Crystal Beach Oceanfront Hotel

I don't recommend this place. The room was ok, but the service was bad. We booked through BringFido and paid for everything but the pet fee in advance. When we arrived, they falsely claimed that we had not yet paid for taxes and parking--and they tried to charge an additional "resort fee." I tried to show the confirmation email to prove that we had paid for taxes and parking, but the employee refused to look at it. He kept saying that he was not authorized to remove the charges. He did not ask the manager for help, so I had to do it. Finally, they removed the charges. It was a stressful and very annoying way to begin our stay.

On the second night, the toilet clogged, so I called the front desk to ask for a plunger. The employee said that he did not know where the plungers were kept, and there was no one he could ask. He was nonchalant, like it was fine to leave guests with a clogged toilet overnight.

A couple of hours later, my husband needed to use the toilet, so he went to the desk to ask for a bucket to flush the clog down. The employee was rude, like my husband was bothering him. The next morning, I called the front desk to complain, and they made excuses, claiming that it was the employee's first night and he had just lost a close relative. That is unfortunate, but it is not an excuse for treating guests like they are imposing on you.

We will not be back.

Note in response to the owner: If you charge a resort fee, then you need to disclose it to the booking site just as you disclosed the parking and pet fees. You should also apologize for the attempt to charge double for taxes and parking. Stop making excuses and take responsibility.

From the outside, Crystal Beach looked nice and gave a good first impression. Unfortunately, the room and overall experience didn't quite live up to that.

One of the biggest disappointments was the "ocean view." It seems to be very hit or miss depending on the room you're assigned. My room overlooked the pool, which was okay, but my friends' room looked directly at another building with absolutely no view of the ocean at all. If you're paying extra expecting a beach view, be aware that may not be what you get.

As soon as we walked into our room, there was a strong musty smell. I immediately had to open the sliding door just to air it out. The room looked decent at first glance and the beds were made nicely, but it never really felt completely clean.

We also had issues with our room keys. Three separate times they stopped working and we had to go back to the front desk to get new ones. It was frustrating and inconvenient, especially while trying to enjoy our vacation.

The room door was another issue. It never seemed to close properly, and the door itself looked damaged and scratched up. It definitely gave the impression that maintenance isn't a priority.

The front desk staff weren't necessarily rude, but they mostly mumbled when speaking, making it difficult to understand them or get clear answers.

Overall, the location is great and the outside of the property looks nice, but between the musty room, questionable cleanliness, repeated key card problems, door issues, and disappointing room views, I left feeling underwhelmed. I wouldn't rush back.

The lobby is the only place that doesn't have a bad odor. Bathroom wasn't filthy, but it wasn't clean either. Fixtures are rusty, drains back up, shower head is only 5ft high, and the towels are so small. Not to mention the AC doesn't really work, in 1st room or the 2nd. The lady who checked us in was great, and the property in general could be really nice, but it needs some serious TLC.