Escape for a wellness weekend or a romantic retreat at The Reeds at Shelter Haven, voted New Jersey’s Best Hotel in 2019 by Condé Nast Traveler readers. The 58-room boutique hotel is located in Stone Harbor, a quaint shore town where Taylor Swift summered as a girl and played acoustic shows at Coffee Talk, a local cafe. The hotel opened in 2013 with 37 rooms. A two-story Salt Spa wellness center and 21 more coastal chic rooms were added last year.
Rejuvenate your skin with a body scrub or mud treatment at the spa, which features a Turkish bath with iridescent tiles, a fitness center, Brine Lounge (light-therapy room with tranquil music and a waterfall) and a living roomlike nail treatment sanctuary. (Click here learn more about the hotel’s extensive Covid-19 safety precautions, and here for current spa protocols.)
Options for free outdoor fun include a beach (two blocks from the hotel) with chairs and umbrellas, a roof garden with morning yoga, kayaks and paddleboards to take out on the bay, and a plunge pool.
Bayside dining on the deck features menu items from the hotel’s upscale-casual Water Star Grille (raw bar, seafood, steaks and light fare); Buckets Margarita Bar & Cantina, a taqueria-style restaurant with graffiti wall art; and Stone Harbor Pizza Pub, which promises a good slice and craft brews with those panoramic sunset views. Takeout and room service also available.
The Reeds offers a variety of room types and suites, each with white oak floors, Frette bathrobes and frameless glass showers with rain showerheads. Weekend rates in August begin at $559 and drop to $399 after Labor Day.
The Reeds at Shelter Haven, 9601 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, New Jersey; 609-368-0100
