Excellent Hotel - recommended for adults
Written: Jul 11 '05 (Updated Jul 11 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything, especially Location. Perfect for couples.
Cons: Just one style/size room available. Not ideal for families w/ young kids.
The Bottom Line: Excellent full service hotel with great rooms and amenities. Especially perfect for couples. Location can't be beat.
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| imaginetr's Full Review: Shilo Inn Ocean Shores, LLC |
Location = A+, Room = A, Parking lot = B, Lobby = A+, Pool = A, Exercise room = C, Elevators = B, Stairs = A, Views from upper floors = A, Restaurant = A, Staff = A+, Value = B.
My wife and I stayed here with our 4 1/2 yr old and 1 yr old on July 8th & 9th.
LOCATION:
Ocean Shores is a Peninsula, about 6 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide. The Shilo Inn and most major hotels and Condominium resorts are located easily along the first 1 1/2 miles with the Shilo right in the middle.
The Shilo Inn is located at the heart of all of Ocean Shores activities, on the corner of Ocean Shores Blvd & Chance a la Mer. It faces the Ocean/Beach with all rooms having a view. I say "at the heart because from the Inn you have immediate access to the beach via one of the main beach access points and it is central to the "business district" of Ocean Shores.
The Shilo is walking distance to the most concentrated shopping area. I say this because Ocean Shores itself has no traditional "downtown" with sidewalks. Ocean shores is a spread out series of little strip malls and individual little buildings. Most little strips have 3-5 shops. But at least the largest has about 15 shops and it's across from the Shilo. With a couple more strip malls kitty-corner. There are also two pizza parlors very near. Scooter, peddle carts and dune bike rental shops are also immediately across from the Shilo. Finally, there is one or two Horse Rental stations on the Beach in front of the Shilo.
ROOM:
All rooms are called "Deluxe Ocean-Front Suites". Our room # 429 was terrific! I paced it off and estimate it to be 530 sq ft. As you enter, at the right there is a long vanity with a sink and a lower, sit-down makeup vanity with stool. It's a great staging area. The bathroom is immediately opposite and roomy with another larger vanity with sink and additional shelf area. A shower/tub combo with curtain. Finally, there is a phone and T.V. in the bathroom. Yes, T.V. that swivels so you can soak and watch T.V. if you chose.
Continuing forward there is a modest closet with full length mirrored doors on the right. Opposite is the bed area. We had one king size with a night stand & lamp on each side. Alarm clock and phone provided. There was plenty of space on each side of the bed, enough to accommodate our 1 yr olds playpen where she slept.
There is a desk, TV cabinet and small table immediately past the closet and still opposite the bed area. Large TV with cable box and pay per view movies. Standard desk with lamp.
Moving forward, there is a half wall separating the bed area from the living area. From the top of this wall to the ceiling is a framed etched glass partition giving more separation and sound dampening between the living area and bedroom. The kitchenette is located along this wall on the living area side. The kitchenette contains a small sink with lower cabinets a drawer, a small microwave and a small but roomy refrigerator under the counter.
In the Living area is also a 3'x3' dining table with two padded chairs. A couch with hideabed, two end tables with lamp, 17" T.V. on swivel. A raised electric fireplace (no heat, simulated fire only) is set in the corner wall with glass doors. It looks just like a gas fireplace but just glows and simulates a fire.
Finally, there is an exterior door with a full glass insert that opens to the balcony. A window to the right of the door. Both door and window come with room darkening shade/curtain. The room AC/heater is below the window controlled by a wall thermostat. The balcony has two white PVC patio chairs. The balcony has solid plexiglas panels across the front with only 2" openings on the sides top and bottom and one in the center for venting. From the balcony you can enjoy the sunsets.
The room has wall-to-wall dark blue, nicely padded, low pile carpet. The bathroom floor is ceramic tile.
HOTEL ENTRY, HALLS, STAIRS, ELEVATORS:
There's a covered entry with automatic double doors. A long check-in counter is immediately to the right of the entry. The lobby is large and open. Immediately to the left is a long 3,000 gallon aquarium with a variety of fish in side. It's an impressive lobby as far as modest sized tourist hotels go.
Lots of sitting areas in the lobby and off the lobby in a common area with a big screen T.V. Lots of etched glass and mirrors with sea life themes. Not tacky.
Perhaps silly to mention but noticeable were the halls and stairs. I found them to be very wide. There are 4 floors in the hotel and if you're inclined to take the stairs, they are plenty wide enough to carry luggage in and still pass other people. Same for the hallways.
There is an elevator at each end of the Hallway. At the "far end" you're able to park outside and enter that end near an elevator for easy floor access. At the main or near end, the elevator is located just outside the lobby and restaurant entrance.
POOL & EXERCISE:
The Pool and exercise room are immediately off the main lobby. In fact, the lobby aquarium is on the wall separating the lobby from the pool and the aquarium is two sided and visible from the pool area. The pool is 3 1/2 ft to 5 ft deep. Stairs enter the shallow end in the corner. There is also an in deck hot tub about twelve feet from the main pool. There are about 5 average sized windows along exterior pool wall and can be opened for fresh air. The pool temp is 85 degrees, just right. There is a shower located on the pool deck for rinsing. The area is bright and clean. Towels provided at the main desk.
The exercise room is also off the main lobby and has large glass windows with blinds making it visible to the lobby. There is your average equipment: universal gym, stationary bike, stair-stepper. There is a TV for viewing. Also in the exercise area is a bathroom and separate sauna. The main pool entry door is there too. All facility rooms require a room key for access.
RESTAURANT:
Full service, pleasant dining room. Table and booths available. Tables line the windows facing the dunes and beach. Separated by an aisle, the booths are parallel to the tables and one step higher. There is a separate "VIP room for a large party but it's inside a windowless room.
The lounge is adjacent to the dining room. There is nothing separating the two areas. The restaurant is "smoke free" but smoking is allowed in the lounge. There is also a fire pit in the lounge with seating all around it. We did not get to enjoy the lounge since the kids with with us.
The Menu was decent with hearty selections for hearty eaters. As you might expect there was a variety of seafood selections. We ate dinner and breakfast here. Dinner was very good. The seafood fettuccine was loaded with seafood although the sauce was a tad thin. My wife had a dinner Caesar salad with crab, lots of crab. Dinner prices were average $15 - $24 per entre'e. The web site has the menu's listed.
For Sunday Breakfast we had the buffet. This was VERY nicely done. All the basics: scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage/bacon, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, pancakes and french toast, omelete bar, carved ham and roast beef, fruit selection, vegetables, cheese, pastries, pumpkin cheesecake, assorted desserts, cold cereal. The only thing I didn't see was oatmeal but it could have been there. The food was all very good.
This Shilo offers no adjoining rooms or variety of suites. So for a couple with young children this is not what I'd call ideal. We managed with a playpen sleeper for the 1 yr old and the 4 1/2 year old slept with us. For adults, I wouldn't think there would be a better, full service hotel, certainly not in a better location.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
imaginetr
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Location: Pacific Northwest, Washington
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Husband and father, born in Washington 1961, military brat and college grad.
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