The Rockaway Hotel

The place is absolutly gorgous. The beds are of the finest quality. Yummy. Margie's Pub/Restaurant is great as well. I had the big steak. Yummy. The chocolates from the mini bar are excellent and there is a shop that makes them around the corner. I didn't go in the heated pool, but I enjoyed the sauna. The beach is a short walk away, and do I have to elaborate on how beautiful the ocean and boardwalk are in Rockapulco? Beautiful Spa. I went into Margies Pub in my bathrobe and they liked it (lol). I have food allergies and they were very concerned. Thanks again Ryan and Ryan and the other Ryan. After the beach, sit on a lounge chair by the pool and then go up to the roof and relax on a comfy couch and enjoy the view of Manhattan. The staff are fantastic. I will go back soon and forever. Cheers Tubs, Good Job!!!

The hotel was just okay — nothing exceptional. While it was clean and had an artistic vibe, the rooms were quite small, which made things feel a bit cramped. The location was in a safe area, but it’s not very close to the city center, so getting around took some extra time. A small spa was available, which was nice, but the room amenities were minimal for a 4.5-star hotel. The mini-bar seemed like a nice touch at first, but we were disappointed to find out it wasn’t complimentary. The staff was fine, but nothing particularly stood out in terms of service. Overall, it’s a decent hotel, but not quite worth the high expectations we had.

Although my husband encouraged me to give The Rockaway Hotel a try, I was extremely disappointed when I visited over the weekend because of the following: 1) Pool staff repeatedly ignored me and did not take my order although I specifically asked for assistance upon my entry to the pool. 2) My key card did not work when I arrived at room, and I had to walk back downstairs so the issue could be resolved. 3) I found multiple pieces of hair that did not belong to me 4) Extremely loud music coming from the roof-top area which disrupted my sleep. As a result of the issues listed above, I decided to prematurely terminate my stay and checked out of the hotel the same day I checked in. I highly recommend others to stay at a different hotel in Queens.

Staff is great. I mean great - accomodating, genuine, patient, non-judgmental. Room was comfy with clean upscale beds and beautiful. People complain about the size of the rooms, but I found the cute storage systems perfect and the size was fine. Location is amazing. Hotel design involved working with neighborhood - famous “bungalows community.” Pool is heated and wonderful. Margie’s is a great dinner choice. Slightly too loud with the music blaring, though. Would come back. Was pretty expensive for the Labor Day weekend but lived up to the pricing. Importantly I was afraid this was going to be too “spring break vibe” for my octogenarian mom but it was plenty quiet enough even with some bars around and light DJ music running. Not sure why the complaints from others.

Pros - the beach, the bagel shop across the street, the proximity to the ferry, and the staff is pretty nice. Cons - it is VERY expensive for what and where it is, the music at the pool and in restaurant/bar on roof is very loud and annoying and makes it impossible to enjoy either space, pretty much every single piece of glass in the place was covered in fingerprints and needed cleaning. Finally, I just do not understand the policy of using 1111 as the code for every locker in the closet size locker room. I was able to open some else’s locker while I waited for employee to come tell me how to change the passcode, because for some reason the instructions are not posted anywhere in the lackluster basement “spa”. So for anyone looking to steal money, credit cards or whatever, pop down to the spa and try out code 1111. Bottom line - don’t go there thinking it will be relaxing getaway at pool and spa. It’s not really set up for that. And it is insanely expensive all in, including taxes, for what you get and where it is.