The Relax-Inn Deal Island with Kayaks and Canoe

We stayed at this lovely cottage the week leading up to Labor Day weekend. We have two small children and the car was filled with tears when our week had come to and end. Our first night there, we made our way to the public beach which was about a 5 minute drive (maybe even a little less) and it was so absolutely beautiful watching the sunset that we declared we would visit that beach every night. Our first full day we decided to venture out in the canoe to the private beach that you travel to through the marsh. What would follow were 6 days of doing that exact same thing - every morning we would carry the canoe across the street where you slip it into the marsh and then load it up with all of the things you need for a 6 and 2.5 year old for a day at the beach. The canoe trip took maybe 10 minutes and while I've been boating since I was a little thing, I would characterize the canoe trip to the private beach as a breeze, even for a beginner. Be aware of the tides - which is simple enough. We found that if we headed out as low tide was filling to high tide, that it would give us our biggest window. Anyways, that private beach was fit for kings. Every single day, our family had an entire white sand beach all to ourselves. We packed lunch and sand toys and chairs. Absolutely glorious. The cottage was perfect to hang your hat between adventures to play games outdoors or inside. Bring your bikes. One of our favorite vacations - ever.

Our family enjoyed our stay on Deal Island. It is a quiet area with lots of nature and wonderful star gazing at night. Brian and Mary were very kind and helpful. The house was comfortable. The bedroom with the twin beds did not have AC, but a fan was available. We were somewhat disappointed that the private beach was not as easy to access as we had expected. The road that leads to the beach disintegrates into marsh about halfway. With good water shoes or galoshes you could do it on foot, but we didn’t have appropriate foot gear. The access to the beach with kayak is lovely, but the kayaks are 1-person and one of the kayaks had a leak so we were not able to do this together. There are many areas to observe crabs and fish in the marshes, which was fun. The house is about 25 minutes from a grocery store and we didn’t see any restaurants open in the area, so be prepared to bring food and water in with you to save driving. We were aware that the house did not have internet, but were surprised that T-mobile had no service there. For the most part, we enjoyed having a break from the technology, but having no reception whatsoever made planning difficult. Our signal picked up around St Anne. We had a great day of fishing from Deal Marina and enjoyed excursions to Chincoteague and Assateague. We all enjoyed slowing down and reading and playing games and we left for home feeling refreshed. Thanks for a nice long weekend!

Kayaking in the marsh was the highlight of this stay. It was our kids' (ages 5&2) first time in a kayak and they loved it. The hosts were nearby and prompt with answering questions. We never made it to the private beach with small children, but the kids loved the public beach on the north side of the island. It's down the last road on the left just before you cross the bridge to leave. It's a small, kid friendly beach not even half as crowded as ocean city and with plenty of parking right up to the sand. I would recommend a larger beach for teens though.

Had a wonderful time. House was clean and comfy, mary is a wonderful host. The towns private beach is close to the house, and hardly anyone on it.

Very quaint island. Enjoyed the beach. Never busy and very clean. Zoo and Ocean city worth the trip. Island very diverse. Nice homes and run down abandoned places. Biking was fun. House had mostly everything we needed. Was a bit warm with window air conditioners and quite eclectic decor. Not super clean and some bugs but still worth the trip. Hostess incredibly nice and helpful!

Our family of three adults enjoyed reconnecting in a very relaxed, beautiful area. The house is older and a bit quirky, yet really comfortable. Because I have some slight vertigo issues right now, the noticeably sloping floors were a tiny bit of a challenge but not a problem. The air conditioner noise could be be a little annoying, but we found that we could run just the living room AC when sleeping in the first-floor bedroom, and just the bedroom unit when using the living living. We loved canoeing through the gorgeous marshlands to the beach, and were stunned by how beautiful the beach is with its nearly white sand -- so different from the public beach's sand. We found a few pieces of early-stage sea glass, which was fun. The shed contains items to take to the beach, chairs for sitting outside, etc. The kitchen has plenty of counter space for cooking. There are good numbers of dishes and silverware, so we were able to use the dishwasher. We were glad we had read a suggestion to bring bottled water for drinking since the island's water is high in iron. That iron can stain laundry, so we didn’t use the washer/dryer. All in all, the house, amenities, and location combine to create an immensely laid-back experience, like being in your grandparent's cottage. We had cell phone service but the T-mobile hotspot we had brought along had no internet connection -- which we knew ahwad of time could be yhe situation and which was handy because it greatly cut down on screen time.

Beautiful old house, great ventilation. Super quite, great sun sets, very relaxing. No internet or cable, it was great to disconnect.

Mary and Brian were so welcoming!! It was very relaxing and was so nice to disconnect!! The beach is fun to get to and see a lot of wild life!! Saw new birds that we haven't seen before and caught some crabs and fish. Thanks you so very much for letting us stay, we are sure to come back again!!

We had a great time here! This is an exceptional value for location and amenities for the price. Some of our favorite features included the use of the kayaks/canoe, crab pot, plenty of seating at dining table for all 8 guests, digital disconnect, sunsets on the marsh, birding & biking opportunities, nearby lovely public beach, quaint cottage decorations, and large yard for playing games. There are not many photos of the interior of the house, but the lay-out was great - large couches in the living room for relaxing, large entry area into the kitchen from the back door. Notes: Parents with small children might want to note that there is no banister on the steep stairs to 3 rooms upstairs. Our kids had no issues holding onto the wall for support. Also, the access to the beach is difficult to get to by boat or foot. We brought muck boots and our kids are experienced boaters but we attempted each route just once, and then just decided to use the nearby public beach. That said, we had some fun adventures in the boats and enjoyed crabbing a la chicken necking at the nearby bridge. Communication with Mary and her husband was easy and honest. She had a dozen fresh eggs waiting in the fridge for us when we arrived. Overall, fantastic experience! Thanks, Mary!

We really enjoyed staying at this property and on Deal Island. It was very quiet and peaceful and the owners of the property were very friendly and helpful. We had everything we needed and the place was very clean. Thanks again Brian and Mary!