Updated on July 2, 2015

Sheraton Eatontown Hotel – Close To Jersey Shore Beaches

We were looking for a short beach getaway and found the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel in Eatontown, NJ.  Starwood is my favorite chain and I often plan my trips around SPG hotel locations.  The hotel is just 10 minutes away from Long Branch beach and about 15 minutes from Red Bank where there are many restaurants, bar, and entertainment.

There are not many SPG hotels in this area but I will be happy to return here in the future because its a good, reasonably priced hotel near several shore destinations.  The breakfast/lounge food, however, are not much to write home about.

COST

Using SPG points, one night would have cost 7,000 points vs $109 + tax = ~$125.  The 7,000 award redemption is not a bad deal, but this time I decided to pay cash since Starwood offered me double elite stay credit for any paid stays this summer (and I want to make sure I hit platinum again this year).

Want to stay for free?  SPG Amex is offering a 25k point sign up bonus.  Click here -> then click “Hotel Credit Cards” and look for Starwood American Express card.  Book this and other beach hotels at Booking.com (unless you need the elite stay credit, then you'll need to book directly with SPG.com). These are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if use these links — many thanks in advance if you do!!

ROOM

We stayed on a Friday night and got upgraded (as usual with SPG) to a nice corner suite – the one at the end of the hallway with double doors.  Thank you Platinum Status!  This suite was priced about $250 per night. The view wasn't amazing — we were on the second floor overlooking the pool but we didn't spend much time in the room anyway.

The small pantry/bar area was convenient to keep some drinks. By the look of the cabinets, my guess is this place was last renovated in the 80's.

 

BATHROOM

The bathroom is typical of a Sheraton except this one included a Jacuzzi – a nice bonus.

The sink is separate from the tub and throne which I find very useful when traveling with another person.

CLUB LOUNGE

Platinum members get access to the club lounge which includes hors d'oeuvres in the evenings and breakfast in the mornings.

I've never seen hot pretzel bites offered in a lounge before. Pretzels are one of my favorite snacks but I only had one piece.  They reminded me of a movie theater's sad excuse for hot pretzel bites that I ordered maybe once – they were so bad (dry/stale) I actually went back and exchanged it for popcorn. Have you ever returned food at a movie theater? I didnt try the beef on the right side and am pretty sure both of these were nearly untouched at closing time. I wonder if these are tossed or reused?

Plenty of space in the lounge

BREAKFAST

The breakfast buffet in the lounge was average and typical of an Sheraton in the US. Acceptable…nothing impressive.

The hot options left a lot to be desired. The potatoes on the left were decent.  The eggs on the right…well, neither of us dared to try the overcooked nuked “scrambled eggs”.  I don't trust hotel eggs unless they are cracked and cooked in front of me. Otherwise I assume they are using the cheapest liquid eggs from a box and microwaving them.  While I am somewhat of a food snob and I prefer farm fresh organic free-range eggs (with a deep orange yolk), I have to be realistic with hotel food.  I set the bar at a minimum – fresh cracked eggs. What do you think of many hotels' sad excuse for eggs?

The winner in my mind was the plain oatmeal.

Plenty of cold choices, including corn flakes, fruit loops, yogurt, apples, bananas, and cut fruit. The only healthy options would be the fresh fruits.

Many hotels offer some selection of yogurts. The only yogurt I typically eat is Fage Greek Yogurt – or something similar. I like to add some fruit and granola to the plain ones. These Yoplait yogurts typically have too much sugar and other junk I'm not interested in eating.

The breads and pastries – nothing fresh here. These are appear to be of the frozen refrigerated variety.  I'll pass.

Plenty of coffee, tea, water, and soda options:

 

My Camera: These photos were taken using my Canon S110 Digital Camera which has been replaced by the S120.  I love it – it's tiny, fits in my pocket, and takes amazing pictures/videos.

 

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