BEACHES

10 places to rest your head and hear Delaware's Atlantic

Daniel Linehan
Special to the News Journal
The salt life of Delaware's beaches draws visitors from all over the country.

Campgrounds. Motels. Hotels. Resorts. The Delaware beaches host a continuum of accommodations. We’ve selected 10 to represent the variety the area has to offer, but forewarned is forearmed: If you don't book early in the summer season, you could be out of luck finding a place to stay.

1. The Avenue Inn & Spa, http://avenueinn.com/, Rehoboth Beach. You can leave your car in the inn's underground parking garage if you stay here, the boardwalk is one block away and the downtown shops aren't much farther. You have two options: The pricier and quieter Avenue main building, or its less expensive counterpart, Avenue II, with fewer views but more immediate access to the grooving Purple Parrot Bar.

2. The Addy Sea, addeysea.com, Bethany Beach. This oceanfront bed and breakfast boasts of Victorian elegance and beautifully prepared breakfasts. It is named after John Addy, one of Bethany Beach's original settlers, who constructed the home in 1902 for his family. The B & B has 13 rooms and accommodates 37; it is an adults only establishment.

3. Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, deweybeach.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home, Dewey Beach. The beachfront hotel is two miles from the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk.

4. Sea Colony Resort, http://bit.ly/1KJlS8v, Bethany Beach. This upscale resort between Bethany Beach and Ocean City, Maryland, includes a variety of vacation rentals, including private condos, townhomes and secluded single-family homes. Guests have exclusive access to the resort’s half-mile of private guarded beach, 12 pools, tennis courts and an aquatic center.

5. Sea Esta III and IV Motel, seaestamotel.com, Lewes. This pet-friendly motel is located four blocks from the beach and the Sea Esta IV offers June weekday rentals as low as $59 a night.

6. Econo Lodge Rehoboth Beach, econolodgerehoboth.com, Rehoboth Beach. Located three miles from the beach and across the street from the outlet stores, the Rehoboth Beach Econo Lodge offers some of the lowest rental rates in the city. It's no-frills place to stay whose rates also Include a continental breakfast.

7. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, delawarejellystone.com, Lincoln. Located five miles inland just off the Coastal Highway, the park is aimed squarely at families looking for a more rustic experience than a hotel, and offers tent camping sites and cabins that sleep up to six people. Weekly and daily rates are available, and so is a robust list of activities to choose from. Or, just lounge at the pool, if you'd rather.

8. The Inn at Canal Square, theinnatcanalsquare.com, Lewes. This waterfront bed and breakfast is right next to the Canal Front Park and less than a mile from the less crowded beaches of Cape Henlopen State Park. Be sure to take a walk through Lewes' historic downtown while you're there.

9. The Bellmoor Inn and Spa, thebellmoor.com, Rehoboth Beach. This upscale four-star hotel, among the best-reviewed on TripAdvisor, is just a few blocks from the boardwalk. Try the made-to-order omelette bar, included with breakfast every day of your stay.

10. Crosswinds Motel, crosswindsmotel.com, Rehoboth Beach. This mid-range “motel with the heart of a hotel,” as it calls itself, is located three blocks from the beach. It claims that amenities like flat-screen TVs, granite vanities and designer tile give it an edge over other affordable motels.