My favorite place to stay! It's right on the water. I think all the staff are really nice! Everyone is always smiling and saying hi. The front desk is super friendly. Whenever i go in there they ask how my day is going and will have a small conversation. We stay in the Elizabeth cottage every year. Has a full kitchen, and full size fridge. Sofa, and tv. 2 bedrooms. One room has 2 twin size beds, and the other is a full. They got new mattresses which have been amazing! read more

This is the best place to stay in Nags Head! You walk out your door and your feet are in the sand! The vintage charm, like the screen doors that slam and instantly remind you of summers when you're a kid, clotheslines to hang your beach towels on to dry in the saw breeze, the completely laid back atmosphere here - these all make you truly feel like you've gotten away from it all. We just spent a week by the pool (warm and clean!) and the ocean (did I mention it is literally right outside your door?!) and came home refreshed and recharged. Conveniently located to fishing, shopping, and restaurants; walking distance to Jeanette's Pier and Cahoon's and, yes, even a super Wings. Super friendly staff. Ample parking. Is it any wonder we, like so many Sea Foamers, come back year after year, generation after generation? Can't wait to get back there already! read more

Just stayed 4 nights: Pros: staff super friendly and helpful; great location- can walk to Janette's Pier & Sam & Omies; nice gazebo: easy walk to the beach; low price; no bugs Cons: bathroom smelled unclean; mold on shower curtain; only 1 easy to access outlet-none in bathroom; balcony wasn't clean and had cigarettes left in the ashtray; very small room: paper thin walls; balcony chair was broken; hot water issues; sheets were worn If you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay this place may be for you. We stayed in an upper level room on the side - upper front would have been much better. read more

SEA FOAM? YES! Return guests! Always the best most relaxing and fun time at Sea Foam! The location is unbeatable - it's stellar - to us it's best milepost / best area / best full on beach access. If you are an ocean front room, your front yard IS the beach. An cool and important thing to note: making a trip back to your room from your beach setup to grab something / eat / etc - is quick and easy, and this is such a convenient thing! We have always done the lower oceanfront rooms for this exact reason, and enjoy them so much. The Sea Foam gazebo is legendary - a place where you can be alone with your thoughts and watch the waves, or hang out and talk to other motel residents. The staff have always been so great to us. They are genuine people and we feel that they truly want their customers to be happy / feel at home. All our interactions with the SFM staff have been wonderful and we want to thank them for always being so upbeat, helpful and just super nice people! The Sea Foam is not a typical hotel experience, and I mean that in a good way ... it gives you what you need as far as a room to chill in, a patio to chill on, and a beachfront location to pretty much call your own. This past week happened to have the coolest nicest people staying on the whole lower oceanfront stretch. No judgements, good folks. The Sea Foam is special in its own unique way. What it doesn't have in the fancy or super modern department, it makes up for ten fold in good hearts, incredible memories, fun times, beachy ambience, as well as safe and happy feelings - and we would much rather have all that! The regular rooms we have been in have a bed/beds, dresser, microwave, bathroom/shower, mini fridge (actually holds a lot more than you would think), two reg doors/screen doors or a sliding door, big window, inside table w/ two interior chair, outside patio chairs right out the door (or you can set up your own stuff!) and your own clothesline with clothespins to hang up your towels/swimsuits/anything. They have lots of TV channels and they have WiFi. Our goal is to try and stay in one of their cottages someday! The thing we admire most and love about The Sea Foam is that it has never tried to be something it's not, yet it truly embraces all that it IS. It's honest and forward, and there is no pressure to be or act a certain way - the atmosphere can be as private/quiet as you want or as interactive as you want. But at its heart, for us its a "have fun, relax, laugh and make great memories" situation. The SFM provides the basis for you to go and make whatever you will of your obx stay. As gorgeous as the daytime beach front is, the nighttime beachfront time is soooo pretty ... you have the twinkly Jeanette pier lights down the beach a bit, and the Sea Foams beautiful moonlit beach. We took a blanket out a night, looked at the stars, and watched / listened to the waves. We will always return each summer (and hopefully some random spring/fall trips) to the Sea Foam if they will always continue to have us! We hope so! Our best memories of Nags Head start (and never end) at The Sea Foam Motel! Sincerely, Room 12 ... 7/15/24 - 7/18/24 read more

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I have never been more disappointed in my life. We have been staying here for nearly 50 years and it has slowly gone downhill over the last several years. I keep coming back for the sentimental aspects but this year was most definitely our last. We rented 3 rooms this year as our family keeps growing and I have to say I was embarrassed. It was dirty, there was mold in the showers, ceiling tiles were moldy and sagging in, the smoke alarm kept going off and nobody ever came to fix it, they told me to stand on something and pull it off the wall. There were stains on bedsheets, the shower in the room above us was leaking down through our ceiling and they said they couldn't fix it until both rooms were empty and offered us extra towels to lay in the floor to soak up the water. I'll just stop here because I think you get the message. It was a great little place with the perfect spot on the beach for many years but all good things come to an end and sadly this did too. read more

My boyfriend and I had the pleasure of staying at the Sea Foam Motel this weekend for a quick getaway. The nostalgic feel, cozy atmosphere, and friendly staff made the trip one to remember for years to come. We stayed in room 40 and the large window looking out onto the ocean provided a view to die for. We have found our new favorite to place in Nags Head. Already looking to plan a trip for my birthday in August. We hope to share another amazing getaway together and become a regular at the Sea Foam Motel for years to come. Thank you Sea Foam staff for making our stay super special. read more

Sea Foam Motel - Jennette Pier within walking distance. - Hotels Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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NIGHTMARE!! RUN!!! Horrible experience booked 2 nights and noted when making reservation we would go from there to ocracoke for 2 nights then stop back for a third night at the sea foam we stayed 2 nights then a tropical storm came the NC ferry service shut down service due to a tropical storm. Therefore we had nowhere to go the hotel in ocracoke immediately refunded our money NOT the SEA FOAM they said 72 hour cancellation policy we gave them 55 hours plus a tropical storm they didnt even offer a voicher for a future stay. They said if they allowed exceptions everyone would cancel i drove 9 hous to get there i got up at 6 am and drove another hour to try to catch a ferry. We obviously didnt want this to happen. I was exoected to sleep in my car for 2 days during a tropical stirm to come back and spend one night in this low end motel. So if you book here and anything bad happens you are stuck they wont work with you. ive traveled for years and never seen anything like it. Also on the internet it looked charming and vintage in person it is old and small; the carpet looks decades old. NO hot water in our room. No water pressure. Sketchy. Pay a little more and get a real hotel with water and customer service. They called us the day we checked in and asked what time we would arrive we said around 7pm. They just left our door unlocked with the keys in them i guess the lobby closes before the nightly news. When we checked out we were both excited to go find somewhere to take a shower. We felt dirty leaving this place . No elevator so if you have a second floor you better be an athlete to get up the steep stairs with luggage. We took a chance on this property thinking with good customer service this could be charming i wanted it to be a gem. Ive stayed in hundreds if not thousands of hotels This was the lowest ranking experience of my life. They could afford upkeep if the management did a better job. HOSPITALITY. Id be curious how many repeat customers they get i cant imagine any. RUN read more

I love the Sea Foam Motel! She is a little rough around the edges to be sure. But after withstanding 75 years of wind, sand, salt air and the occasional hurricane, that is to be expected. I did find out that the owners are in the process of investing in renovations. They are starting with infrastructure which the average guest is not going to see. They will get around to the cosmetics in time. Location, location, location! This is the best location on the banks, bar none! You walk out the door and you are on the beach. Jennette's Pier is about a block away. We love to walk out on the pier at night and it makes for a very picturesque view from the motel. The motel is really right in the middle of everything I care about. Most restaurants are 15 minutes or less away. About an hour north to Currituck Beach lighthouse. About an hour south to Hatteras lighthouse. National Seashore is about 20 minutes. 5 minutes to Manteo and Roanoke Island. I will be perfectly honest and say the rooms are somewhat shabby. This doesn't bother me though because they are clean and the beds are very comfortable. There is a decent sized fridge (big enough for 2 gallon containers, a case of water and a few other items), a microwave and a 5 cup coffeepot (bring your own coffee and filters). I think the biggest complaint I have for my stay was that I could't use the dresser because it was too musty. But just working out of my suitcase was no big deal. Contrary to some reviews, there are flat screen televisions. Though the TV reception is a little sketchy, but if I had my druthers I would throw the thing into the sea (Well, not really. that would be polluting!). I didn't come there to watch tv (I don't have it at home either!) I spend my time out of doors. The staff are all very friendly and helpful, and Lisa (General Manager) is just amazing! If you need anything, you only need ask. I have been here twice and hope to be back again next year. read more

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I like the views and the beach access and a nice gazebo but there are issues like leaky roofs coffee pots used. Everything is either broken or bad pools all sandy and comes with a weird aroma beach always has either rip tides or killer waves read more

My husband booked our room at the Sea Foam and we knew it was an old motel. What we wanted was to be able to walk out the door and onto the beach and have unobstructed views of the ocean. Unfortunately, even though we booked a ways out, we were unable to get a first floor room and instead got one on the second floor, but it did look out over the ocean. The only really good thing about this place is the view, which was lovely. Like I said, I knew it was an older place. I can't help but think that they could keep a vintage vibe, but absolutely nothing is updated at the Sea Foam, and when there are no updates since probably the 70s, it's never going to look clean. There is no way I would've used the kitchenette in our unit. The only thing we did in there was put some beverages in the refrigerator. The mattresses were not comfortable and the toilet was not cleaned properly. We did not see any bugs or anything like that and it did look like the room had been cleaned, but like I said, it is so very old and dated that it just doesn't look clean. They should be embarrassed by the towels that we were given to use. I know hotels use white towels and bleach them and while I think our towels were clean, they were in such bad shape that they are the type of towels that my husband would use as rags in the garage. On our last night there I went to take a shower and I had to let the water run for about 10 minutes to get it to a temperature that would not freeze me out. The fact that they let people smoke on their balconies really ruined some of our time where we tried to sit out there and enjoy the beautiful view. It was hard to enjoy that view while cigarette and weed smoke was blowing profusely onto our balcony. I really think this motel is missing out on a great opportunity. They could update and still keep some of the retro 1970s vibe. This is not a motel that I will book again. read more

Great old motel, very clean ... nicest staff! Charlena was a joy! She was very helpful. Or third time staying here... we will definitely be back! Upstairs is better ... beautiful view. read more

This is such a great place to stay. Clean rooms and friendly staff. Thank you for one of the best vacations ever.

Pros - Wonderful view of the ocean from second floor rooms. Cons - Everything else. Decided to stay here because of the price, knew that it was an old motel and was not expecting anything fancy. Was truly shocked by the condition of the room. (Room 32). The mattresses felt like they were fifty years old, paint was peeling everywhere. Ceiling tiles were falling down and everything was rusted. Bathroom was tiny and the shower so nasty we didn't even get in it. The screen door wouldn't close all the way and had a 2 inch gap at the top to let all the bugs in. We left early and lost money but I couldn't stay there but one night. So sad that owners have let the place get in this condition. Please spend a little more money and stay somewhere else read more

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I can't say enough great things about this awesome motel. Yes it is old or as I like to say, retro. But it is extremely clean and everyone here is so friendly. From the other guests to the staff and even the "itty-bitty kitty"who runs around the property. it's definitely a family vibe but I was by myself had a great time. I wanted one of the lower ocean front kings so I could walk right out the back door and onto the beach and that is what I got. I could see some of the ocean out my back door, I was in room 12. The bed was really comfortable and it has a nice large TV on the wall. The AC was cool. One of the things I liked most about the room was the screen doors. I opened the doors in the evening for a nice breeze coming off the ocean and it's always awesome to lay in bed and hear the waves crashing. I didn't even book this room until the day I arrived and I was even able to extend my stay by one night on the morning I was supposed to checkout. The beach there is nice and it's right next to Jenetts pier. The motel is in a great location near some great restaurants. I bought my SeaFoam annual souvenir mug and will definitely be back! read more

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Location, location, and price. Can't beat sitting outside and watching the beach and ocean. Room was very clean with new carpet. That being said, all exterior doors that are wooden and old need to be replaced with fiberglass for security and cleanliness. There was a two inch gap at the bottom of our door. Felt like it could easily have been kicked in with the rotting frame. Secondly, guests are allowed to smoke on the balconies and it's obnoxious. Mattress felt like a million years old. read more

If I could give this motel 0 stars I would but yelp will not allow that. In all honesty we did not know it was bike week but we were still paying patrons. Loud, drunken parties into the early morning. Paper thin walls in which we heard a domestic argument which resulted in the local police being called. In addition to unapologetic obnoxious neighbors there is very little privacy on the balcony so their smoke, early morning screaming and late night drinking is not contained to their area. I felt the bathroom was not clean as there was the previous customers soap in the shower and very old and stale carpet and bedding. If you relay on reviews, please reconsider staying here. read more

Me and a good friend of mine stayed at this quaint little Motel this past weekend. It was an older Motel which we loved all the features and the old wooden screened doors. Very cute place. The staff and owner of the Motel were amazing and very friendly. The view from our room was breathtaking. Thank you all for making our stay so pleasant. Highly recommend the Sea Foam Motel. read more

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This motel is retro so don't go expecting flat screens and jacuzzi tubs but do expect to meet the kindest staff and awesome customers. I arrived early and was able to enjoy the pool and beach before check in time and they allowed me to stay at the pool when I had to check out. It's the perfect location close to everything and pet friendly; I have a tortoise and they let him roam around and brought him snacks. Any day at the beach is a good day but staying at sea foam makes it so much better. I said it before but I'm gonna say it again the staff was amazingly kind from calling on the phone to checking in and getting fresh towels every person went above and beyond to make our stay amazing. read more

This was our second summer staying four nights in a two-double lower level oceanfront room. Pros of lower level oceanfront: proximity to the beach. Holy wow - so good! Cons - can't see the beach because of the protective dunes in front of the rooms. Bummer. The rooms are decent for a few nights - not the cleanest or the comfiest but if you are staying that close to the beach, you'll find you're not in the room much anyhow. We brought our own bed comforters this year and it made a world of difference in bed comfort. The beds themselves are still bouncy and squeaky, though, so if you are sleeping with someone, you should like them well enough to squabble a bit throughout the night about their tossing and turning patterns. Mini fridge with a tiny freezer inside make enough room for the essentials and a couple of tv dinners. Small microwave on top. TV was fine - lots of channels, but an old tube TV, so quality was lacking. Again, you should probably be on the beach, not watching TV. Lots of smokers (hey, it's The South!) and loud music players (variety from Classic Rock to EDM!) but at respectable hours. Tips for newcomers: Coffee fans, bring your own 4-cup coffee maker or the like to make your own (along with a coffee mug and your own creamer). They do provide coffee, but it's not the best. Staying for longer than a couple of nights, consider bringing a small grill, especially if you're staying on a lower level oceanfront room. They do have a grill there, but it's out front - I didn't use it, so can't comment on it at all, but I did notice it was there. If you need more fridge space than just a six pack or beer and some milk, bring a larger cooler and buy some ice. Wi-fi - there is wi-fi, but it is pretty unreliable. Mine constantly disconnected, wouldn't recognize the password over and over (despite it being correct), and then when it did connect, the signal was poor. Additionally, my cell service (AT&T) signal was low in the room as well as on the porch facing the beach. tl; dr - If you want to disconnect almost entirely, this is the place for you. No immediate source for filtered water - buy a large jug from the grocery and bring reusable water bottles and you'll be set! -- If you can look past the rustic accommodation and bring some comforts from home, you'll be pleased here with its proximity to the beach, Outlet Mall, stores, restaurants, Manteo, and oh yeah, the beach. read more

This place is great! It's clean, has a friendly staff, and it's right on the beach. The pool is clean and so refreshing after being on the beach all morning. I also love that there are hotel cats to pet! There are ice machines to fill your coolers and coffee in the morning with easy access to a gorgeous sunrise. I was in a group of seven, and we got adjoining rooms - one basic and one efficiency. It was great for us to have the dishes, silverware, and full sized fridge. My only complaint was my bed. It was AWFUL! The springs groaned anytime someone got on it. It became quite the joke in our group. Even with that bed situation, I would absolutely stay again. read more

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My daughter & I spent Mother's Day weekend here. After reading some of the reviews I was hesitant to make a reservation but now I am so glad I did! This motel is an older motel but it is clean! The shower was only a small stall shower but it had good water pressure & plenty of hot water. The beds were comfortable. This room was perfect for us! read more

I am only giving this motel a 1 star because this is as low as it goes I don't believe it even deserves 1 star, I've stayed at many motels/hotels in my life but this was the worst. We decided on this place because it was supposedly pet friendly, they give you a tiny area to let your dog go to the bathroom but my dog ended up getting sand spurs every time we took her out. Also the place is super old and dirty and unclean see pictures below there was water spots all over the ceiling and a hole under the sink, might I had almost every night you could hear a mouse walking around in the ceiling, then the lack of room service, we had to clean the bathroom because there was pee everywhere. Next they say they have a heated pool but the other day it was cloudy so they closed the pool, and we asked management why it was closed and they said because of a "storm" it didn't even rain that day. Finally we shouldn't have most of these issues because of the price for this motel. I would not recommend anyone stay here, but we did enjoy our trip at obx. read more

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My husband, myself, and our three kids ages 8,7 and 2, stayed here from August 11,2014 until August 14,2014. We got room 11 and loved it ! The place isn't brand new and very modern but that was ok for us ! As long as it was clean, we were happy, and it was clean !! When you open the back door, take maybe 3 steps and you are right on the sand. The sand dunes do block your view of the ocean but we didn't mind because we still had the sand right in the back for the kids to play. Check in and check out was fast and everyone was really nice. My kids absolutely enjoyed Seafoam. They loved the pool, the beach and the sand right in the back. We are already thinking of booking a trip here again next year. read more

Sea Foam Motel - Hotels Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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We had such a relaxing stay at the Sea Foam Motel last month. Listened to the ocean waves through the screen door all night, watched the sun rise from our 2nd floor room bed. Great views of the ocean and Jeanette's Pier. Quiet and clean; helpful staff sincerely interested in making our stay pleasant! It is a step back in time to how I remember motels from my childhood. read more

This is truly a hidden gem. You couldn't ask for a nicer reception. Our room had comfortable beds , clean bathroom and a fantastic view of the ocean. I loved being steps away from the ocean. We will make this our go to spot whenever we come back to the OBX. read more

I really enjoyed my stay at Sea Foam. I like historic places and this was like staying at a 1950's motor motel. The color and the u-shape -- and the oldschool bottle opener in the bathroom! -- harken back to an earlier time. Now, if older touches that haven't been remodeled like original bathroom tile and wood paneling really put you off then this motel might not be for you. The staff was *amazing.* I couldn't afford unit with an oceanfront view, but when I checked in I found that we had been moved to one because there was vacancy. And they didn't tell me about the 4 onsite kitty-cat managers; that would have been another selling point for me. I will visit again. Location is great: right on the beach and close to Jeannette Pier. An improvement management can make is to have recycling on site. read more

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Sea Foam Motel - Nags Head, NC Avoid this place, there is a reason they have a "no refund for early check out" policy. Upon me checking in on the afternoon of Friday August 20, 2021, I found this motel subpar at best for the $206.33 per night I paid, but I thought I could work with it. Until after dark people started arguing on and off all night, dogs barking, bugs - I woke up around 3 AM to use the bathroom, there was a large roach above my head on the ceiling and a bunch of different kinds around the air conditioner, dead. It appeared there were some long-term residents there, if so I am sure they were not paying $183.00 plus taxes per night. There is no one on premise from 8 PM to 8 AM to report these things to. Also, when I woke up around 6 AM there was no hot water, this was the case until I checked out at around noon. I was going to a wedding in the afternoon so a shower was a must! I reported these issues to the person at the front desk, she just laughed at me and answered a call. I disputed the charges with my credit card company and they disputed one of the two charges for the one night I stayed, saying by signing I agreed to their terms / policy as stated above. Sea Foam Motel - please don't reply with excuses or try to make it something it wasn't. You didn't hold up your side of the deal / agreement, but I still had to pay for the one night. Short of giving me my remaining $206.33 for the one-night stay, nothing will make this bad stay / motel any better. read more

With this place, it's all about location. Right, I mean, RIGHT on the beach. We had a second floor beachside room, watched the full moon rise over the beach and nearby pier, then the sun rise over the water--magical. You can walk to several cheap dive-y places to eat/drink, or fast food, or a convenient store. The pool was good, a bit small, but it had an actual deep end (8') which no hotel pools built in the last 15 years have. And shuffleboard? OH YES! Cool owner/manager too. $90 for a beachfront room with a kingsize bed in late April is probably a decent price. Nice big picture window with a great beach view. DVD player on the TV. I also liked the stained knotty pine walls, although I imagine they might bug some folks. Really, this place is totally frozen in time, reminding me a lot of the motel at South of the Border. However, there are some downsides to being "frozen in time": 1) Furniture is craptacular. It's like the formica, pressed-wood laminate crap you get at the goodwill when you are 21 and trying to be a hipster. Of course they aren't trying to be hip, it's just left over from the early 70s. And not in "well preserved" shape either. 2) Not the most comfortable bed. A bit too firm. As in plywood-firm. 3) Speaking of plywood, the partitions between the balconies are just painted plywood that doesn't extend to the floor, so you can hear all conversations on either side. This isn't ideal--see the next item for why. 4) The clientele is not exactly "upscale," if you get my drift. You really don't want to hear their conversations. They are drunk and their best years are long behind them. 5) Thin walls. It's like theater in the the round. So the drunken dulcimer picking and/or the high-volume televised wrestling programming will seem like it is happening right in the room with you in surround sound. 6) Stained, horrible suspended ceiling like the kind they have in the back offices of a used car dealership when they tell you "let's run the numbers." 7) Only, ok water pressure in the shower, but random temperature variations. Ugh. 8) Nearly subsonic whines and hums from the decrepit fridge bored into my brain. Intermittently drowned out by the drone of the motor from the nearby Wright brothers' plane--oh wait, that's the AC unit... 9) The Wi-Fi was very spotty, like maybe it kept rebooting or something. Frustrating. Ok, this is sounding too negative. We actually liked the place and will no doubt come back. But this place has a lot of unrealized potential--not to be a clone of the Comfort Inn, but to be a cool funky place. Funky but functional. It is still functional, but barely so. If you don't have tolerance for less-than-ideal, I wouldn't risk it. No fussy types allowed! But if you aren't too spoiled and just want an incredible beach view with decent pool and great, easy location convenient to all of Nag's Head, Manteo, Jockey's Ridge, and Coquina Beach, go for it! You will enjoy it. read more

I don't understand where these great reviews come from. This place is a dump. It wasn't cheap at $250/night, either. I was fully expecting a retro vibe, and not a new updated hotel room, however they disappointed me in every way except for location. I wonder if they got it listed on the national register of historic places just so they wouldn't be forced to tear it down. They charge your remaining balance as soon as you get there, or I would have gone on home. The pros: my back door opened up to the beach. The cons: A roach greeted us when we got in our room. The shower that went back and forth from hot to cold. The rust all over the sink, the broken tiles in the bathroom. The hole in the door. The poorly patched hole next to the light switch. The tv that once you get it to work is only in blues and whites. Those awful thin Hawaiian quilts that probably never get washed. The AC that would not turn off thus freezing you out under your thin, dingy, comforter. The ceiling was leaking. Cabinet doors were missing in the bathroom. Like, they fell off and no one ever replaced them. It wasn't intentional. Overall, I felt like I was in a very bad trailer park in a very old trailer, on the beach, for $225/night. I would give it a half a star. read more

I absolutely adore the Sea Foam. My family used to come here all the time when I was a little girl & I still have a scar on my knee from scraping it on their play ground. Then when I was college aged my girlfriends & I would split a room for the weekend for a girls beach getaway. Last year I brought my boyfriend & his parents for their first visit to the Outer Banks. I'll admit that it hasn't changed much since the late '80s and I love that about the Sea Foam. It's not retro to be cool, it's cool because this is the meaning of retro! With most motels becoming extinct in Nags Head, I'm so happy that the Sea Foam is holding it's ground with affordable prices. When I want a getaway to the beach I want a place to shower & sleep. It's right on the beach, with a pool, fridge, & perfect distance to everything. What more could you want?! My boyfriend brought me here for my birthday this past weekend & proposed to me right on the beach out back. It was perfect. Maybe it's the nostalgic value, but the Sea Foam will always be a special place to me and the only place I want to stay in Nags Head. read more

In a last minute pinch, we slid into the Sea Foam for a night. The good: friendly desk lady, beachfront location, a lomography inspiring look which makes you want to read Vice Magazine and listen to MGMT The bad: wood paneling, dirty bathrooms, ancient mattress, ancient carpet, ancient TV This place is absolutely begging for someone to come in, gut the interiors and create a boutique motel. It's so hip in the motel's classic and authentic retro look, but the interiors need paint, new floors, new mattresses and bedding, new, clean bathrooms, even new ceilings and mini fridges. With tax it came to $87/night for a non-ocean front room. That felt high for an old, run down motel despite its location. read more

This place looks like the set of a Mad Men episode, and that's wonderful. The Sea Foam is a primely located motel on a nice stretch of beach, the room and beds were comfortable and a good size. We were only there for one night (and a rainy one at that), so we just gazed out at the wind and thunder and pounding waves - if nothing else, it's a beautiful view*, even if we couldn't actually jump into the water that day. There's really no major issue with this place, but a handful of minor ones. I have certain expectations when spending $150+ on a single night in a hotel, and one of those expectations is a little tiny bottle of shampoo for my use - which they do not carry. The night manager very nicely came to our door and informed me of this (after looking around for shampoo), but it would've been good if she simply knew about this shortcoming beforehand - I might've just run to the drugstore rather than waiting around. And there were a few flies buzzing around - but honestly, hanging out in the Outer Banks made me realize that bugs might just be a fact of life in August in this region. The place did not seem dirty or unkempt in the least, so I'm not sure what they could've done about it other than some surreptitious fly paper. All in all, quite a good experience - and a very nice steakhouse right across the street, which was just what we needed after a long day's drive. *To be clear, the nice view wasn't from our room, since we were down on the first floor behind the sand dunes, but we did walk out to the nice little covered gazebo thing that sits right atop the dunes along the short wooden walkway to the beach. Nice place to sit and enjoy the view, even if it's raining. read more

Old school charm with vintage tile bathrooms, gazebo, and great ocean access. Only a 2 minute walk to the water. I love the location, with 711 within a 5 mintue walk, so we never got back in our car. I'm not here for wifi or tv, and could care less about them. My room was cheap to me at $167/night, where I easily would have spent more elsewhere. They were putting in new mattresses while we were there, but ours were the older ones, yet were firm and clean. Broom and dust pan, and real trash can were also provided to get the sand off your things, and not overflow a normal hotel tiny trash can. My brother in law got a room with a kitchen for a little more, and honestly his room could have sustained us for a full week here. Ajoining rooms that walk straight through (was what we got which was cool) so we could have our own space away from the kids at night, but still have the rooms open during the day. I would bring lights for sand crab night hunting, because it's that easy to get to the beach. read more

It really is all about location with the Sea Foam. Beautiful view, proximity to Jeanette's Pier. We didn't have the customer service issues like others did, but we also didn't ask for anything. This was our first and only stay, and we both got the sense that this motel stays in business on returning customers. The points of contact seemed to be nice, and the parking was without an issue. The WIFI did seem fast and reliable. I'll try to hit the highlights for why we enjoyed our stay but won't return: 1. It's beyond shabby. I've stayed in shabby, and this is closer to dilapidated. The door wouldn't properly lock and unlock. Rust everywhere. Remote didn't work. Heavy mold/mildew smell. Curtains were full of holes. Sink in the bathroom was stopped up. Shower would go from freezing to scalding, over and over, without warning. The bedding was clean, though. 2. Smokers everywhere. Their website says non-smoking rooms, but it's not enforced and I got the sense that it was allowed because these people were regulars/returning customers. Our neighbors on both sides smoked all day, every day: In the room, on the balcony, on the walkway in front of the doors. The beautiful gazebo leading to the beach was the smoking way station, complete with ashtray (which was a dirty old bucket full of butts). Between the mold and the smoke, my asthma was kicking. Be aware if you have breathing issues. 3. When we stayed, there was a very real feeling of regulars and everyone else. Imagine pulling in to your vacation, and there being a bunch of older folks sitting on the walkways and balconies hard staring at you as you unload (all smoking, of course). It was like moving into an apartment, not arriving to stay for a few nights at a hotel or motel. I read a lot of these reviews about how people feel like family here, so maybe that's what it was: A bunch of folks who have been going there for 30 years, etc. That might be a plus for some people, but it was weird for us. We didn't use the pool, so I can't comment on that. Sorry, Sea Foam! read more

Our family of four had a blast at the Sea Foam. The motel is on the beach with many of the rooms opening onto sand or -- for the second floor -- onto balconies overlooking the Atlantic. The pool has a 'kid' section that is 2 feet deep with a small barrier to the larger pool -- perfect for 3 year olds. This place has character -- and is definitely 4 stars of fun. The Sea Foam would retain it's character (and I'd give it 5 starts) if they got all new mattress, replaced all the carpet, fixed the rusty screens, got rid of the warped ceiling tiles (just get rid of the lowered ceiling all together). read more

Simple, clean place to lay your head for the night, with a great location! If you don't set your expectations too high on this place then you won't be disappointed. read more

Stayed a week. Our hot water didn't work but they moved us and upgraded us plus moved all our stuff. Maid service is an issue. Even if you post your son we had to ask 3 times for service. Steps to the beach. Clean enough. Friendly staff. We will be back. Mostly because of the easy beach access. Highlight of the stay were the friendly maintenance people and long haired desk lady. read more

We took a last minute trip to the beach (in the summer with no reservations) and started calling hotels, motels along the way. We were fortunate to get a room at the Sea Foam Motel. We LOVED this motel- so Mad Men era! Our second floor room had a kitchenette including a fridge for snacks and beer. A little deck off the back of the room afforded us a view of the ocean and leaving both doors open, a great breeze. Nice pool, beautiful beach and a short walk to the pier. I would stay here again and consider myself lucky. read more

Not sure I'd stay here again. I had to check in an hour late as they told me they had problems with another room and that everyone had come in early so I'd have to wait (mind you I arrived at 9am knowing I was very early but they stated they would put down my name and make sure my room was cleaned for me as soon as possible). Once I got in my room it smelled strongly of vinegar. I had to go to the dollar store to get a candle. There is hair on the floor of my bathroom and my fridge is not cold. My only current plus is the gentleman at the front who has been very apologetic and pleasant. read more

I visited Nags Head during the spring "shoulder" season before the crowds hit. I wanted a nostalgic beach vacation like I remembered from childhood summer trips. The Sea Foam was exactly what I was looking for, an old fashioned two-story beach hotel right on the water. Room 49 is a less expensive "pool view" efficiency, but the back deck has a partial ocean view. There is a full sized fridge and stove and enough dishes, pots and pans for simple meals. Ideal place to stay a week, escape from the bustle of the city, and catch up on your reading. Most of the guests were older folks who seemed to already know each other. There were some families with well-behaved kids who mostly spent time in the pool. Charming anachronisms included shuffleboard courts and a playground with a teeter-totter. On the down side, the walls are thin, so I was lucky to have quiet neighbors. Highly recommended if you want a no-frills beach hotel. read more

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