Spray Beach Inn and Restaurant

I am writing this about the bar and restaurant. Ive never stayed there, but I do listen to the people outside talk about how much they love it there, the outside bar is fantastic. its old school. You can actually tell the bartender how you like your drink, and he does it. order food, food is great. Gary the bartender is the nicest, best bartender I have ever encountered, I actually after dealing with him numerous times had to ask his name. He is always nice. he can be super busy, but he hears you, and makes your drink perfect, I never order a margarita or a tequila sunrise out, nobody makes it right. Gary does, I dont know how he does it, but I would follow this guy, love him. I stay on the island the whole summer, this is from going there many times over.

Let me preface my review by stating that we did not stay at the Spray Beach Inn, we only had the opportunity to enjoy the outside dining deck. What a great spot we found! My family and I were staying in a rental home literally across the street from the Spray. We were a little nervous when we checked into the home, thinking it was going to be loud, but we never heard any noise coming from the hotel and our windows were always open. During our stay I think we tried everything on the drink menu including the daily drink specials at the Tiki bar. It was so convenient and the bartenders were great. My daughter loved going to get a virgin Pina Colada. All the bartenders knew her by the end of the week and would start to make her drink as she was walking up! They made her feel extra special! Drinks were creative and great to enjoy on their dining deck overlooking the water or to bring back to our perfect spot on the beach. We had breakfast a few time as well as lunch. You can come and dine right off the beach (coverups, of course). It was great, no sandy feet in the house for lunch! The Veggie wrap, fish sandwich, and jersey special were our favorites. For breakfast, everyone’s favorite was the egg sandwich on French toast. I never eat anything like that, but it was REALLY good. I definitely think the Spray Beach Inn is worth a stop, especially if you would like to eat outdoors. Enjoy!

Horrible experience! Front office couldn’t figure out if they had rooms or not. Checked in 4 Th. July weekend. Was suppose to have 1 room for two nights and then move to another room for last night. Room was so musty and smelled so much of mildew my son and I felt sick immediately. Refrigerator was brown! Spoke to manager. Original attitude was take it or leave it because they had no other rooms. When i said I was going to move all of a sudden an ocean front room opened up for all 3 nights? Manager was rude. On third day we got a call that we had to move again to another room because our room was booked? Different manager same take it or leave it attitude. Never an apology for our inconvenience! Wont be returning there!

For our family, it has been a tradition for all of us to meet here for breakfast on the day we all arrive in LBI for our week of vacation. The service at the Spray Beach is always excellent, they are always so accommodating to our huge party and are very friendly every time we come. The location couldn’t be better. We love sitting outside for breakfast and listening to the waves over the dunes. The name fits, since you do in fact get the spray from the ocean haha. The interior décor could use a facelift, but the outside area is very nice. They make a nice breakfast– the waffles and pancakes are good and the eggs are great also. I always get a good ol’ stack of pancakes with fresh fruit and a side of bacon. Yum! Although not perfect, definitely a great and friendly place for breakfast on this part of the island.

This place is beautiful, super clean and friendly staff!!! Great value for the money.

Overall: Good breakfast food with a laid-​back atmosphere. The place had a few flies which was annoying, but otherwise not bad.
Tip: Sit outside if you can, it certainly seems cleaner and more enjoyable. When we went on a Sunday morning for brunch, the outside area was full.
The breakfast food we ordered was good, waiter was friendly and ok, and the atmosphere was causal. The best description for this place is ordinary, nothing great but not bad either.

I’ve been coming to LBI in the summer for 26 years and just recently moved down here all year round. I’ve always wanted to try this place and finally got the chance today. I’m not sure what the bad reviews are about but I had the best grouper sandwich I’ve ever had on this island ever. I’ve never stayed in the hotel or eaten inside so I cannot comment on that but it did look a little dated on the inside. Major Saved By The Bell Malibu Sands Beach Club vibes from this place… in a good way.

The view is INCREDIBLE! The convenience to the beach is amazing. The room is outdated, especially for the price we paid. But the bigger issue we had was that we were told, by the hotel staff that was checking us in, to make sure we keep the beach pass «on you at all times» ~ which my husband clipped it onto his shorts. It was lost in the water :(When I went to speak to the staff at the desk, they said we would be charged a $ 50 fee. When I explained that we were doing what they instructed us to do, a RUDE man (I assume the manager) came over and said «that would never be said by our staff» and then walked away as if he couldn’t be bothered by me ~ it was, even the woman there said she was the one that checked us in, and that she tells people to keep it on them at all times. She then claimed she didn’t mean pinned on your person. For the price we paid, I didn’t expect that level of rudeness.
Also, just an fyi — the pool is a kids pool. it goes from 18 in to 4 feet max, and then goes back to 18 in on the other side. Great if you have little kids, disappointing otherwise.

My review is based only on the Hotel/​motel part. I didn’t eat or get drinks. Paid $ 150 for a room with 2 beds and no view of anything. Well our window faced the elevator so not anything. Décor is straight outta 1973. Room was a little musty but it was clean. They have a pool, mainly for kids. It goes from 18in to 4ft. Staff here was very friendly. Wake up call for the inn. If you are going to charge modern prices you need to step it up. The restaurant looks like a 70’s lounge too. Not in a good way. The outdoor bar is nice though, mainly because an outdoor beach bar is hard to come by in L.B.I

Paid $ 150 for the room that has no view… I’m a little confused because this hotel is right on the beach and it is NOT packed right now. It is the last weekend in May… however since Memorial Day fell on last weekend — this is not a holiday weekend. The room is small… Which would be fine but it has a weird smell and the layout is eh. It has those scratchy bedspreads from the early 80’s … Which is actually kind of endearing when you pay $ 50 for a room… Not $ 150. I am hoping they will use my money to update the rooms.
Redeeming factor: pool and jacuzzi are nice. Great pool to relax in with the kids and not have to worry… It’s very shallow. It is on the beach! No lugging stuff or parking issues!

Just got to relax and let this place roll over you. Place is on island time, but isn’t that the point of LBI? Great crab cakes, juicy clams, beer is cold. If you’re lucky enough to be outside when Dave Sodano is singing the Summer Wind, you’re lucky enough. Have loved this place for 20 years. One of those places that makes your shoulders drop in relaxation if you let it. Can’t wait for Summer!

The good: margaritas were really great!
The bad: Horrible service. Took them a half hour to even come to our table and another 15 minutes to get our drinks. Fishy tasting mahi sandwich. All in all not a desirable place to be.

Outdoor bar review:
Okay spot to grab a cold one after a day at the beach, but I wouldn’t go out of my way, either. There is a lot of outdoor seating but most of it looked reserved for diners. There’s a long bar with high seats facing the beach and a few high seats at the bar area. I say high seats because they weren’t quite bar stools but more of a hybrid between a stool and one of those chairs with the flexible plastic straps. The seat part reclined slightly and they were extremely uncomfortable and awkward to sit in, overall. You might not think seating is a big deal, but when you find that it’s the only thing you can think or talk about during your visit you might reconsider.
Said bar area is a little questionable in cleanliness. Beers are served in cans, which is fine. If I end up there again after a day at the beach, I’ll probably just stand.

Came to the NJ Shore for a wedding, bridal party reserved rooms for us here. This is your typical beach front hotel/​motel. Rooms a bit musty smelling, needs updating, beds uncomfortable. Great location right on the beac. staff is friendly and the service at the bar and restaurant for breakfast were very good. For the price under $ 100 a night, it’s a good value.

First time eating at Spray Beach with the family. The atmosphere is a little odd as it looks like a lounge, sports bar and restraint that also has outdoor seating too for the summer months. We went in the off season so it was not very busy which was nice.
The menu had a nice selection of food and on average around $ 16/​entrée unless you get in for the early bird special which includes tons of food — soup, salad, entrée and dessert.
The service was a little slow and the server was a little odd to day the least and many of the staff could not answer basic food questions which always shocks me. Tried to find out the size of the Calamari appetizer but nobody really knew — but we started with a spicy calamari which had capers and hot peppers mixed in. The Calamari was cooked perfectly but the pepper mixture was just on the bottom of the plate and was not mixed in – this should have been tossed as we had to toss it at our table.
Next the soup came — which was Manhattan Clam Chowder and was very fresh and had great flavor, the salad was just okay — nothing to rave about though. Our entrees took about 20 minutes or so to arrive. On the order list was sea scallops, chicken parm and seafood marinara — which I asked for them to make it spicy which usually the chefs love to do.
The Sea Scallops were a nice size and had 6 on the plate and tasted very fresh and not over cooked. The chicken Parm was a nice size as well and had good flavor and was very moist. My seafood marinara was not spicy at all — the seafood was excellent and the pasta was perfectly cooked — however the sauce tasted almost like chef Boyardee and it was not spicy at all — –I think they should revisit the sauce and use a new recipe — other than that it was very good.
Dessert was a rainbow sherbet which was a nice way to finish the meal. Overall I would say Spray Beach had a good selection of food that was very tasty. Service needed some help and should be trained about their food selections as well as watch for empty glasses which is a big pet-​peeve of mine.
Over all I would give Spray Beach one Damn Good Review and would be happy to return and give them another try.

My wife and I decided to take a last minute one day trip down to LBI and, based on the reviews and availability, we decided to stay at the Spray Beach Inn. When I called, I learned that the only rooms available were Oceanfront, which are a bit more than pool side. Luckily, we were able to secure a room on the 3^rd floor, so we were able to view the ocean.
Room: Nothing particularly special about the room. It had two double beds, table with two chairs, flat screen TV, microwave, fridge, coffeemaker, AC unit and ceiling fan. For just the two of us, it was sized nicely. However, if we had kids or were with another couple, it would be a bit tight. The actual bathroom was a bit small (with just the shower and toilet), but the sink and counter were in your actual room, so it makes it easier when taking showers/​getting ready if someone takes their time in the shower. While the furniture/​décor is a bit outdated, the room seemed quite clean. As mentioned before, we were on the 3^rd floor all the way at the end of the hotel (Room 312). The view was awesome to see the ocean as well as be away from street/​pool noise. For some reason, I expected we would have our own balcony to view the ocean from. However, outside the door is just the walkway to get downstairs. It can be a bit tight if the hotel staff is cleaning rooms or people leave items outside their door.
Pool/​Hot Tub: While we didn’t use the pool or hot tub, there was a decent crowd in there and it looked clean. However, there are a lot of kids in there and it can get loud, so if you’re looking for peace and quiet either by the pool or in your room nearby, you may want to look elsewhere. There is a shallow end (about 1 ft deep) so the little ones could get wet. However, not that there is no lifeguard (or none that I noticed), so you need to be mindful when swimming. Make sure to bring your own beach towels, as they do not provide.
Front Desk: I spoke to two different women when checking in and out. Both were pleasant and we even were able to check in an hour early. That may not always been an options during the high season, so may not always be something to expect. They also provide beach badges for you and your guests (you must provide a deposit).
Location: Location is everything. Having a pregnant wife, it was nice to know we didn’t have to walk far to take advantage of relaxing on the beach for a few hours. Other than the guests, the Inn is not located on the main road, so traffic noise is not a concern and well far away from any nightlife noise.
Misc: After hitting up the area and a bar, we came back around 10:30 and the hotel was pretty quiet. We did not take advantage of their restaurant or bar, choosing to eat in town.
Overall, this was a decent choice. I’m not sure if we’ll be back as I would still look at other hotels that were, unfortunately, all booked when I had looked around. But this isn’t a bad place to stay if we needed a place to stay.

Campy little motor inn on the beachfront. Got a huge laugh out of the push button phone circa 1972 that was in the room. Has tiki bar and a restaurant. Great for families, but I would have preferred a place with our own balcony. It was a last minute trip, so I can’t complain too much. Service great, room clean but really outdated.

Had breakfast here — my parents live in the area and they recommended it. Service was fantastic, food came out quickly, and eggs were made exactly as we ordered them. Plenty of coffee refills.
My father did say later that they used to have great home fries years ago, and now the ones they serve are nothing great. I hadn’t noticed at the time, and real home fries are something I always look for — it tells me they really care. True, the potatoes could’ve been better — so they lose a star for cutting corners. Go back to the original style fries and I’ll give another star.

No… Just no. So we order Rum runners right, the tool takes out a carton of mix, and mixes us up a couple… cool I don’t expect a fresh real rum runner here. Then he proceeds to linger in front of us not shutting up. now this would be bad enough except that the florr of the bar in his little bar cart was raised, and his package was at eye level…
This that’ll get you one star? How about when he starts talking about how he kows how to make a real rum runner and that they make great ones there… WTF hero… If you want the old school tiki beach cabana 50’s style scene hit the engleside and it’s neighbor…

I don’t know anything about the «Motor Inn» aspect, but I did eat breakfast here last weekend. The service was friendly, but very very slow. I was hung over and had to wait like thirty f’in minutes for my greasy f’in breakfast. I was about to put my f’in head down on the f’in table and take a f’in nap while I waited. Shit! Anyway, it finally came and it was average at best. If you’re in Beach Haven, check out The Chicken or the Egg instead.