A friend was in town and we wanted to spend a night at the beach, but didn't want to spend a lot of money. So, with a bit of trepidation after reading some of the reviews, we booked the special internet rate of $57 for an ocean-front room at Inn at the Beach.

What a nice surprise when we arrived. The young lady at the front desk was friendly and efficient - and upgraded us to a room with a full kitchen.

Yes, the outside of the hotel could use a bit of sprucing up, but our room was very clean, had a private balcony looking over the ocean (ocean front, not ocean view). Yes, the toilet/bathtub room is a bit small, but comparable to many hotels I've stayed in.

We used the pool, the hot tub and the bar by the pool. All clean/no problems.

Only disappointment was that the gym was closed for repairs so we couldn't use the sauna.

I'm not a kid and I have traveled extensively (55 countries) I've stayed in 5 star hotel suites. This isn't one of them, but for $57, everything worked, was clean and attractive. What the heck more could you ask of a hotel in a great location.

I live less than an hour from Daytona and Inn on the Beach will be my new "go to" place for beach nights!

We took our family to this hotel and ended up leaving after one night stay. Needless to say-it was not fit for children's eyes. The door did not lock, the bathroom fan did not run, the bathroom door did not shut, the microwave had fist marks in it, the air conditioner never ran properly-there was water running into our floor. The balacony door had mold on it. The walls looked as if they had never been painted. The roof was held together by a large clamp-looked like something from outer space. We were very disappointed with the room quality. The only positive to the matter was that the staff was very polite.

I really wanted to give this little hotel a good review. I really did. But like me, there are many people out there wondering about all the negative things said about this aging establishment. My wife and I were looking for a place to stay on Daytona Beach while our Daughter was competing in a national college dance competition this April, and I ran across the Inn on the Beach while searching online. Considering the cost of the nicer hotels (Including the one my daughter was staying in) was in the $125 to $175 range, I decided to give the Inn a shot. I read a lot of negative about the hotel being old and that it had been "renovated" several times, including recently under new ownership. I had hoped that the low rate advertised was a method for the new owners to draw people back in to see how much they had improved the place. Since this was the 1st time I have stayed there, I can't speak to how it was before. However, I can give you a realistic breakdown of where it stands as of April 2008.
1. Staff - Friendly, willing, no attitude problems.
2. Rooms - They are what they are. Don't expect anything beyond a relatively clean room with dated appliances, paint over rust, and mildew around the tub. The carpet is brand new. I've given away better TVs to Goodwill, and the microwave and mini-fridge have that freshman dorm "this is what you get" look to them. Tub/showers are tiny.
3. Pool - Didn't get in but looked fine.
4. Beach access - Right there.
5. Continental Breakfast - OK. Bagels, Cereal, Oatmeal, Coffee, Orange & Apple juice, mini-muffins (not a big mover) etc.
6. Issues - Got back to our room the 1st night and our keys didn't work. No iron or ironing board in the rooms. No big deal, but I had to call the front desk twice and ultimately had to go down there after waiting an hour. They brought an iron eventually, but no board, and the iron wouldn't hold water. Internet in the lobby only, and the network was down part of the time we were there. Wireless LAN extremely slow.
7. Parking - Very tight.

Overall stay was OK. Suited our purpose. Cheap, relatively clean accommodations, and no battles with any little "creatures" crawling around. Maybe someday the place will get a real overhaul. It needs it.

I booked an ocean view, but on arrival we were upgraded to an ocean front. That was a good start. The room was neat and orderly, however the toilet did not flush properly. After 4 days and 5 visits from maintance, they got it fixed. Staff was friendly and responded to our requests promptly. One of the Managers was a little short with my wife, but he was the exception. (If you are a large person, you would have difficulty getting into the bathroom for it is small and cramped.) Beds were comfortable, tv worked fine, heated pool was clear and clean. Our view was great! Sliding glass door to balcony was a bit difficult to operate, but if you push on it towards the bottom of door, it slides ok.
I saw kids playing on small putting green and shuffleboard court. There is also kiddie pool and hot tub, which seemed in good working order. They had a bar next to the pool deck, but I did not order anything (don't drink). Other folks seemed to enjoy it. Parking is free and adequate, but only one access in or out, so high traffic times might be congested.
The breakfast consisted of bagels, english muffins, cereal, juice, coffee, instant hot cereal, yogurt. Nothing fancy, but filling.
Overall my wife and I were satisfied and would stay here again.