"shabby chic" to the max. Any small inconveniences we experienced (holding down the handle to the toilet the whole time it flushed, having to find rocks and sticks to wedge open some windows, nervousness over kids falling down the stairs) were cancelled out by how enchanted we were with the location.

While it doesn't have a great ocean view and you don't fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing (well *I* couldn't hear them from the downstairs bedroom), you can walk to seabright beach in less than 2 minutes. The beach was much less chaotic and crowded than the main beach near the boardwalk, though the water was just as pleasant (albeit a little kelpy). It was also nice to be able to walk to the boardwalk (10 min or so) as well as good restaurants at Seabright and Murray.

There were a couple hiccups when we first arrived but our hostess and her mom were very apologetic and helpful, they really cared about us having a good time.