When Trips Don't Go As Planned: Dover to Dewey Beach
Last year, super awesome CEO blessed our office with three glorious days off to commemorate the 4th of July. As soon as I found out about this unbelievable gift, I begged my fiance to indulge in a weekend retreat with me. Despite our short trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina earlier in the Spring...we kind of felt like we were overdue for a vacation.
I found a seemingly perfect oceanfront hotel in Dewey Beach - one of our best trip destinations to date. We had not been in a year, and since we had very little beach time while in the Outer Banks, we thought this just might be the perfect opportunity to have our moment in the sun!
I settled on Surf Club Oceanfront Dewey - a quaint hotel which was recently updated.
I fell in love with the modern beachy decor, full kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows with beautiful oceanfront views. I often cheap it out and nickel and dime every single thing budgeting for vacations. This time around, I wanted to be comfortable and lazy while beach bumming it up as much as possible. I figured if I paid a bit more I could have the experience that I wanted.
Initially, I wanted to spend 4 days and 3 nights (Thursday-Sunday) at the hotel - but my wallet was like NOPE - so I settled for 3 days and 2 nights in Dewey. We still, however, left on Thursday. My fiance and I actually "hotel hopped" from Thursday to Friday by starting out at Eagles' Rest - The Airforce Inn in Dover. It was comfy and clean but Dover is a total snooze fest. Literally. All we did was SLEEP. We eventually went to the commissary, got Redbox DVDs, and visited Five & Below...but that was it (lol!).
We honestly saved so much money hotel hopping. We did the same thing in the Outerbanks. It is a great way to check out a beautiful, luxurious hotel for just a night or two without blowing your whole budget.
We were also just an hour away from Dewey by staying in Dover, which made our commute on Friday a lot less annoying.
However, during last week's trip, we learned that we really saw almost everything there is to see during our first trip to Dewey. When our beach bum idea didn't go as planned because of a very chilly cold front and high winds (our sunset boat tour also got canceled) we had to exercise our spontaneity and find our own fun.
Lefty's Alley & Eats - Lewes
This wasn't quite a random happenstance. A week or two before the trip, I purchased a Groupon for Lefty's Alley & Eats. It can be compared to a fancier version of Dave & Busters (or even Pinstripes if you've visited the one in DC).
There's a bowling alley, bar, arcade, laser tag room, and lots of big screen TVs. The food here is pretty good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired. I wouldn't recommend you go on a Friday or Saturday.
Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk - Rehoboth
This is nowhere you want to go if you are on a diet! Oh my gosh everything smells like hot dogs, fried cheese, and powdered sugar and I wept for all the yummy snacks I couldn't eat.
I did have a taste of my fiance's ice cream we bought from an adorable sweets shop called Kaisy's Delights.
I also got a temporary tattoo. Where I got it from...meh...not worth mentioning. It looks super messy lol.
Bottle & Cork - Dewey
While taking a stroll down Coastal Highway, my fiance and I heard music coming out of a venue across the street. Since we really had no plans, we decided to take a peek in.
That's when we discovered Bottle & Cork. The cover was only $5 and we both had a great time! Sure it smells like freshman year of college and bad decisions, but that's part of the adventure! My fiance had his first ever "Orange Crush" (he loved it!) and we spent an hour or so dancing to some great music.
The bands here were AWESOME. I really look forward to the day when 3AM Tokyo plays the 9:30 Club in DC. I'll be the first person in line!
Woody's East Coast Bar & Grill - Dewey
Diet or no diet, I made up my mind a long time ago that I was putting at least one delicious crab cake in my mouth on this trip.
In my opinion, there's only one place acceptable for breaking my diet - Woody's in Dewey! When we arrived we were told that the wait was an hour and a half. No worries...I was patient!
And yes, I got my crab cake life that night and YES I ate the whole thing! Not the bread though...I didn't eat that!
Surf Club Oceanfront (our hotel)
This is a charming, comfortable hotel.
Honestly, the beautiful view of the ocean during our trip made up for the fact that it was too windy to enjoy the beach.
We brought a cooler full of groceries and made most of our meals in the room instead of eating out.
We also had TOO much fun playing board games and watching TV. My fiance tried to teach me to play chess and I taught him how to play Mancala. :)
There were a few issues with the room including noise from the people in the room above ours and our room needing refreshing - but these matters were taken care of quickly and apologetically. The staff is wonderful and professional.
We met two (hilarious) con-artist cats too! We thought we were giving food to and petting one black cat, but it turns out we were seeing two different cats the whole time!
My fiance and I did take a quick stroll to watch the sunrise on the morning of our departure. It was so beautiful. You have to witness a sunrise from the shores of Dewey during this time of year.
The waves were huge and foamy, the sand was soft, and the sun felt so warm.
I look forward to witnessing more of Surf Club's evolution! I would definitely stay there again because the staff was kind and the room felt very much like home. They also offer coupons and deals with local businesses and I wish we had been around longer to take advantage of it. It is within walking distance to bars and music venues, but not so close that the noise will keep you up at night. (This is a popular complaint of those who stay in hotels across the street or a block from Bottle & Cork.)
Even though this particular trip didn't go as planned, I still enjoyed myself and got some great memories out of the deal. Can you think of a time your trip didn't go as planned? Share it in the comments below!
This is not an endorsement or a sponsor posted. I paid my own money for this trip and experiences!
I found a seemingly perfect oceanfront hotel in Dewey Beach - one of our best trip destinations to date. We had not been in a year, and since we had very little beach time while in the Outer Banks, we thought this just might be the perfect opportunity to have our moment in the sun!
 |
| Yes, I took this photo! |
 |
| Image from Surf Club Hotel |
 |
| Image from PCsing |
Initially, I wanted to spend 4 days and 3 nights (Thursday-Sunday) at the hotel - but my wallet was like NOPE - so I settled for 3 days and 2 nights in Dewey. We still, however, left on Thursday. My fiance and I actually "hotel hopped" from Thursday to Friday by starting out at Eagles' Rest - The Airforce Inn in Dover. It was comfy and clean but Dover is a total snooze fest. Literally. All we did was SLEEP. We eventually went to the commissary, got Redbox DVDs, and visited Five & Below...but that was it (lol!).
We honestly saved so much money hotel hopping. We did the same thing in the Outerbanks. It is a great way to check out a beautiful, luxurious hotel for just a night or two without blowing your whole budget.
We were also just an hour away from Dewey by staying in Dover, which made our commute on Friday a lot less annoying.
However, during last week's trip, we learned that we really saw almost everything there is to see during our first trip to Dewey. When our beach bum idea didn't go as planned because of a very chilly cold front and high winds (our sunset boat tour also got canceled) we had to exercise our spontaneity and find our own fun.
Lefty's Alley & Eats - Lewes
This wasn't quite a random happenstance. A week or two before the trip, I purchased a Groupon for Lefty's Alley & Eats. It can be compared to a fancier version of Dave & Busters (or even Pinstripes if you've visited the one in DC).
 |
| Image from Trip Advisor |
There's a bowling alley, bar, arcade, laser tag room, and lots of big screen TVs. The food here is pretty good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired. I wouldn't recommend you go on a Friday or Saturday.
Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk - Rehoboth
This is nowhere you want to go if you are on a diet! Oh my gosh everything smells like hot dogs, fried cheese, and powdered sugar and I wept for all the yummy snacks I couldn't eat.
I did have a taste of my fiance's ice cream we bought from an adorable sweets shop called Kaisy's Delights.
I also got a temporary tattoo. Where I got it from...meh...not worth mentioning. It looks super messy lol.
Bottle & Cork - Dewey
While taking a stroll down Coastal Highway, my fiance and I heard music coming out of a venue across the street. Since we really had no plans, we decided to take a peek in.
That's when we discovered Bottle & Cork. The cover was only $5 and we both had a great time! Sure it smells like freshman year of college and bad decisions, but that's part of the adventure! My fiance had his first ever "Orange Crush" (he loved it!) and we spent an hour or so dancing to some great music.
Woody's East Coast Bar & Grill - Dewey
Diet or no diet, I made up my mind a long time ago that I was putting at least one delicious crab cake in my mouth on this trip.
In my opinion, there's only one place acceptable for breaking my diet - Woody's in Dewey! When we arrived we were told that the wait was an hour and a half. No worries...I was patient!
And yes, I got my crab cake life that night and YES I ate the whole thing! Not the bread though...I didn't eat that!
Surf Club Oceanfront (our hotel)
This is a charming, comfortable hotel.
 |
| I finally got to use my picnic basket from the thrift store! |
We also had TOO much fun playing board games and watching TV. My fiance tried to teach me to play chess and I taught him how to play Mancala. :)
There were a few issues with the room including noise from the people in the room above ours and our room needing refreshing - but these matters were taken care of quickly and apologetically. The staff is wonderful and professional.
We met two (hilarious) con-artist cats too! We thought we were giving food to and petting one black cat, but it turns out we were seeing two different cats the whole time!
My fiance and I did take a quick stroll to watch the sunrise on the morning of our departure. It was so beautiful. You have to witness a sunrise from the shores of Dewey during this time of year.
The waves were huge and foamy, the sand was soft, and the sun felt so warm.
I look forward to witnessing more of Surf Club's evolution! I would definitely stay there again because the staff was kind and the room felt very much like home. They also offer coupons and deals with local businesses and I wish we had been around longer to take advantage of it. It is within walking distance to bars and music venues, but not so close that the noise will keep you up at night. (This is a popular complaint of those who stay in hotels across the street or a block from Bottle & Cork.)
Even though this particular trip didn't go as planned, I still enjoyed myself and got some great memories out of the deal. Can you think of a time your trip didn't go as planned? Share it in the comments below!
This is not an endorsement or a sponsor posted. I paid my own money for this trip and experiences!
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