We are going to Assateague one night. My plan is to arrive early afternoon from DC, I have a sunset kayak trip booked that says will take us to see wildlife and horses (called Assateague explorers but seems to be in Chincoteague). I had a hard time finding accommodations so have a Hampton Inn booked inland. There is one Comfort Suites on Chincoteague that seems nice, on the water, but will the mosquitos be so bad that we won't be able to enjoy the tiny balcony?
My husband and I just received our mailed notice of cardmember changes letting us know that our annual fee would go up on our 9/1/21 renewal. I think I will keep mine, downgrade his (after transferring all points to me), and if the 100k offer is still around at that point, have him apply for the CSP. I've thought his path out, now I have to figure out if I keep my CSR longer term or downgrade to upgrade again at a later date. The additional benefits seem much better for the CSP and not commesurate with the annual fee of the CSR. If I downgrade, will I need to wait a year before upgrading again? I do use the CSR to book cheap flights through their portal but the next maybe feasible redemption for us would be around Thanskgiving but more likely Easter or next summer.
Assateague Explorers is definitely coming out of Chincoteague. I've never done their tour so really have no information to offer on them. It looks like the kayak trip will be along the western side of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is on the southern end of Assateague Island. They have their own band of horses, separate from the Maryland end.
These are the ones where they round them up and sell the ponies each year. The Maryland ones are not sold, and they have a managed herd to keep the numbers down to about 150. The ones I usually post photos of are on the Maryland end of Assateague National Seashore. I've never been able to get up close to the Chincoteague horses, so I'll be interested in your experience.
It's difficult to say whether you will have mosquitos or not sitting on a balcony if you stay at the Comfort Inn. I don't usually notice any mosquitos when I'm at Hyatt or others that are ocean front in Ocean City, but usually it's breezy or a higher floor.
I've stayed at the Fairfield Inn (very good) on Chincoteague and didn't have a mosquito issue. All the hotels on Chincoteague are pretty much on the same side of the island, facing Chincoteague Bay area. I've never stayed at the Comfort Inn, but would have no problem trying it out. I would also find it preferable to backtracking out of the Chincoteague area after doing an evening kayak tour, mosquitos or not, lol.
I have definitely experienced mosquitos in the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge. It's mostly wooded and you go through it to get to the beach - east side of the island.
I would definitely stock up on repellant for the kayak trip, just in case, even though you will be on the water. Something tells me that being close enough to the western shore to see the horses will mean mosquitos, but hopefully I am 100% wrong about that.
Also, depending on day of travel, expect closer to 4 hours from DC to Chincoteague Island. Maybe more depending on traffic. It builds early on Fridays and can also be pretty heavy on Saturdays.
