Why we love it: A five-star resort unlike anything else on the Jersey Shore
The Highlights:
- Private terraces in every room with views of the ocean or sand dunes
- Top-notch service from pool attendants and the staff at large
- A rooftop pool that feels more like Miami than New Jersey
The Review:
From real estate developer iStar, designer Anda Andrei, and hotelier David Bowd of Salt Hotels comes this five-star resort—the first of its kind on the Jersey Shore. Located on the fourth floor of a mixed-use luxury development, the 54-room property sits right off the boardwalk, offering endless views of the Atlantic Ocean. Rooms take advantage of the vistas with floor-to-ceiling windows, a muted palette, and private terraces that look out onto either the water or the hotel’s sand-dune garden, while spacious bathrooms feature glass-enclosed showers and handpicked amenities like conditioner from MiN and soaps from Palermo Body.
As inviting as the guestrooms may be, however, it’s the hotel’s common spaces that truly impress. The pool deck and garden terrace blend seamlessly into the ocean beyond, creating a serene oasis just four stories above the beach. Here, guests sunbathe on loungers and daybeds or relax in tree-shaded seating areas while pool attendants mill about, offering to clean their sunglasses, spritz them with cool water, or bring them a drink from the pergola-covered bar in the corner. Should they wish to hit the sand, a personal “Beach Bellperson” will set up their towels, chairs, and umbrellas and deliver lunch whenever they get hungry.
When the weather gets too hot—or too cold, as AOC is a year-round hotel—guests can repair to the Drawing Room, which sits at the heart of the property. A glass house that floats on a tranquil reflecting pool, the space is designed to feel like a living room, with eclectic furniture, a green-tiled fireplace, an open kitchen that doubles as a bar, and live piano music several nights a week. Come 2020, there will also be a fine-dining restaurant on site, where guests can indulge before sweating it out at the Technogym-equipped fitness center or a morning yoga session on the pool deck.
