If you're looking for a clean hotel with no frills but close to the ocean, this is the place. Located at the end of the boardwalk, so it's on the quiet side...which was fine with us. Most rooms have a bit of an ocean view...and you can always spring for a more expensive ocean front Be sure to bring your own beach towels and moisturizer. Nice little frig and microwave in the room. No pool or restaurant but we didn't care. If you don't want to watch tv in the evening, there's usually a wedding ceremony going on by the water...and we watched from our balcony. Complimentary continental breakfast is available, but they serve carbs only. This was the 2nd visit to the Henlopen, and we'd go for #3. Only wish the a/c units were quieter so that we could hear the ocean at night.

The location of this hotel is excellent.........end of boardwalk, oceanfront. We requested a room upgrade, as a previous reviewer suggested. They upgraded us right away. We were so happy with our rooms.....they were a great surprise, and made our trip even better.

We stayed at the Henlopen Hotel in May. You cannot beat the location as it's at the Northern end of the boardwalk so there are less people. The rooms were clean but a little outdated. We stayed on a Sunday and Monday night and there weren't many people there, so they upgraded us to an Ocean Front for not extra charge, which was really nice. I was somewhat confused though when we got to the room (very large with awesome wet bar and Jacuzzi tub) and it was more of an "ocean side" room. Still, we spent a lot of time on the porch enjoying the view so I'm not complaining! When we arrived, they apparently didn't have the hot water heater on for our floor (???) so we had to go down to the desk, have them turn it on, and then wait a good 5 to 10 minutes. Also, I went down and inquired about internet, and they gave me the password but the internet was basically useless and kept going down. They didn't charge me for it just because the girl decided not to, but I'm told they normally charge for it, which would've annoyed me since it didn't work very well. Finally, the "continental breakfast" was pitiful. They had a "coffee machine" that was just terrible, and everything else came in plastic packs of some sort, like individual oatmeals, granola bars, muffins, and poptarts. We ended up just going out to breakfast the second day. If they can't afford to overhaul the "menu" it might be best just not to offer it.
That said, we enjoyed our stay, it was quiet, and the staff was generally pleasant, and the price was right. I would stay there again.

Most of the reviews here are pretty accurate as far as what to expect from the Henlopen. This is not a luxurious, stylish hotel by any means, but it's a terrific place to spend a few days at the beach. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and clean. The balconies allow great breezes from the ocean, and it's great to have a fridge, a microwave and a coffeepot. Double bowl sinks were another plus! If you're spending time on the beach, it takes only a few minutes to return to your room and go back to the sand again. We will be back for sure!