Sea Lion Motel

Took a trip to Salem and stayed here for 2 nights. Neighborhood felt safe and the staff here was so friendly! The location from different beaches was close enough to see the water, but far enough away that you felt like you were tucked away in a little oasis away from it all. I would definitely stay here again for the clean rooms and excellent hospitality!

Practical accommodation, large room, bare floors, quite cold (although heater provided). Basic breakfast provided. Nice staff. Pool (closed for winter).

Positive: Extremely clean. Well run. Great pool- nice and warm. Negative: Continental breakfast was a bit sparse.

Basic, clean accommodations. Close to the small downtown area. Conveniently located. Nothing fancy. Parking was a little bit of an inconvenience, not assigned or clearly defined spots.

Beautiful little place, quaint and peaceful. They still use room keys!! Can’t tell you how excited I was over not having to use a card that is finicky and has to be held a certain way! We slept great and enjoyed a nice morning sipping coffee on the deck with a view of the ocean. I would highly recommend if you want a quiet peaceful stay.

The inn/rooms are about 2 miles from downtown. When we checked in around 4:00, the person at the desk was not friendly and said,” Good. Glad you’re here because I’m ready to leave and go home.” The room was relatively clean, but very old and outdated: no usb port, one accessible outlet, no tissues, no separate body wash or lotion, the phone didn’t work, and the carpet stained my husbands white socks. The continental breakfast was pretty good, but the person at the desk didn’t even look up at us when we went in. I think they should invest in updating their rooms and being friendlier.

I was visiting family. For us it was perfect location. On my way to sea lion they called me and asked if I wanted an upgrade! I originally purchased a room for 3 days then they upgraded me to a cottage! It was perfect! The beds were a lot more comfortable than what I slept on before our trip at the Hyatt! I was so impressed! Then when we decided to extend our stay they had availability and only charged me for the room rate not the cottage rate! Cottage had a pull out coach which my oldest was happy about! Front desk was so incredibly kind. When you're a single mom traveling with two kids sometimes you don't get the warm impressions from workers. But this was NOT the case, my kids keep asking when we can go back! I felt safe and not worried about my surroundings! It felt like home! Also to mention if you have a dairy allergy then check out holy cow ice ram shop!

Cute little location. Nice clean, large room. It rained the whole time so we didn't get to use the pool. We came up here to go on a whale watch which was also canceled weather. But had nice cup of coffee in the morning and some Danish

We had a wedding in Gloucester Sat night. Stayed 1 night. Great location, fairly priced. No frills, just what you need.

There are only two rooms left the night we arrive. Returning from Salem Halloween. The front desk staff waited there till we arrive. Gave us a beautiful room. And waited for the last room guests to arrive and then turn turn lights off made us feel very welcome to. If you're near Gloucester, you must stop in or make reservations here.

Update: The person who complained about the noise at 7pm ended up being asked to leave. Still ruined the visiting time with the group. But I would consider staying here again. I tried to take the previous review down, but couldn't.

I read MANY good reviews about this motel online. That's why we chose it. While we weren't actually able to keep our reservations for this coming September, due to a family illness, the management from the motel was very kind and understanding. I thought I would be charged a full night's stay since I was past our cancellation date, but I was only charged $25 and refunded the rest of my deposit. I was very appreciative. We WILL be rescheduling for another trip for next year. I highly recommend this motel.

This is perfect for what it is. Clean and friendly staff. Super close to the beach. They skimped on towels but maybe that's the covid era. I highly recommend. Budget friendly and close to the beach. Walls are thin. You'll hear everything. But again.. you're there for the beach!

Last minute getaway with the spouse on Memorial Day weekend. Very few rooms available anywhere in a 20 mile radius. Most of the area also requires a two-night minimum with NO exceptions. I guess they'd rather an empty room than just a one-nighter. Poor business decision... All the chain Motel 6-type places were fully booked, so no super cheap rates were available at all. With all of that in mind, I was shooting for the cheapest place I could find that looked clean and not too scary. This place had one king bed room left for $150/night! That's pretty cheap considering it's so small and within the Rockport/Gloucester area. Plus, instead of insisting on two nights, they offer you the choice of one night with the fee of $24. So that was cheap enough to still make it work. The women at the front desk, that I spoke with were really nice and extremely accommodating. Oh and they have free wifi, a mini fridge in the room and free coffee. With all that extra stuff, we booked the room. When we got there the situation looked a lot different! I didn't realize they had a pool- heated too! And it looked really nice! This place was a lot classier than the website photos gave it credit for. The place looks very well kept and has a strong beachy feel. Really nice looking property right off the main drag set up on a hill. It didn't hurt that the weather this weekend was AMAZING either! We check in to our room, which I had imagined as a basement room, the last one available. To our surprise it was in the main building on the top floor with a deck, some plastic adirondack chairs for relaxing while staring out at the water view on the horizon! The woman who checked us in let us know that they offer a few simple items for breakfast; some muffins, yogurt, fruit and cereal along with coffee and tea. Wow! We told her we were planning to go to the beach the next day, and she let us know that they have passes for their guests (to the local beach) -- even more wow! But we were headed for Crane Beach in the town of Ipswich, so no pass for that. The decor was not fancy but solid, timeless and attractive with what looked like a brand new berber rug and the bed was surprisingly nice. The mini fridge was the over-sized version that fit lots of drinks and snack we had packed for the beach for the next day. The room was large with a large bathroom with an over-sized shower stall and a double vanity. There were some really nice smelling soaps and toiletries provided in the bathroom. There was a small flat screen TV mounted on the wall across from the bed -- basically everything you could need. Now maybe I'm so impressed because I was aiming for passable motel and not really expecting a really nice place, who knows... Now this isn't the Ritz, but it's clean and comfortable and the price is much better than almost any other competitor in the area. It's only three miles from Bearskin Neck, the main tourist street in Rockport, and even closer to downtown Gloucester. If you find yourself in the Cape Ann area near Rockport or Gloucester, definitely give the Sea Lion a try!

Modest, but very clean and comfortable. We got exactly what we paid for and would certainly go back. (It's worth noting that a lot of other businesses recommended the Sea Lion when we asked where to stay).

SEA LION MOTEL!! I would stay here just for the name!! But this place is adorable and awesome too!! Stayed here for a Memorial Day weekend wedding! When we got there...I loved the cape shingle look on the exterior...we got there early...check in wasn't for another hour. The sweet lady at the office desk was happy to check us in early!! Office was immaculate. Very quaint...comfy and clean. Made you feel at home. They had a lap top printer and heated outdoor pool that was very clean and went 8 1/2 ft deep in the deep end!! The price was unbeatable to stay...at $139 for a king bed room per night on a holiday weekend with a one night minimum!! How awesome is that in Gloucester!! She gave us two keys and our room was right above the parking area with a beautiful balcony/deck overlooking the pool! We could also see the ocean from a far since we were on the hill and on the second floor! They also offer cottages and houses! Plenty of parking! Patio outside office near pool was so cute with multiple bistro tables and a grill! Got in the room and was immediately impressed!! Brand new carpet...new updated bathroom and beautiful king bed! Huge flat screen tv with direct tv! Place was awesome and comfortable! Love at first sight for this cute place. I have stayed at other places in the area and this is where we will stay from now on. shower was nice and clean and had the bowed out shower curtain rod! Heat lamp above keeps you warm when out of the shower! Toilet flushes like a champ...almost like those home show toilet demos!! Slept good...very quiet...awesome small continental breakfast offered amazing glazed donuts, huge muffins (we had blueberry and chocolate chip) coffee, orange juice, cereal, cherrios and fruit loops, oatmeal and danish! Would definitely recommend to any and all friends who visit Gloucester to stay here and definitely going back this summer!! See you there!!

My bf and I stayed her Sunday night of Memorial day weekend on the referral of the woman from the Commerce Center (visitor info). We had an easy check in late Sunday evening purchasing a one night stay in a room with a king size bed. It cost us $150 for the one night.... not great but not bad. They did not take AAA or any similar discounts programs. Our room was nice with a small flat screen, plenty of channels and had wi-fi. Everything seemed clean and neat. The closet had an extra pillow and blanket (awesome cuz i hate asking). There was a heated pool (which we didn't use but some kids where enjoying it) and a clean pool area. There is also a deck and sitting area outside every room (which we loved). The mini fridge was a decent size so we were able to refrigerate some waters and coronas. After going out to dinner and drinks we were hugely surprised to experience that the bed was super comfortable and we had a great nite sleep. The big disappointment for us was the "continental" breakfast in the morning. The woman at the desk upon check in had described it as "great" with juice, coffee, pastries, cereal, fruit etc starting at 8am. We were looking forward to it whereas our plan was to go mountain biking in the morning following this healthy fill up until about check out time which is at 11am.. We were not so happy when at 8:20am we found that the continental breakfast really consisted of coffee (with super small Styrofoam cups), mini blueberry and corn muffins, mini chocolate chip cookies and orange juice (that i found in the fridge with the half and half). Also the spread was so super small that we felt very awkward taking more than a cup of coffee/OJ and a mini muffin. Its ok if you don't offer a complimentary continental breakfast but definitely don't offer one and not come thru. It makes it hard to plan accordingly when away from home. The most convenient part of this motel is that it was 1 mile away from Good Harbor beach. We would definitely suggest walking or biking from here to the beach in order to avoid the $25 parking fee. There were also a lot of other conveniences right in the area (like Shaws, Stop and Shop, liquor store, Dunkin Donuts to name a few). This was a fine place to stay for the night and close to many things we wanted to do (or not do:)

I had a situation where I needed to cancel my reservation, this motel and their management was NOT accommodating. We ended having to take the trip and stay here. We could here all the other rooms surrounding us. The front desk had a pretty nasty attitude. Thank God the bathroom was spotless but I did see bugs running around the room and the tv was super small. Ugh not to mention they have direct tv yuck! Otherwise the room did look cozy even though it was small. I personally would only come back here of it was my very last option between Rockport and Gloucester. Oh yes on the bright part they do have a grill you can use and an outdoor pool. Maybe one day I will give them a second chance.

The room was very nice and comfortable and had a little view of the ocean. The balcony had a very nice little table and chairs and in the closet they had extra pillows and blankets. The breakfast though, was really poor. I picked what I thought was a muffin but it was corn bread. Wouldn't be so bad if they had something to put on it like butter or jelly but no, nothing. They had blueberry muffins and powdered donuts. That's it oh, and coffee (milk and apple juice in the fridge) Once the coffee thermos was empty had to way what it seemed like forever for the coffee maker to dribble half a coffee pot. Yeah, there was a line for it. Oh, they also had Cheerios and Fruit Loops (?) We probably would stay there again but definitely have bkfast elsewhere. P.S. Another reviewer mentioned that they walked from the motel to the beach to avoid parking fees. I would not recommend that . It is not a safe walk. It is a busy road with no sidewalk and it turns out we didn't have to pay to park since there was no one to charge us. We were there the first week of October . I'm guessing the fees are collected during the beach months

I stayed for 2 nights this weekend. The staff were all nice and helpful when asking for suggestions where to eat and what to do. The room was a basic room with a flat screen tv. From other reviews the walls were thin and I could hear the people below me. That would be my only complaint and that the fan in the bathroom was so loud. But all in a all this was a cute hotel close to everything. And there was an outdoor heated pool which I did not get to use because of the rain.

If you're going to the beach check with the frontdesk for a voucher for free parking.

My husband and I stayed here in one of their small cottages while on our honeymoon in the Gloucester area in 2010. I have nothing but excellent things to say about this place. Our little cottage was just perfect for the amount of privacy we desired and I think would be ideal for a family of 4. I called to make our reservation and to ask if they had any special programs for honeymooners. They didn't but they created one just for us. When we arrived, our the table in the kitchenette was decked out with a table cloth, chocolates and a chilled bottle of champagne. I felt so welcome. Every thing was always clean. Having access to a full sized fridge and a range was excellent and saved us a little money on eating out. I have two MINOR suggestions for improvement: A larger mirror in the bathroom would have been nice and a TV in the bedroom is my preference (the TV was in the living area where there was a nice couch and chairs. this area was separate from the bedroom.) I will definitely be staying here again!

Three things I want after a long day if traveling: a clean room, a hot shower, and a comfy bed. Got all three here, plus a warm welcome from the front desk. Great end to a great day in MA.