Ocean House Hotel at Bass Rocks

We were on a weekend trip to the North Shore and ended up in Gloucester, MA. We asked around over lunch for a place to stay and the Ocean House had been recommended.. And it turned out to be a great choice. From the beginning we felt welcome by the super friendly staff, in particular Cheryl at the front desk, who walked with us to show us the property and suites upstairs. The hotel has been been renovated five years ago, but it looks like it was yesterday. It is very well taken care of, with attention to the detail. The room and bathroom were spotless. The breakfast had everything one would expect and the afternoon warm chocolate chips were delicious. The location with the ocean view rooms and balconies is certainly a trip worth in itself, but the whole package fits the bill. Absolutely worth it.

I wish I could write a more positive review, but overall our stay was disappointing. The hotel was in a good location (although there are no restaurants in walking distance) and the view was lovely, but unfortunately that is the best thing I have to say. For well over $400 per night, I was expecting more. The room was well decorated, but it didn't feel that clean. There was visible dust in the bathroom. There were spiders in the shower. The bathroom is TINY. There was barely room to turn around, much less have any space to set your toiletries down or change clothing (if you are traveling with a family and can't change in the main area). I did like the fact there was a pull out sofa bed in the room, and the continental breakfast in the morning. It was a lovely view from the eating area, but it felt like the whole room was tilted! From our room, the noise from the pool was quite loud even though we weren't directly overlooking it. And I should have noticed this in photos, but there is no privacy on the balconies from your neighbors. You can look from left to right and see everyone. Like I said, I really wanted to like this property but I just cannot recommend it to others.

1 star stay with a 4 star price. Beautiful views but so many things wrong with this hotel. The hot tub wasn’t working while we were there the entire week. Our bathtub was chipped and would drain so slowly that by the time you finished showering, the water was up to our shins! It also looks like there was black mold by the tub (photos attached). The staff was nice, but a lot of the young front desk employees wouldn’t even acknowledge you when you walked in or left because they were too busy on their cell phones. Save your money and sanity and go somewhere else!