Azalea House B&B

My boyfriend and I just returned home from our stay at the Azalea house. We had a wonderful time! We visited shelter island to celebrate our anniversary, and the azalea house provided all the comfort and privacy we needed to have an amazing weekend. Thank you Añu!
We chose the azalea house for the value (lowest price, plus breakfast included). There are certainly fancier b&b’s in town, but the azalea house hits all the important points without wasting too much money on décor. The bed was very comfortable, and the air conditioning unit kept the room cool. The bathrooms were always sparkling clean. Towels and wash cloths were provided, toiletries were not. The breakfast was basic continental style with an assortment of breads, cereals, and fruit. Coffee, tea and Orange juice as well, of course.
The location on the island was great for us as well. Very easy drive from the south ferry. Also a mere three minute drive to the nature preserve, and walking distance to a few nice restaurants.
Another plus is that the owners of the azalea house also run the island’s only taxi service (island go-​fors). It makes pick-​up very convenient since they are right downstairs! It’s a flat rate of $ 12 per ride (pretty steep). But if you really need a ride, it’s good to know they are there for you.
I recommend to anyone looking for relatively less expensive lodging on shelter island. My boyfriend and I will certainly look forward to planning our next long weekend at the azalea house!

I have to agree 100% with the previous review. Azalea House is just a place to sleep, and the price is great. My review is really 2.5*. It seemed pretty clean, but all that carpet definitely detracts. When we walked in, it smelled very musty. I think we grew used to the mustiness.
If you have the windows open, there’s a lot of noise from dogs (not sure if that’s a regular occurrence). Ceiling fans would be extremely useful, though there was a portable a/​c unit in the room.
It is truly more a rooming house than a B&B. There’s zero charm. I could not believe the pillowcases did not match the sheets. Is it really that hard to go to Costco and buy matched sets?
The breakfast is pretty weak, and the second day we went out for breakfast and bumped into other guests we’d met the day before as everyone had realized it was best to go offsite for breakfast.
Shared bathrooms were not an issue at all.
The owners are not very present, but I suspect if you needed something they’d make themselves available. While they are available by phone prior to arriving, they must use a cell phone because when I called (more than once) to ask a question about my reservation, they were never able to answer it since they were not at «the front desk.»

It’s really going to depend on what you’re looking for. We needed an affordable place to rest our weary bones for two nights while visiting Shelter Island for a wedding, and the wedding couple had the foresight to book most of Azalea House for their guests and we reimbursed them. The price was very reasonable for an outrageously expensive, touristy area at the height of the summer season. (Our lodging was ¹⁄₈^th the cost of others we priced on the island and nearby mainland Long Island.) We wouldn’t have been able to go to the wedding if it weren’t for Azalea House. For our purposes, it was totally adequate, but I kept thinking that I would have been very disappointed if I had booked this place with the expectations of a decent bed and breakfast.
Pros: The main one is price, but also, friendly, low-​key people run this inn. They live in the house, too, but their quarters are not integrated into the guests’ living space. They also run the island’s only taxi service, so if you aren’t bringing your car to Shelter Island, you’ll probably meet them when they pick you up from the ferry. The grounds are pretty and shady, with the eponymous azalea bushes dotting the front garden, and a deck off the back. You have a little bedroom with a closet and shelves for your things, and the room does lock. Our stay was quiet most of the time, but that was probably more due to the other courteous guests than anything else. There is continental breakfast served from 8:30−10 AM. Coffee, bagels, english muffins, donut holes, little boxes of cereal. There is free WiFi and it worked the whole time we were there. (In contrast, 4g service is spotty on Shelter Island but I was able to use it 75% of the time.)
Cons: The décor is horrifyingly 1970s. Shag carpeting, lots of 70s mauve and brown colors, big ruffled curtains, a pink polyester bedspread, and the tackiest wall art I can imagine. Everything was clean, but it was so old and shabby that it made me feel kind of dirty. This isn’t a beautiful old home like most inns seem to be. I don’t know when it was built but definitely post-​WWII, so you feel like you’re staying in your boyfriend’s parents’ outmoded suburban home and have to be really silent and tidy so you don’t annoy anyone. (I am not a loud, dirty person, but I don’t usually feel like I have my guard up when I’m vacationing in a hotel.) There are two bathrooms and you have to share them with everyone else. In our case that was mostly okay, because the other guests were considerate people, but I can imagine it being not-​so-​okay if the other guests were selfish and untidy. Worst for me was that the bed was rock-​hard. I felt like I was sleeping on a slab of cement and woke up many times with aching hips and back.
So, bottom line: slightly more comfortable than car-​camping, and I was grateful that we had Azalea House for this wedding, but I would never voluntarily stay there for a pleasure vacation.