Aloft Ocean City Hotel Review
Aloft Ocean City is a new, modern, waterfront hotel located on the bay. You can watch the spectacular sunsets over the bay from your waterfront balcony or from the Liquid Therapy pool bar. It has an outdoor pool and indoor pool with no hot tubs. It is located next to the convention center and walking distance to several restaurants with a miniature golf course in front of the hotel and next door to the 45th Street Taphouse bar and restaurant. There is an indoor WXYZ bar and Re:mix lounge inside the Aloft. Coffee and cappuccino and hot egg sandwich and omelet breakfasts can be ordered at the front desk. It is a AAA 3-Diamond hotel. The Aloft Ocean City is pet-friendly with a maximum of one 40 pound pet per room.
This is Aloft Ocean City review is based on my husband and I staying there as a Bonvoy Marriott member using my credit card free nights and nights I paid for myself. The rate during the work week is significantly lower than the weekend.
Location, Phone, Website
Address: 4501 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD
Phone: (443) 373-0800
Bonvoy Marriott Aloft Ocean Website
Check-in: 3:00 pm and Check-out: 12:00 pm
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
- Room: 4.5 – Loved the dining/work table, but the couch was not that comfortable for long reading sessions
- Amenities: 4.8 – Excellent but the lounge chairs were a little hard and more umbrellas would be good
- Food: 3.0 – Hot breakfast sandwiches, snacks, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. No restaurant
- Service: 5.0 – Front desk and Liquid Therapy bar bartender were all pleasant
- Price: $$ – $$$$ (depending on season and weekday vs weekend)
- Value for the Money – 4.5 – Indoor and outdoor pools were great but would be crowded if hotel was full. Bay view.
Aloft Ocean City Rooms
Rooms either face the parking lot and miniature golf course on the main road or the waterfront bay view. We got a waterfront room with two queen beds, room 319. The room features a modern couch/bench and eating/working table which is wonderful for eating breakfast or lunch or getting a few hours of work in. It is not the best for lying on the couch or lounging with a book, you would need to get an upgraded room with the sofa bed.
The good sized refrigerator is tall enough to hold several bottles of wine standing up or quart size bottles of water plus a To Go square container. The Retro radio can be used for docking and playing your iPhone.
One standard size of bottle of water and one round coffee filter pod for the Hamilton Beach coffee maker was complimentary. More coffee could be purchased in lobby shop. The coffee maker did not take Keurig cups.
The sink was outside the bathroom and featured plenty of space for your toiletries. The large mirror lit up and had a ledge for additional items, like make-up. The shower was spacious and had a rainfall showerhead with pump containers for shower gel and all-in-one-shampoo-conditioner. There were five hooks on the bathroom wall for towels.
The room looked very clean. The soap, coffee, and bottle of water were not replenished due to lack of maid service because of to COVID-19 precautions. We placed our garbage outside the room every other day, and there was an extra garbage bag under the sink.
The beds were comfortable, and the room was quiet even with the music outside.
The metal enclosed open balcony provided an unobstructed view of the bay and swimming pool. Room 319 was in front of the beach bay area where it provided a lovely view of the waves and orange Adirondack chairs on the beach. The pool and bar was to the right. To the left was the convention center and other buildings which were not that pretty, more industrial. I definitely recommend Room 319 and the rooms to the right of it. The balcony had a small table and two chairs that were comfortable, but the chairs did not recline. The chairs had a curve for your body and upper thighs and if you have curvy hips (maybe size 20), the sides of the chair may dig into your hips and thighs a bit. As a side note, I did fit in the chair, but if I had a few weeks of funnel cake and Thrasher’s fries at the Boardwalk, well…
Our favorite place was chilling out on the balcony with our drinks from the Liquid Therapy Bar or having our own Happy Hour with wine, cheese, and crackers we brought. Feeling the fresh breeze and warm sun, listening to the sound of the lapping waves from the bay below and the fun pool bar music, and gazing at the waters of the bay and the cars coming over the bridge was truly a slice of Heaven – a perfect way to destress from work and life and recharge.
Aloft Ocean City Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi in the room and lobby
- Parking is free with one permit parking for a car. Free three electric car charging stations.
- Re:fuel Grab-and-Go and Lobby Store – offers hot made-to order-breakfast sandwiches from 8:00 – 11:00 am. 24 hours a day for packaged muffins. brownies, and cookies, semi-healthy snacks, coffee, non-alcoholic drinks and pint size Ben and Jerry’s ice cream available 24 hours a day. Located next to the front desk.
- 24 hour fitness center with cardiovascular machines and free weights
- Indoor, heated Pool – 6:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Outdoor pool – 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. – Closes mid-October for the Winter.
- Indoor game area
- Outdoor giant chess set
- On-site coin operated laundry room
- WXYZ Bar – indoors. Open Friday – Sunday 5:00 – 11:00 pm
- Liquid Therapy Outdoor Bar – Closes mid-October for the Winter. It is open seasonally and weather permitting from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Liquid Therapy Bar
The Liquid Therapy bar (the top picture) offers bay-front seating and a firepit to warm yourself in the evening. Upbeat music played all day. It was pleasant to listen to from our balcony, but not too loud that we heard it with the closed door. The Happy Hours from 3:00 – 6:00 pm with discounted drinks was a lovely way to end the day – the $6 Crushes came in Orange, Lime, Lemon, or Grapefruit and were made with Deep Eddy Vodka, fresh juice, and a splash of soda. Our favorites were the Lime and Orange flavors. See below for the Liquid Therapy bar menu.
What We Loved
- The Waterfront Queen room and bathroom was very spacious with great sunset views from the balcony and for watching the cars come over the bridge.
- The couch/bench eating table was very convenient for eating carry-out in the room.
- The refrigerator held our bottles of wine and quart size bottles of water that we brought.
- The beach is located across Coast Highway. There was a traffic light and beach access way, so it is a very easy walk to the beach.
- Room was quiet.
What We Did Not Like
- With the beach across the street, there is no public bathroom or shower to wash the sand off your feet unless you “borrow” some water at the condo to the right of the access way.
- If you come during the week and once the pool bar closes, there is no where to go to have a drink unless you want go walk to a bar or enjoy your own in your room.
- The Hamilton Beach coffee pods did not fit standard size Keurig cups, so you can’t bring your own Keurig cups.
Tips for a Good Stay at the Aloft Ocean City
- The hotel has 5 floors. I recommend a waterfront or bay view on the 3rd or 4th floors for the best view. The standard view will be of the parking lot and miniature golf course next to the main street in front of the hotel.
- The King waterfront suite has a larger room and larger balcony size that wraps around two sides of the hotel. It has an extra table and two chairs which is good for a family or group, but the view is the side of the hotel which looks partially at the convention center with a side view of the bay.
- If you go in the Winter, call to see if the Liquid Therapy pool bar and outside pool are open.
- Bring your own beach towels and sunscreen. There were smaller towels in the inside pool but not next to the outside pool. Bring your own chair if you go to the beach. There were no chairs to rent.
- Bring your own hair conditioner and shampoo, if you do not want to use the combination shampoo-conditioner provided.
- Bring your own drinks of choice and cups/wine glasses. Bring your own corkscrew or bottle cap remover too. The refrigerator fits quart size bottles of water.
- The Ocean City Boardwalk starts on 28th street. You can walk there on the beach, but it is a long walk.
- Only one parking pass is provided per room, so if you have more than one car, you will need to use the street parking that is recommended. You cannot purchase an additional permit.
Nearby Attractions
- 45th Street Taphouse, miniature golf course shares the same hotel parking lot but may be closed in the Winter
- Seacrets Jamaica USA Restaurant, Bar, and Distillery, and an ice cream shop – 0.3 miles – located to the left of the hotel
- Roland E. Powell Convention Center – 0.6 miles
- Real Raw Organics (Breakfast, Lunch) – 0.8 miles
- Fager’s Island restaurant – 1 mile
- Longboard Cafe – 1.4 miles
- General’s Kitchen (Breakfast, Lunch) – 1.8 miles
- The Hobbit – 2.5 miles
- Cafe Mirage – 4.6 miles
- Sunset Grille Restaurant – 5 mile