Living in the Philadelphia area, I’m someone who is constantly looking for great places to just getaway when I’m ready to take a break from my 9-to-5 and the bustle of the city. So when I heard about The Reeds at Shelter Haven and how easily it was to get to, our family packed and jumped in the car to take a two hour drive from our house to Stone Harbor, NJ.
When it comes to trips for our family, we are people who often like a little adventure and big experiences, but when it comes to little getaways, we are looking for places that are quiet, quaint, and give us the luxurious experience that we are seeking without breaking the budget. We found just that at the Reeds at Shelter Haven which is why I’m excited to share this hotel review on my experience during our stay.
THE REEDS AT SHELTER HAVEN HOTEL REVIW
About THE REEDS AT SHELTER HAVEN
The Reeds at Shelter Haven is located in Stone Harbor, NJ, also known as Shelter Haven, and, on a good day, it’s about an hour or so outside of Philadelphia located right next to Avalon. It’s a small little beach town that is only about a couple of miles long, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not many things to do and experience while you’re there. When staying in Stone Harbor, you’ll notice the bay which is great for fishing, the small shops which make it great for shopping local, and of course, the beach.
Once you come over the bridge into Stone Harbor, you’ll be seconds away from the Reeds. Arriving and check-in is super easy. We just pulled right up to the valet area, which is complimentary for guests staying at the hotel, and gathered our things to head to the front desk to check-in. After a swift check-in, we took the elevator up to our room, where we walked into find a spacious room and little goodies for us to enjoy while we waited until dinner.
The Rooms AT THE REEDS
For our stay, we were booked for a double queen room that faced out to the town. There are options for different types of guest rooms and suites with the option to either face the town or face towards the bay. Since it was a little getaway for us, a double queen room worked great for us – especially with the little man. The rooms are decorated with an upscale, nautical aesthetic and includes a variety of different amenities to make the stay enjoyable.
In the room, we found a Keurig to make coffee or tea in the morning, a refrigerator to store leftovers, a flat screen TV that also gave us the ability to cast from our phones, and a spacious background that had all the things that we needed to stay fresh and clean.
The Food AT THE REEDS AT SHELTER HAVEN
There are plenty of dining options when staying at the Reeds at Shelter Haven, and because it’s also super close to the town, there are also great options of places to eat that you can easily walk to that aren’t connected to the hotel. Since, we wanted to stay in the hotel, we opted to eat at the different restaurants connected to the hotel – Water Star Grille and Buckets. Other options at the hotel that we didn’t experience but heard great things about are Sax at the Reeds, which is a little upscale, and Stone Harbor Pizza Pub.
WATER STAR GRILLE
Water Star Grille has a great blend of upscale and casual feel. The menu brings you, what I would call, elevated shore food. You get a combination of various seafood options along with burgers, sandwiches, and other options that are super family-friendly. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and gives you the option to dine inside or outside, but I would highly recommend eating outside to get the bay view – especially during the Spring and Summer seasons. If you are opting for a later dinner, watching the sunset as you are indulging on a dessert or end of dinner cocktail is an experience that you have to have while at The Reeds.
We dined at Water Star Grille for both breakfast and dinner during our stay, and while there are so many great options on the menu, I would highly recommend Bronzino or the bolognese for dinner. My husband devoured the bolognese and the Bronzino, which I had, had flavors that I didn’t even know would pair well with fish.
BUCKETS MARGARITA BAR & CANTINA
For our first night staying at the Reeds, we had a very chill dinner at Buckets. This restaurant is right near the valet at the hotel and has a little bit more of an intimate setting since the restaurant isn’t as large as some of the other options. It’s a great place to go in the evening and dine on the deck right off the bay, so that you can enjoy some margaritas and latin street food bites while watching some of the bay activities that are offered or watching the sun go down. I really enjoyed their food options, especially the barbacao tacos which I specifically saved one so that I could enjoy it as a late night snack when we got back to our room.
VISITING THE Beach AT THE REEDS
Typically whenever we travel to any beach location when we do any type of getaway, we find ourselves either walking a ways to the beach or trying to find parking before lugging all of our things along the beach to where we want to spend our time. But while staying at the Reeds at Shelter Haven, the experience was completely different. When you’re ready to head to the beach, you head out to a pick-up area where the beach butler will chauffeur you to the beach and then help you to set up at the beach with an umbrella, beach chairs, towels, and beach toys for little ones that they supply for you. All we had to bring to the beach was ourselves because everything that we needed was provided outside of bringing our phones and room keys.
While at the beach, if you get hungry, you can connect with one of the beach butlers for a beach menu to order food that will be brought to you beachside. The process is super easy, just get the menu, let them know your order, they’ll provide you with a flag that has a number, and when the food is ready, a member of the Reeds staff will bring it to you in a beach picnic basket fit with silverware and cleansing wipes. Being able to head out right after breakfast, go straight to the beach, and not having to leave to grab food, gave us the ability to spend a great, long day at the beach enjoying the sun, sand, and the waves.
Salt Spa AT THE REEDS
For those looking for a little relaxation, you’ll want to make sure to book a treatment at the Salt Spa. Located right across the street from where the hotel rooms are, you enter into the spa check-in where you’ll be greeted and prepped for your treatment. In the spa, you can choose from massages, hair and nail salon options, the Turkish bath, which is what I decided to head into, and a variety of other options.
I had never had a Turkish bath experience, so I was excited to try it out. With their Turkish Bath experience, you have the option to choose from a detox or nourishing treatment – I went with nourishing. And the experience is dedicated to you and the party that you decide to take it with. Since my husband had to stay back with our little guy, I had the room and experience completely to myself for the entire hour. After the treatment, I was so happy with how it went, I began looking up if Turkish baths were offered in any of my local spas. Unfortunately, I have yet to find one. But if you are looking for a great way to relax, reset, and take care of your body, I highly recommend.
OTHER Activities AND Happenings AT THE REEDS
Other than the beach and the spa, there are a variety of other activities and happenings at the Reeds at Shelter Haven. When you are planning your visit, I recommend checking out their ‘Happenings‘ page to see what they have upcoming. If you come during the summer, you may be privileged to attending their Reeds & Seeds event which is a fun time for the entire family, and we got to take part of it while we were there. But if you aren’t visiting in the summer, that doesn’t mean anything is happening, they have a variety of happenings including Murder Mystery Dinners and live music. And, of course, they have activities for your day to day stay such as paddle boarding, a rooftop pool, a fitness center, bay activities, and more.
Our getaway was provided by the Reeds on a complimentary stay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
