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Hotel Blue: 'Unpretentious Luxury' on the Delaware Beach

Where: 110 Anglers Road [map], Lewes, DE, United States, 19958

Every so often, we showcase hotel tips from readers that we think deserve a little attention. Now it's important to note that in this case, the tip was from, uh, the actual hotel owner. But! After checking the hotel out on TripAdvisor and elsewhere, we deemed it worthy of our ever-precious time — and that’s even in spite of the owner’s self-praise, in which he described the hotel’s website as “the bomb!”

So without further ado, we present Delaware’s Hotel Blue, which professes to be the tiny state’s first boutique hotel, located in beachy Lewes on the Eastern Shore, near the livelier Rehobeth Beach. From its website description, which also calls itself “a simple palette of unpretentious luxury:”

“Hotel Blue is redefining luxury in historic Lewes. "Blue" is an inspired fusion of coastal Victorian, contemporary design and first class amenities. Sixteen suites and rooms offering lush surroundings with a modern twist.”

The hotel hangs art by local artists, and “whimsy and surprise abound” throughout the hotel, from a blue-glowing sink to an ice bucket that changes hue (think lime green, hot pink) when you fill it with ice cubes. The website says each room comes stocked with a “romantic” gas fireplace, private water-view balcony, access to rooftop pool and lounge, and the all-important free wireless access (!). Guests under the age of 18 aren’t allowed, so don’t fret that the rooftop pool will be clogged with kiddie floaties.

Hotel Blue’s TA reviews are really pretty impressive, with a whopping 49 “excellent” ratings, nabbing the No. 1 ranking of six hotels in Lewes. A few highlights: “Much more style than the usual beach place with lots of space in the rooms.” “The room was spacious and felt more like a nicely furnished condo of a friend than a hotel.” “In a town filled with Victorian Homes, Hotel Blue has a modern European feel. The owners pay attention to every detail.” As usual, a few bad eggs spoil its perfect rating, but honestly, the grousers mostly sound like the usual cranky culprits always whining on TA.

Summer rates start at $250 weekdays, $275 weekends, which admittedly seems a little spendy for a beach hotel in Delaware, but we could be wrong. Have you stayed at the Hotel Blue? We’d love to hear how it went.