The Beacon

7.4

Good

255 Guest reviews

7.4

Good

255 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness7.4/10

Service8.0/10

Comfort7.4/10

Condition6.8/10

Amenities6.6/10

Best place to stay I would love to stay again when I come back

Awful. Unable to sleep both nights due to room next to us fighting and barking dogs.

This motel is going through a name change and they just updated all of their appliances. We were assigned to a room which had terrible saging in the floor. Husband requested another room and we were quickly reassigned to a better one. The picnic area is top notch. Gotta see it to believe it. The boardwalk, proximity to the beach and sunrise/sunsets are amazing, quick and breathtaking. If I had gotten angry with the condition of the floor and left that night, I would have never known the beauty all around me. So glad we stayed and thank you for being so hospitable. Just a gut feeling, once they work out all of the little repairs - this will easily be a very expensive room on the beach. Can't say for certain, but it sure seems that way -especially with all the sweat and tears going into the place. Thank you.

The Beacon

This was a basic hotel, but I was at the beach. The room was semi upgraded, and there was not any heat. The air conditioning was on very high, and I figured out how to turn it off, which made the room much warmer. I could hear the dogs in the room next door. For being at the beach, this hotel was adequate and very reasonable.

Great experience. Thank you

Convenient. Great location. Beach access. Clean. Just what I needed for a long weekend getaway. There was a lot of commotion from an arguing couple in an adjoining room for several hours but that’s no fault of the host or a reflection of a typical stay. I plan to return! Thanks “Beacon!”

It was cute, quiet, and had everything we needed. My only suggest is to spray for spiders and clean the mirrors in the bathrooms

This is a charming motel with so many lovely features. I grill, gas fire pit, beach umbrellas, swings, sooooo cute. You can walk to to eat and beach is just a quick walk down the path. The beach is in a quiet area. Love this place

When we opened the door to the room, we were blasted with a strong smell of mold and mildew. The room had not been cleaned from the last guest. We went down to the lobby and received another room that had been cleaned, but still had the awful mildew smell. Luckily we only stayed one night because I can’t imagine dealing with that smell any longer. The bed was very springy and uncomfortable. The sheets were extremely thin. The shower was very old and dirty feeling. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else. You deserve better than this.

This hotel has been our secret spot the past 3 years. Easy beach access from our door.

Pricy for what it is. Rooms are clean, but painfully basic. Two beds- that’s it. Very small bathroom with no outlet. One small mirror that was coming unlaminated- very old. Insufficient linens for a two night stay. Rickety walk way over the dunes to the beach, which is a hike. There has been an attempt to update the property, but it’s a work in progress and that progress seems to have bypassed our room.

loved the outdoor area and late check in availability but one of the beds had cigarette burns in the bedsheets

Very clean place. Friendly staff. Easy access to the beach.

Great location, small simple hotel, very clean and has everything you need to enjoy the beach, which is of course why you are there.

A+ for effort. They are trying but not there yet.

Rat poop on the bath towel. no daily service. Tiny room for $$$. Nòt even a chair or a vanity. Could have stayed at large hotel with a pool and pets for same money. Wasn’t cool and nostalgic like I thought. Plus's the staff helpful and friendly. Beach access and beach very nice. Enough parking for the rooms.

Prices are a little high but the location is great, there is a path straight to the beach. Room #6 was renovated, 2 ACs, very clean and comfortable. There was no staff for check in or check out but we did not need it during our 1 night stay.

The room spelled, the bathroom was dirty, old fixtures, dirty washcloth. Used dry wall screws to install mirrors. The windows in the back of the room had no curtains, they were frosted but let the morning sun shine through. Cheap pillows and bed linens. Just not worth the money we spent.

No complaints due to price, but I was trying to book for this coming weekend and the prices went up

We really enjoyed the beachy/boho vibe. The family hang out area was a cool little spot to just relax at the end of the day. The best thing about this property is the beach access. It's a short walk down the trail and the beach itself was not crowded. It seems the place was recently remodeled, so there were a few things that were outdated or broke in our room or around the common areas, but that may also be on their list to get too. We'll definitely look into this place again for our next visit.

Cute spot with lots of room to grow

We visit the Crystal Coast regularly and have been staying at a wide variety of housing in the last year. Though there wasn’t anything major wrong with this cute lil motel, there were quite a few small issues that could benefit some attention: our room didn’t look like any of the rooms on the hotels.com website, the name has changed, (while all of the communications I got said “Salter Path Inn” all of the signage said “The Beacon”.) We ended up passing the spot several times and I questioned my sanity because I thought I knew where the SP Inn was. We arrived well before the office was listed as closing, but ended up doing a version of contactless check in -never having met any staff person during our stay. Our bathroom sink was clogged and we didn’t have anyone to tell. (Having a communication box similar to the check-in box might help if staff are away from the front office during open office times.) The coffee maker didn’t work, the bathroom door was difficult to fully close, and there was a gaping hole exposing mold in the bathroom. Aside from those minor issues, it was a cute spot, the back patio was cool, access to the beach was easy to find, and there are good food spots nearby. We loved the larger fridge and kitchenette (even left some spoons as the room was wanting). We may visit again, but will wait for more renovations to be completed.

Less than desirable

Poor front desk service. No one was there when we arrived there were notes left in mailbox which we didn't realize till we had waited 30 plus minutes. No staff even knew where the front desk staff were but she did try to help. eventually she checked the mailbox and we realized the keys were in there.I was charged for having a pet and didn't have one, and never received a refund despite asking for it 3 times. Dishes were dirty with dirt and hair on them and very little silverware was available. Outdoor area and private beach was nice. Wifi was terrible and wasn't given a password anyway. Probably because I made no contact with an actual person when I arrived. I never asked for it at a later time because the data on my phone was faster than the 2g they offered so just used that. I would not stay here again unless a lot of improvement was made.

Nice place to relax with your family.

Cute inn. The name is different now and needs to be updated to the beacon online asap. Bed was comfy but their pillows are not for king size bed

Nice little place to stay

Great little place that with a little more renovation will be an excellent place to stay. Quiet room and ac kept it nice and cold

Very cute

The place was renamed to The Beacon so it was a little confusing. But the rooms were clean and looks like they did a few upgrades. They were so close to the beach and the outside area was so cute.

July 2024

The couple who were managing were extremely nice and helpful! The building itself, I understand has gone through some updates, but not the best quality of workmanship on that in my opinion. Not what we expected. Room was small, bed was hard, very small bath & vanity. The walkway to the beach I don’t consider senior friendly as it was too narrow & long walk…we chose to drive to the public beach access. On our last day before check out, we did notice two roaches in the room, but I know that can be common with beachfront properties. We personally won’t be staying again.

This was our first time staying after the remodel and once again the place did not disappoint.

Room was clean. Owner is very friendly. Overall loved the area.

Updated and close to the beach!

The hotel has been updated since the last year. Great hang out area with a gas grill. Needs calking. Room was great and close walk on a boardwalk to the beach!

one of the beds in our room was so nasty and smelly, I had to change bed clothes and take a shower before doubling up in the other bed, which was fine. I reported this to the office as we were booked for two nights. the second night we had the same condition as no room service corrected our problem. a very terrible experience.

Hip and Upcoming Hidden Gem

So this is going to be a hip and great hotel very soon. The location affords convient access to a nice stretch of beach. There's a convenience store and Dollar General store across the street so that was great since Atlantic Beach is 8 or 9 miles away. The hotel has a cool & stylish hangout area which includes a grilling area, patio and a ping pong table which im sure will be a draw for guests to chill after a long day at the beach. The rooms, the purpose of the place, are an area owners are working on, as noted by the king size mattress, tools and building supplies outside the the 2 rooms we rented. The good news is this is obviously temporary and despite that The Beacon (formerly The Salter Path Inn) is now hands down our Hidden Gem and retreat.

Great place

The manager was wonderful and so kind. She was very helpful. This place has been updated inside and out. It has some nice sitting areas and you get private access to the beach. Would stay again especially for the price.

Property was not ready. No key to the room for the first night. No TV, microwave, coffee maker or fridge. Ended up changing rooms the second night.

Small and cute area. Love the private beach access and staff were very accommodating

We went to the hotel and they had septic backed up. We were refunded for the rest of our stay but they would not refund our first night even though we could not use the bathrooms. Rooms are very limited on outlets. We only had 1 working outlet in the room and it had the TV plugged into it.

Property under renovations. Bed was comfortable. Large walk-in shower. Refrigerator and microwave were not hooked up so didn’t work. A/C was quietest we’ve ever had.

Nice property, it’s being updated but has a very good set up. My only issues with this property was there was no Wi-Fi, no outlet in my bathroom, the bathroom door needs painting and more towels and washcloths need to be put in there. It is very close to beach, walking distance. We enjoyed this property!

Tanya and Mark were amazing however this proper was not in any condition to be rented out. The owners should be ashamed of themselves for putting these nice folks in the position they did this weekend. Not enought staff. Rooms were not completely finished from renovation. due to under staffing we had to wait for an hour to check in while Tanya was at the other property handling issues there. Again Tanya (manager) and Mark (maintenance) were amazing and did everything they could to make our stay as good as it could be. Will not be staying here ever again.

NYE getaway

Clean, no-frills room with a kitchenette was all we needed for a NYE getaway with our two dogs. Check-in was quick and the staff checked on us a few times during our stay. Our two dogs came with us and loved the beach! My one complaint would be the sheerness of the curtains in the bathroom - anyone in the house behind the inn would be able to see inside. I remedied it by hanging a towel over the curtain rod. :)

The property was nice, but we never saw a person in the office all weekend.

We loved the beach access and thought the boardwalk was cool. While we like “funky” and family run motor court type places this motel was run down, in poor repair, with stained towels, no drinking cups in the room and no coffee anywhere. There was no place to even go out to get a cup, Not cool.

As others commented, it is quaint in a good way. One night, German Shepherd with me, had been bathed and hair blown-out. Wasn't the Hilton but served the purpose. Clean, plenty of towels. Bed very comfortable, nice semi-firm mattress felt great. Walkway to beach in back. Paid $150 which I believe was $100/room,$25 pet,taxes

Great beach location. Good price and friendly and helpful staff.

This was a hidden surprise so close to the beach.

The folks managing we’re very nice. The room was fine and clean. The grounds were dismal. Parking area is sandy gravel which tracks in to the room. No one cleaned the room during my stay. The walk ways were not clean adding further tracking. A little more effort cleaning up outside and some effort to clean the rooms would be a plus. The TV and WiFi were not stable. I would not recommend this facility to families.

Very poor

Nice little hotel, very clean, staff was nice! Will revisit!

Staff was helpful when the power went out in my room three times new microwave had a short. Was awakened by another resident at midnight demanding that I open the door while using profanity new mattresses were so soft they were uncomfortable. Overall nice remodeled room just the small things made it not a great trip

Thank You!

Salter Path was excatly what you need for a quick beach getaway to The Crystal Coast

Friendly staff

Perfect beach, great dunes

It's an old fashioned Motel, clean, great price, with a fantastic board walk through beautiful dunes with bunnies and the best beach! There's a high deck great for seeing the ocean long distances and 2 stories of stairs down to the beach, so good exercise for the legs - not for anyone who can't walk stairs.

Great spot with no crowds

Great no frills Inn that has a boardwalk to a non-crowded beach. The lady at the front desk was very nice and helpful. There are a couple restaurants within walking distance and a Dollar General right across the street.

My girlfriend and I of almost two years stayed here for our first actual vacation together. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. My issue with this place was the lack of communication. Advertised free WiFi but the WiFi doesn’t extend to the newly renovated rooms with Roku TVs. How does that work? Didn’t tell me that when I checked in until I went and asked about it. I asked to be moved to a different room that would have WiFi and after loading everything in my car to move to the “new” room, was extremely disappointed to realize that it was a total downgrade. Old A/C window unit, bathroom window didn’t close all the way, bed was advertised as king size but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because the mattress didn’t even fit the frame. I had to go back to the office and tell them I would rather stay in the previous room. Again, the staff were very understanding and helped me out. We ended up using our phones as hotspots so we could watch our late night shows together, but overall it was extremely frustrating. I’m not typically the type of person who gets upset over literally anything, but this place stressed me out. I would stay here again, especially considering it’s right on the beach, but understand that if you stay here, you are going to run in to some problems.

Love this little place. True, it's not fancy but the beds are comfy, clean and a short boardwalk through the dunes to the beach. It's older yes and no ice machine but you are staying oceanside for a helluva price. We have now stayed 3x and it was always pleasant. Danielle was extremely helpful and courteous as well!!

The room was very clean and recently updated . Basic but new and spotless. Outside of the motel shows it age but okay. Judging by the A/C units I would bet a majority of the other rooms have not been renovated. My room had a new mini split A/C and so did a few other units. Most other rooms had OLD window A/C’s installed through the back window with a plywood frame built around them. Guessing the interior of those rooms are NOT updated. *Worth an ask when booking* Hotel had a few grills / bags of charcoal out which is nice. Room had microwave, mini fridge, and cable TV. Remote(s) all had dead batteries Hotel has direct beach access without crossing the street. Beach is nice and not over populated in this area (stayed in July). 400-500 ft long boardwalk with LOTS of stairs to get to the beach. Do not bring a ton of stuff (or strollers) but as long as you are not mobility limited should be okay. Only complaints: -Office claims to be open 9-9 all days offers late checkout. Office locked at 10AM Sun. Left a message at 10AM hoping to get late checkout, no return call. Left key in drop box at 11AM. No one in office. Went to beach until 12:30…still no one in office. Good luck if you need help from the staff. -Wifi; my building did not have any wifi. Staff told me it was because of the router location. Based on that I would assume about half of the rooms are NOT covered by wifi. Overall we enjoyed the stay and much cheaper than the local ‘hotels.'

It was fine. Just fine. Staff did not clean the rooms and had schedules maintenance early in the morning interrupting sleep.

The main staffer at the hotel was unfriendly, lazy, and not accommodating. Will never suggest this place to anyone.

Older, basic property, mobile home outside the bathroom window, strange vibe on the property. The best thing was the boardwalk to the beach.

Great beach! Clean, simple room. Loud guests.

Check-in: fast and only $25 refundable deposit in case of damage. Room: We stayed in a long room that was recently renovated. Clean and basic no-frills room. Bed was nice (firm) and there was a lot of space for storage. There were no hooks for towels/clothes, but the manager said she was getting ready to install some soon. The shower pressure was good, plenty of hot water, and the shower had built-in shelves for holding toiletries. Beach: Fantastic! Pretty private for a public beach. The walkway takes you to a spot on the beach that’s a good distance away from the closest hotel and other beach homes, so it was really quiet and empty for July! The walkway isn’t a bad walk (and I did it 33 weeks pregnant), but it does have a lot of steps, so it’s not wagon/stroller/accessible friendly. If you can carry what you need for the beach or have some help, you should be fine. Service: Manager was nice but we had AWFUL neighbors. They were drunk and loud very late into the night. We called to complain and the manager said she’d call them. They never quieted down. The next morning she said she had called and they said they’d quiet down, but obviously their word was garbage. Really felt like she should’ve walked over and handled it in person. An after-hours noise policy should be put in place and enforced with consequences for violators. Everything was perfect up until that point. Undecided if we’d return just knowing that the management may not know how to handle rowdy guests.

The staff was amazing! There was a small mix up with my room and they didnt hesitate to fix the problem. So very accommodating and will absolutely stay there again.

The hotel is in a convenient location to the beach, store and several restaurants. Also the proprietor was helpful and pleasant.

Wonderful stay yet again!!

Second visit and we enjoyed our stay yet again! Room was clean, plenty of fresh towels and washcloths, boardwalk to the beach lovely, staff amazing!! Definitely will be back.

The beach access was great. The window in bathroom was hard to open. In front of our room had some trash. Overall it was a good beach hotel. I would stay there again.

Needs lots of work. LOTS. Run down would be the best description. They paid a really good photographer to advertise on expedia. Was not what I was expecting. Laminate floor literally peeling up. Trash all over the parking lot. This room is worth about 60-70 bucks per night at the most.

If you come for 5 star keep looking. Quiet and close to the ocean thats what i wanted.

Need a better walkway to the beach.

We booked two nights and only stayed one. While the room was clean, everything in it was bargain basement. The bedding, linens, towels, etc, are all from Walmart or the like and have been overused. The A/C is a window unit cut into the wall and poorly installed and not insulated. It is very noisy. The bathroom looked like it had undergone partial renovation and they gave up halfway through. There is a fridge, though it was not turned on, a microwave, and a cooktop that we did not use. The property overall is still having work done, so there are workers and materials all over. The location is good, but the motel is rundown and sketchy. We did not sleep well and were not comfortable at all so decided to go home early. When I went to the office to check out early, the person at the desk barely looked up and just said ok, no questions, nothing. I am completely baffled by the good reviews of this place. We travel for work and have stayed in six condos and at least seven different hotels in the last year alone. I rely heavily on reviews and listening to other reviews on this place was a huge mistake.

Room had a terrible chemical smell that did not go away. The fridge electric socket was exposes, which is a hazard. Window paint was all peeled off. Bathroom door lock was not working. Lots of flies and bugs inside. There was a large dumpster in from of the units. I checked in for and hour and decided to check out after. Told the front desk person my concern. She listen but didn’t offer any remedy.

The walkway to the beach was falling apart. Steep stairs to beach. Beach was not crowded.

Clean, basic room with everything we needed for a beach trip. The location is perfect with a private boardwalk and an uncrowded beachfront next to nature preserve.

Great price beach access is A

Great price clean room and friendly staff

Clean friendly and great price. We only stayed one night but loved the private access to the beach. It was a last minute beach trip and was very pleased with this place. Everything we needed for our stay.

room was clean, staff was very helpful

Room was clean, and the staff were nice. Affordable well maintained propertt.

The room was reasonably neat but it also smelled heavily of mold and mildew. Staff were polite but unresponsive to several calls regarding my check-in.

Staff was very friendly and clean

Bare basics

Likes: close to the beach and has a narrow slightly concerning boardwalk to the sand with some steep steps getting down to the actual beach. Price wise was decent for the location. It's near the aquarium and lots of typical beach shops. Room was a good size (we had a 'suite' which was 2 full/queen beds, fridge, 2 burner flat top, sink, microwave, some dishes and cooking utensils, and bathroom). Dollar general directly across the street for last minute or forgotten items. Dislikes: the beds were definitely not comfortable, made a crunchy sound (think bag of tortilla chips being opened but louder) anytime you moved and was very.... springy feeling when laying on it. Building is clearly older with few updates. A wall unit for A/C, no heat (typically not an issue but it dropped to 34° when we were there), floors were sticky and turned our feet/socks black. Bathroom could use some sort of shelving or wall hooks for hanging towels and toiletries. Bathroom trash can would also be nice. Room smelled strongly of bleach when we walked in but I'm not sure what they had cleaned with it.... could not figure out how to get the tv to work but that's more me and my lack of technology skills lol our weekend stay wasn't as had hoped with some bad storms rolling over the entire time, but I don't know that we would choose to stay in this location again either way.

The property was close to our family in Atlantic beach and we stayed at this property when we were kids.

No frills for sure.

Comfortable,somewhat clean and affordable.

Very quiet an eveyone was friendly, but was sad the beach was a long way to walk an no ice machine

Interesting old style motel. Clean and helpful staff no noise at night.

Our second stay in the last two months and will stay again next month! Room with kitchen was clean and user friendly. Staff is AWESOME! 3 minute walk to incredible beach!!! Ample parking, Pet friendly!! Minutes from great dining! Nothing fancy but just a good southern experience! Only thing on our wish list is a king sized bed in the units with kitchens. Will be back again soon and again and again! Thank you Salter Path Inn!!!!

Perfect stay!!

Absolutely wonderful! Easy check in. Clean rooms. Extremely friendly staff. They had boardwalk access to the beach. Easy walk of only a few minutes. Quiet area with local food and conveniences all within easy walking distance.

Our stay was great, room was clean . Property management was great. Very helpful and on point. Nice place to stay. Only down side was the walk to the beach. Walkway to the beach could use some repairs. Other than that I will definitely be staying again.

I like it and I'd come back

Cute little motel with big oak trees, a great boardwalk through the awesome dunes and a fantastic, empty beach! The building is older, but it's clean and no bugs. The staff are nice. wifi, refrigerator, microwave all good

Cute and quaint. An older motel for sure, but you have to appreciate that. If you're looking for fancy, this aint it.

Salter Path Inn is rustic. Great location with the beach just a 5 minute walk away. No frills however thats what made it delightful. Amazing staff! Great restaurants and attractions nearby. We can't wait to return!

Room was super clean, only issue was the AC wasn't working correctly and the room wouldn't get cool.

Definitely will stay again!!

Room was very clean. Staff were nice. The refrigerator did not work very well. We had to put our drinks in the freezer to keep them cold. Other than that it was a great stay!!!

Water bugs

Stay somewhere else! We arrived at salter path inn Saturday afternoon for a long weekend with the kids. When we finally got checked in we unloaded with the intent of heading to the beach. We saw 2 huge dead cockroach looking things. We figured they might’ve sprayed recently and tried not to think too much about it and went to the beach. When we returned later that night we realized the place was crawling with what appears to be cockroaches (the size of your thumb) climbing the walls and crawling in my kids bed! It was late and no one was in the office but we luckily found a hotel 45 minutes inland so we booked that and got out of there. We came back the next morning to tell them we did not want to stay the rest of our trip in that room. The lady was very dismissive telling me they’re not cockroaches they’re just water bugs (does it matter?!?!?). I asked for a refund for the second night and she said “Nope, you can stay or leave”. If you want a place with dirty sheets, weak AC, HUGE (and surprisingly fast) “water bugs” and horrible management then this is the place for you! If not, go anywhere else.

Good little stay by the beach!

Comfortable stay, great location near the beach! A little tired but fine for a night. The location really was second to none!

We stayed one night. The room was run down and the TV di not work properly. I f you walkd onthe floor barefoot you couold feel the grit on the floor. That being said the staff was kind and as responsive as possible given what they had to work with.

Overall great value for the price.

We wanted to stay at the Salter Path Inn for a long time. We drove specifically to stay here from the mountains. We were previously planning to come back and stay for at least a week. Drove all day to get to Indian Beach. Checked in about 5pm and went to dinner. After dinner we went to the beach. At 11:15pm back in the hotel room, sandy and exhausted, we found the shower did not function at all. Went to sleep, since it was already late. Rainstorm outside. In the morning, went to the office at 9 am. Waited before 9 for somebody to be there & before we left. Locked. Went back at 10am / 10:15. Curtains were open. Door locked. No answer. See person at the office at 10:30 (check out time is 11am). We tell them the shower has not functioned. The person says “they just fixed it before you came”. We’re told we could shower in another room. (Ok. Fair enough - pretty inconvenient.) Person we are talking to says she’ll ask person #2 what to do/compensation etc. or what a good solution would be. New person comes into the room and also checks shower, confirming it does not work. She tells my friend “we should have called them last night”. (I don’t know how they expect us to call “them” at that hour during a storm w/nobody on site in the office). I ask - are they really going to charge us for the night for a room with no shower(?) This person continues to insist the problem is us. Blames us. She says she does not care about losing our future business or other business.

Our overall experience was ok. We did feel it was a bit over priced for what we got. The room are a bit out dated. No bed skirts so you could see the stained box springs, the windows had paint all over them and dead flies. They did provide any toiletries (shampoo, conditioner etc), there was a coffee pot but no coffee or cups. Also no ice was available on site. We were fine with it but wish we had known prior to our stay so we could bring stuff to accommodate. I feel like offer so little they should lower their rates to be more realistic. P.s. Also the TV didn't work, hard to adjust the volume.

Low key atmosphere, close to the beach

Been there before, major Reno’s since new owners took over, staff is very accommodating and makes you feel welcome 😊

It was a great little hotel it needs some updates but other than that it was great clean and the employees was really nice if we need anything they was there

Really good, not new or fancy

Really good. Older motel style, clean, comfortable, nice sheets and towels, no bugs, great friendly service. 50 yard board walk through the dunes to a deck and the beautiful beach, fresh water shower at the board walk. Each room has its own AC window unit. Nice chairs outside to sit. refrigerators and microwaves are in rooms

The room we had was awful... Small AC unit which was noisy as well as the birds nest that was on the other side so you heard the birds chirping... Pretty sure that is a health issue. Outlet that had the coffee maker and TV plug into a strip, was hanging from the wall. Window in the bathroom had a crack among the bathroom not looking clean. We needed to get out of there but had prepaid. They said we couldn't be refunded because everything was fixable. LOL ! They did end of refunding our money.....

It was just a place to stay nothing really stood out nor was really bad

Vacation

Very quiet motel. Located in a convenient location, next to the ocean. Good owner.