Herrington Harbour South Marina Resort

Harrington Harbor Pool
We used to love coming to this pool even though the pool pass was $ 300 for the season Monday through Friday only and $ 5 for each guest after 5 pm. —- 2015
2016– the pool pass went up to $ 400 and is now $ 10 regardless of the time you show up, needless to say it is now a ghost town. the pool attendants are not very nice with the exception of 2 people. (life guards are great) My step daughter takes swimming lessons there and they argued with my wife for 45 min saying she had to pay even though she is only there for a half hr. the day before it was free ?? I think something needs to change with how they manage the pool, i call them the pool nazis’s now, i only want my pool back thats all, hopefully if they get a few reviews of how i here people talk at the pool and how they are frustrated like myself then maybe they will change back to how it used to be.

Exclusive only for those who holds slips! Brilliant place for those lucky goers! There’s a private beach and pool with an outside bar, it’s so private, you need a key for the bathroom. The food is great! Maryland is known for crabs, this places crabs are the best MD quality you would want. The facility is always clean, the life guards are nice and do their job (they’re not obnoxious or blowing the whistle every other 5 minutes like some places do). They have split times for children to go in and then of course time for the adults only. This place is called resort for a reason not motel or hotel. It’s a very friendly place! If anybody has a boat or yacht, they should dock it this place!

Review for Inn only.
I stayed here for my wedding in one of the suites. The views were nice and the Inn itself is old but kept up alright.
My low rating for the Inn is due to the housekeeping. At $ 500 a night I would expect I would not have to clean my own dishes. Towels were not hung properly and put on the dressers instead on a few of the days. One day the beds were not made. I had about five dozen red ants take over the bathroom.
I understand the Inn and the Yacht Club are under different ownership but given I spent $ 19,000 between the two places, it would have been nice to have a bottle of wine or champagne as a gesture for choosing their location. I had several family and friends stay there as well. I only stay at Marriott properties so my idea of customer service could be skewed from the service I receive from Marriott.
Other than the housekeeping issues it is a good place to stay if you are having a wedding or attending a wedding at the yacht club. I was able to get some beautiful pictures taken on the property.

The marina part is OK. Nice setting. Nice and helpful staff. The issue is that when you’re there — You’re there. There is really very little around in terms of amenities. So you’re stuck eating at the restaurant which is on the resort property — Mango’s. Mango’s is horrible. The staff is rude. The service is the worst. The food is at best OK, I actually had a terrible experience with Mango’s. I tried telling them that their service is terrible and they basically went on the attack against me. I guess their motto is «The customer is never right.» I cannot believe Herrington sticks with Mango’s year after year when they are so bad… People at the pool know they can’t get served so they bring their own food or walk across the street to eat as I do now. Due to my experience with Mango’s I’m actually switching marinas for 2016 as is another slip holder I spoke to. Restaurant staff harassing the slip holders… Mango’s owner must be family or something is all I can think of as to why Herrington would keep them around when they’re running off slip holders.

Man o man! Me the wife and kids came here to stay for a night! Everything was perfect. This is a perfect getaway for anyone needing some mind and body tlc! The grounds are better kept up than the white house itself. Room service would have been nice but this is def an hidden gem of md. Will be returning for many many years to come.

Herrington Harbour is absolutely beautiful and it’s a great family outing and it’s so close to downtown DC! This place is a hidden treasure. It is scenic and beautifully landscaped. We have stayed at Herrington Harbor for the 4^th of July holiday weekend for years. It’s a great place for children of all ages. The beach is great since the water is very shallow initially. It also feels very safe for children, and there are usually plenty of them so families feel right at home. If you are staying on the property, children can come and go around the property with ease and soon they just know the lay of the land. The 4^th of July event (which happens on the 3^rd, not the 4^th) is complete with music, vendors, and great fireworks in the evening. There is a side restaurant (Mangos) with pretty decent moderately priced food that is poolside. The pool is also a pretty nice size. This is also a beautiful place to have a wedding! The wedding site is always decorated so beautifully and the setting is right on the beach. If you have never been down to Herrington Harbor, it is definitely a great weekend hideaway. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I am a big fan but I believe the rates are getting a little of control. Now there is a nightly add on fee for each child, based on the age of the child; the price of entertainment I guess.

We have had boats at Herrington Harbour since 1989. When we left to go cruising, we informed the kind folks at Herrington to go ahead and rent our slip as we were off to find paradise and would not be returning. We sailed from Maine to Florida then spent a winter in the Bahamas. After three years, we called Herrington North and asked for our slip back as we could not find a marina that offered more nor a better location to sail from! They were kind enough to let us back in. There is a saying on the docks here at Herrington «every year there is an improvement to the marinas». We have watched Herrington North evolve from a nice working «boat yard» to a first class marina resort/​boat yard. It is one of the few marinas where you can work on your own boat where the yard provides water and electric to each boat on the hard with each boat spaced out far enough to give you plenty of room to work or launch any time of the year you wish. If you are not into boat work, there is a contractor on site that can handle any need that arises. The marina itself has evolved into a first class resort atmosphere with the yearly additions including; a beautiful pool, fitness room with top of the line equipment, walking paths, two customer service lounges, laundry facilities, private bath houses, Honey Harvest Café’, incredible landscaping, and the mother of all cool things — a huge West Marine right on site! The season is filled with events for slipholders such as «dinghy drive-​in theater», cocktail parties at the pool, free Kayaks, free bikes, all sorts of fun to be had by all. The one thing that makes Herrington Harbour Marinas the best on the East Coast in our book — the staff. Without a doubt they understand customer service and deliver it on a daily basis. It is the only marina where we witness time and time again the owners out walking the docks, looking after boats and slipholders alike with a personal interest and care that cannot be faked. They truly care about the slipholders and their happiness and this attitude is reflected throughout the organization.

If you’re looking for a marina that is close to «good water», not a long run to other «great destinations», provides a wide variety of amenities, and isn’t so small and remote that vendors and friends can’t find you… then Herrington Harbor South is a «MUST SEE» on your next search… or a perfect stop as a summer destination for anyone cruising the Bay.
I’ve had a variety of boats at marinas from the Elk River, Middle River, Patapsco River, and Annapolis. Each had their own selling points, but none covered the entire array of features offered by HHS.
Full disclosure — I DO NOT work for the marina, but I’ve been a slipholder for 5 years. I’m constantly amazed at the amount of money invested in repairs, improvements, and new additions to features around the marina.
Don’t confuse Herrington Harbor South with a typical marina… they claim they’re a resort, and they definitely live up to it. Slips, olympic size pool, kiddie pool (with excellent life guards, I must note), exercise room, sauna, outdoor tiki bar attached to pool (where they will serve you poolside), indoor restaurant/​bar, 3 banquet facilities for weddings or corporate events, tennis courts, volleyball courts, kiddie playground, horseshoe pits, and a nature trail that winds around the marina, a staggering number of bath houses (very clean — plenty of staff to keep up with them on weekends and holidays), and a small restaurant/​shop that makes great breakfast and sami’s along with misc grocery items, treats, and beverages (soda, water, beer, wine, etc.).
It is worth noting the landscaping at HHS — they plant fresh full-​size palm trees each spring, replant tons of exotic plants and flowers… while preserving the natural grasses to support their eco-​friendly stance as caretakers of the Bay.
There are 2 yachts clubs at the marina (which actually work together on a couple events each year); one for sailing (Herrington Harbor Sailing Association) and one composed of both sailing/​power (Herring Bay Yacht Club).
Clarifications and/​or support for other Unilocal posts (below):
The marina has 2 beaches — they rent SUP (stand up paddlers), small sailboats, kayaks, and misc small water sport items.
There is a motel which has double rooms and large suites (art deco style) with spectacular views of the Bay. Some of the rooms have private hot tubs. If you’re a slipholder, you get a discount — which is useful for guests who don’t like to stay on the boat or when you want to treat a guest.
In addition to a wide variety of slip sizes (all of which are protected as mentioned below) each slip has electricity (not included in slip fee as previously reported) and cable TV (roughly 100 stations for an annual cost of just over $ 120 — Comcast only — 2013 Comcast rates).
One of the other Unilocal posts noted they believed that HHS was «pricey». Pricing is a relative thing, and a balance across a lot of very personal motivators. My move from Annapolis to HHS cut my slip fees by roughly 40%. I know I can find less expensive slips if I search, but not with the features and care/​condition I found at HHS.
Another Unilocal poster mentioned weddings — there are a LOT of weddings at HHS because of their facilities and catering capabilities. Many of the wedding court families stay on property and definitely make the weekend crowd vibrant. They don’t tend to take up the slipholder parking, and between the bands and occasional wedding fireworks, it adds a festive vibe.
For transients (and guests who didn’t want to move their cars) there used to be a trolley that would run to nearby towns (North Beach and Chesapeake Beach) where you could do a little shopping and find a few extra restaurants… including a stop at Herrington Harbor North (a working marina with a West Marine on site). The trolley was funded by the towns to capture some business, but it wasn’t running in 2013. They (the cities, county, HHS/​HHN) should coordinate their efforts and bring that back.
If you’re in the DC/​Alexandria area, the drive to HHS is probably between 45 minutes to one hour (depending on day/​time, of course). I live just west of Philadelphia, and our drive on Friday nights is 2 hours 20 minutes… which we make every weekend from mid-​March through mid-​October… and it is absolutely worth it.
If you’ve not been to HHS, I recommend you drive or boat in for a weekend, and see that words can’t do it justice.

HHS is THE Place to be on the Chesapeake Bay. And, this coming from a Baltimorean who lives one hour north of HHS. We’ve owned our Hunter 356 for 5 years. After a number of years chugging down and up the Patapsco River to get to a decent place to let out the sails, we looked elsewhere to dock our boat. We visited Herrington Harbour North. Quite attractive. But, too isolated. We desire amenities to be on site, or, near the boat. So, we toured Herrington Harbour South. Oh, the amenities abound; $ 2/​bag ice (freezer never locked), clean marine showers, well-​maintained docks, still water (no rocking/​bouncing while sleeping aboard), Honey’s Harvest (!), Mango’s restaurant, the sparkly pool (get rid of the smokers, please), the beautifully-​landscaped inn and private beach (need more tiki hut coverage built). Our dock fee is annual and the electric is included. We are happy to drive the hour every Friday after work to begin our weekend vacations. — OH, and once we depart out of the HHS channel, within moments we unfurl the mainsail and jib.

Wish I was better with boats, but when the wind stops and the sailboat starts rocking, I’m praying for dry land…
Luckily, the dry land at Herrington Harbor is AWESOME! Great little comunity, you’re likely to have super cool slip neighbors, cookouts, activities. Awesome amenities — pool is spotless, the bar is great (but sometimes too crowded for the amount of bartenders working), restaurant food is tasty and decently priced. Nice beachy spots. Their little motel looks cute but I’ve never stayed there.
It’s an easy drive from the Metro area which is nice.

From North to South, we’ve kept our boats at Herrington Harbour Marinas for the past 12 years.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, they got better!
This place was great to begin with. When we docked at Herrington Harbour North (for about 6 years), I’d make my way to the South just to enjoy all of the extra amenities such as the fitness center, olympic sized pool with diving board, thatched roof huts with attached drink tables to sit under, volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, a lil patch of sand (if that’s your fancy), and trolley access to all of the other «in-​town» activities. Wow! I’m in staycay heaven!
Then, my father (the slipholder) started forwarding the HHS e-​mails he received. Those e-​mails gave advance notice of «movie night on the beach» (think screen on the green, only with sand between your toes and the moolit shoreline as a backdrop), catered slipholder only luaus and pool parties with (Surprise!) catered morning after pancake breakfasts (Yay! Yum!), and other standard events like fireworks on the beach at each marina for the Fourth of July, and Labor and Memorial Day events. This place thinks of everything. AND the management is nice and helpful on top of all of that.
If my father Unilocaled, he would give first hand testimony on the actual boat repairs, relocations, and whatnot. As a second hand beneficiary of the boat action, allow me to say that the boat was always in the water when it needed to be, and when it needed to be repaired, it was always taken (somehow) over to the Herrington Harbour North marina where the boatyard repair shop is located, repaired, then returned post repari in fine working order. When we changed slips, we left one night with boat in 1 slip (let’s just call it slip C-​9) and returned a couple days later to find the boat snugly tied up in its new slip (let’s just say E-​22). Power cords were properly hooked up and everything. This place is MAGIC!
Oh and if all of the catered slipholder only buffets aren’t enough to fill your gullet, you can always go to the restaurant. Mangos is great too, but I’ll Unilocal that separetely. But just as a note, there is nothing like being able to take your mango-​colada poolside (as the restaurant is attached to the pool area). Yessss! :-)
Now if they would only strictly enforce the parking sticker regulations on holiday weekends.