B&B by the Sea
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
One thing about the beach: It's hard to leave. If, like me, you're reluctant to let the ocean out of your sight or the waves out of earshot, you'll want to stay as close as possible. That's where
The Addy Sea? Let's just say it's no accident that the bed-and-breakfast is on Oceanview Parkway.
One hundred years old this year, the Bethany Beach bed-and-breakfast was built as a private residence by one of the area's original settlers, John M. Addy. The place is officially an antique, and rightly proud of it. In the age of Motel 6, it's hard to resist a lodging that advertises period architectural details such as copper bathtubs, cedar shingles and tin ceilings as desirable assets.
The house has 13 guest rooms, two of which -- the Sunrise and South rooms -- offer lovely views of the ocean through corner windows. Sure, other rooms have fancier bathrooms, but it's hard to see why anyone would trade an ocean view for a whirlpool. The summer season at the Addy Sea runs May 1 through Sept. 30, with rates from $220 to $300, depending on the room and day of the week.
Like most bed-and-breakfasts, the Addy Sea looks as if it were decorated by somebody's maiden aunt. You call it "Victorian elegance," we call it chintz and Gainsborough reproductions. Chintz notwithstanding, it's comfortable and homelike, an impression that's intensified by the fact that the individual rooms don't have locks on the doors.
The latter half of the bed-and-breakfast equation doesn't disappoint. On a recent Saturday morning, I was served hot waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream -- along with a variety of side dishes, baked goods and the requisite coffee. The Addy Sea also serves tea and pastries every afternoon in the front parlor -- further bolstering the maiden aunt theory.
Yet its the proximity to the ocean that is the place's main draw. The big old house nestles in the sand, its front porch elbowing into the dunes. The wide, sky blue-painted porch is lined with rocking chairs. A boardwalk from the porch leads directly onto the dunes and, from there, straight into the waves.
