My husband and I were looking for a less expensive hotel in OC for a weekend, which is sadly very hard to find. The Crystal Sands was a *little* more than we wanted to pay, but the location was so good, we couldn't pass it up. We were pleasantly surprised by the property - the room is a great size, lots of channels on the TV which we discovered as we were leaving thanks to the channel listing, very clean, chairs to sit on outside of your room. The cons are the off-site parking, but it's not a HUGE deal considering you should have some expectation of walking in OC; and the water pressure was non-existent. It was like a gentle rain. Which is nice, except you've just gotten out of the Atlantic Ocean and maybe want a power wash.

However, those are mainly trifles, but they are worth mentioning. We were really grateful to check into our room early as well. Would definitely stay again. It's a fantastic location.

I was terrified to stay here after reading some of the reviews. First I will say, the staff here is amazing. AMAZING. Everyone was kind, helpful and professional. A gentleman that was in maintenece (or similar) saw me walking up the steps and stopped what he was doing and grabbed my bags and carried them up to my room...and then went down to my car and helped my husband bring the rest of the bags up. Again, I am a VERY picky person and people often hate going places with me because I constantly send food back at restaurants and complain if things aren't perfect...and this place was perfectly fine. The room was clean. They did use quite a bit of fragrance / air freshener and I am pregnant...so I am little sensitive to smells...but it cleared out after a couple minutes. The TV was brand new looking (the slim flat panel kind).

The only cons...I personally didn't find the beds to be comfortable. And there aren't any elevators...so it was a lot of steps to our room on the 3rd floor which is tough with babies and toddlers and being pregnant. Also...a couple people have commented about the parking...it is NOT a big deal at all. Don't let that discourage you from staying here...it's silly. This motel is SO close to everything you don't need your car anyway! And when you do...if you have to park in their secondary lot (which is assigned...it isn't fend for yourself or first come first serve) its right around the corner!!! I had NO problem walking there...with my kiddos. I would absolutely consider staying here again. It is VERY competitively priced. And all of the rules that people have complained about....I am grateful for!!! These are all very clearly spelled out. Read them before booking. I'm glad that we were able to find an affordable place that wasn't run like a frat house. LOL

My boyfriend and I were looking for a nice place to stay for a quick getaway to OC and the Crystal Sands Motel fit the bill. Got to check in a few hours early which meant more time to enjoy the beach. Checked out a few minutes late and the motel didn't seem to mind. Very helpful workers at the front desk. We asked a gentleman at the front desk about getting around the city and he was happy to answer our questions.

ALL I ask of a hotel or motel is that it is clean. It was. No old sand on the floors, windows and mirrors wiped off, new sheets and pillow cases... And there was a fridge to keep our beer cold and a nice flat screen TV. The basic necessities for a reasonable price. Decent amount of outlets in the room and the air conditioner worked well.

Right around the corner from the motel is the beach/boardwalk. It was great not having to lug our beach towels, chairs, umbrella for blocks and blocks.

My only complaint was the parking, which wasn't even that big of a deal. Since there is such a small parking lot in the front of the motel, they provide an extra lot about two blocks away near a mini golf course that certain guests are assigned to. I guess those that book their rooms a bit in advance get the better parking.

If I go back to Ocean City for a quick and cheap getaway, I would definitely consider the Crystal Sands again. So many hotel reviews mention sketchy management and rooms used by frat boys on spring break that haven't been cleaned since. Crystal Sands did us no wrong.