesMaineYorkYork Harbor
NUMBER OF ROOMS
63
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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