Filed under: Design, etc, Architecture
Here's the Situation: Snooki should crash at this Jersey hotel.The Jersey Shore's got a bad rap these days. In the first season of MTV's hit reality television show "Jersey Shore," eight housemates share a summer rental in Seaside Heights. In the third season, the cast returns to Seaside Heights after a summer in Miami Beach.
Now this doesn't scream modern beachfront pad? It's the exterior of a gorgeous hotel on the Jersey Shore. Photo: New World Group
While the show portrays a party culture, locals know a different Jersey Shore. This Jersey Shore is quiet and relaxed, the kind of place where you can stroll along the boardwalk with shaved ice in a cone or hole up in a coastal rental for the week. Bungalow Hotel, opened in the summer of 2009 by Robert and Cortney Novogratz (the husband and wife team behind SixxDesign from Bravo's "9 by Design"), represents everything TV's "Jersey Shore" is not. The 24-room property is located in Long Branch, just steps from the sand and the Atlantic Ocean, and it's so classy I doubt you'll see Snooki roaming the halls. (But you never know...she is making $30,000 an episode these days.)
Inside, a fresh, white palette is accented by 50 pieces of original art, including surfing photography. Lighting came from Moss in New York City, where the couple's interior design firm is based. In the cafe in the lobby, bartenders mix and pour signature cocktails. (And bonus: Check out Cake Bake and Roll for amazing ice cream!) Kicking back with friends and playing a game of backgammon, billiards or chess is encouraged. The day's surf report is written on a chalkboard in the lobby.
Each room has an eclectic mix of accessories, like this one! Photo: New World Group
The owners had a lot of fun curating funky accessories for each hotel room. Photo: New World Group
Very different from most hotel bars, the one at Bungalow Hotel folds in a lot of nautical influence with slick furnishings like you might find in a SoHo or Tribeca lounge. Photo: New World Group
Bungalow Hotel's indoor/outdoor bar is suited for year-round imbibing. Photo: New World Group
Peeks at other coastal properties:
Florida Coast Vacation Style
Tour Coastal Living's Ultimate Beach House
John Derian's Cape Cod Home
And if you're looking for more on the Jersey Shore TV show, check out...
Jersey Shore - TMZ.com
Jersey Shore - AOL Television