The Edge

I seriously didn’t even know where to start when planning this trip… I found this place last minute on Reddit for my boyfriend’s birthday weekend, and I am SO happy I did.
I’m from Boston, he’s from New York, and we drove in, and from the very first phone call just to ask questions, the energy and pleasantness were top tier. You can feel it right away.
We already said this is going to be an annual trip for us. We literally do not want to leave.
The lounge area overlooking the ocean? Absolutely amazing. So cozy, peaceful, and just beautiful.
And the little touches… the fresh cookies 🍪 every day at 3pm? My goodness.
The rooms are super clean, the amenities are thoughtful, and everything in the area, food, vibes, all of it, just GOOD, good, GOOD.
This place is a whole experience. We stayed at the Edge- Safari room.

Very disappointed with our stay this year. We stayed in the Bali room which looked so beautiful from the pictures, but upon entering it was outdated and not very clean. One of the wine glasses was dirty, the shower head was dirty and didn’t completely work, the toilet paper that was on the rack must’ve been dropped in the toilet because the whole roll was wet. The remote was all sticky and gooey feeling, and the couch had some visible stains. Lastly I needed to use the safe and when I called down to front desk—they responded that they didn’t know how to use it but they would send somebody up; of course that didn’t happen. Paid over $500 for one night. Their breakfast consisted of yogurt, a muffin and some orange juice. There’s definitely better out there.

The location is perfect if you love to be able to walk to dinner, drinks, and the beach! It’s literally over a short footbridge from Fager’s Island Restaurant & Bar and the Fager’s owner happens to own the “Hotels” as well. They also own Bad Monkey up on the highway (which is a GREAT breakfast spot! We’ve been coming down to Fager’s for decades and while we’d stayed in this area, we only discovered the hotels about 5 years ago. Between breakfast at Bad Monkey, drinks and dinner multiple nights at Fager’s, and staying at The Edge, I think were pretty much their dream customers!
When you turn down 56th Street it dead ends right at the two boutique over-21 only hotels, The Lighthouse Club and The Edge. You check in at The Lighthouse (which is also a great hotel) then head down the seashell drive next-door. There is a small lounge at The Lighthouse, a back porch on the bay with rockers, a small bathroom to change for the pool if your room’s not quite ready. The small pool (which is shared by both properties) is on the bay at The Edge.
Pros:
-GREAT central-OC location (walking distance to the beach, Fager’s, Macky’s, & Seacrets [the “Barmuda Triangle”]
-Unbelievable views of the bay right on the waterfront!
-Rooms that take advantage of those views with wide spread out spaces, numerous floor to ceiling windows, small balconies, and every room is waterfront!
-Fun themed rooms (see website) where each one offers a unique experience.
-More windows and natural light than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at including Caribbean resorts! (Some guests who like blackout curtains or blinds will probably not like the massive amount of natural light even though we personally love it!
-No kids, over 21 only property! So rare and a great getaway within your getaway while you’re at the very crowded beach!
-Super-friendly service from the front desk, Nicole (left last year), Mindi (left this year), Brittany and Christina were all friendly, kind, and helped us relax when we arrived until we left!
- Comfortable bed in a spacious wide room (picture the exact opposite of a typical hotel room where the smallest wall is usually where the windows are)!
- Big bathroom with double vanity, separate toilet stall, and large doorless shower. (Keep this in mind if you’re not a couple staying here).
- Separate soaker tub with jets in the middle of the room.
-Nice quiet pool right on the bay with ice and bottles of water.
- Nice lounge (at Lighthouse) with fresh made chocolate chip cookies each afternoon, with a great porch on the water.
-Great wildlife viewing! We saw dolphins, Cormorants, Ospreys, Ducks, Crabs, Fish, Herons, gulls-gulls-and more gulls right from our room!!!
- Nice touches like a welcome drink, fresh cookies, robes, real food in the mini fridge.

Cons:
- The dated shower with old grout that clearly needs to be replaced or deep cleaned did not match the rest of the room.
- We loved the location, but I think some early to bed guests would want to avoid the rooms on the northern side because they’re so close to the bar which is hopping late into the evening. (But we loved it)
-Mini fridge was frozen over and not very cold despite having delicious snacks in there waiting for us!
- There’s only one single bathroom in the lobby and none at the pool. While this bathroom had some nice touches it needs significant work to be updated! I don’t think the owners realize this is the first thing many people see upon arrival and it’s a terrible unwelcoming impression that just doesn’t match the rest of the property. This is also the only place to change if you want to go to the pool or beach before check-in.

So these long-time Fager’s Island guests LOVE the hotels and the location! Great grownup place to escape the noise of kids for a few hours and be able to walk everywhere we want to go. My wife and I come down every summer, park our car when we arrive, then walk everywhere we want to go for 3 days!