Virginia beach - help please....

[mrsboz]

I am thinking of planning a vacation to Virginia Beach and would be most appreciative of any help that I can get. I would like a nice hotel on the beach and was thinking of going to Busch Gardens and maybe Williamsburg. I don't know how far these places are from one another. I wouldn't care if we had to change hotels after a few days if it would be beneficial. I am bringing an 18 and 13 year old with myself and my husband. any discounts at all would be appreciated. Does Busch Garden take a day or two to see? Are there discounts and is there an on-site hotel? Please help. We are from Boston. Thank you.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Busch Gardens is in Williamsburg and is about 60 miles from VA Beach. During the summer, especially on weekends, Hwy 64 can get very congested, so plan more than an hour between the two. One full day at Busch Gardens will be enough to experience it.

As far as hotels go, do you want to be right on the beach, near the boardwalk? are you planning to stay over in Williamsburg?

The Hilton Garden Inn Ocean Front is brand new in VA Beach-- it runs from around $250+ per night. Courtyard by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront South is also pretty nice. There aren't many bargains to be had at this time of year on rooms-- and there are some pretty run down hotels to be weary of as well. Are you planning on going soon? Rooms in the summer can be difficult to get, so I would recommend booking ASAP.

 

[nancycg56]

If it were me, I would stay in Williamsburg for a few days and then move to Virginia Beach. It's quite a drive between the two with traffic. I really can't give you a good hotel since I live close by and never really pay attention to the hotels.

Traffic here is bad in the summer. Try to do your traveling early (really early) in the day on the weekend and not during rush hour during the week.

Both areas are a great place to vacation and you'll have a great time!

 

[28weekermom]

If it were me, I would stay in Williamsburg for a few days and then move to Virginia Beach. It's quite a drive between the two with traffic.

Traffic here is bad in the summer. Try to do your traveling early (really early) in the day on the weekend and not during rush hour during the week.

THIS!!!

and - A BIG SECOND to the Hilton!

 

[kirstenb1]

If it were me, I would stay in Williamsburg for a few days and then move to Virginia Beach. It's quite a drive between the two with traffic. I really can't give you a good hotel since I live close by and never really pay attention to the hotels.

Traffic here is bad in the summer. Try to do your traveling early (really early) in the day on the weekend and not during rush hour during the week.

Both areas are a great place to vacation and you'll have a great time!

I was just thinking this. My sister lives in Va Beach and we meet up at Busch Gardens all the time. Traffic coming/going to Va Beach is BAD all summer. Agree with staying in Williamsburg and then going to VB. The Belvedere is a nice mom and pop type hotel, and I like the Holiday Inn North Beach. Both are oceanfront.

 

[mrsboz]

I was looking up the Hilton Hotel that was suggested. I looked up the center location by accident. It is $100/night cheaper. Would you consider staying here and driving to the beach that is nine miles away daily? Is there a lot to walk to and things to do in the center? Is the area safe? Or would you spend the $100/night and stay on the beach?

 

[got2sammies]

You would drive but then would have to find a place to park down by the oceanfront...you normally have to walk a couple blocks to go this a spend $10-$15 a pop for parking... Hilton center? Where would that be? Pembroke area?

 

[CantWaitToGoAgain]

I too would second the Belvedere. For location, cost, amenities, and as pp said mom and pop ownership. Not cheap because it's ocean side, but seemed to offer the best bang for the buck. As far as Williamsburg and BG, there are some places that are nice and affordable if you sit through their timeshare talk. If your looking for a place to sleep after a long day at BG look into the Governor's Inn. It's not the Ritz or even remotely close, but a good place to sleep with good amenities, location and price point.
Denise

 

[barbmouse]

While on the subject of Va Beach, where are the best places to eat?

 

[kirstenb1]

I was looking up the Hilton Hotel that was suggested. I looked up the center location by accident. It is $100/night cheaper. Would you consider staying here and driving to the beach that is nine miles away daily? Is there a lot to walk to and things to do in the center? Is the area safe? Or would you spend the $100/night and stay on the beach?

Don't do it. There are a lot of oceanfront choices cheaper than the new Hilton, or you could stay across the street, and just walk to the beach. But I wouldn't stay miles away--kind of defeats the purpose of being at the beach.

 

[Arkansan]

I was looking up the Hilton Hotel that was suggested. I looked up the center location by accident. It is $100/night cheaper. Would you consider staying here and driving to the beach that is nine miles away daily? Is there a lot to walk to and things to do in the center? Is the area safe? Or would you spend the $100/night and stay on the beach?

Do you mean the Hilton Garden Inn Towne Center? If so, this is a very nice hotel in a GREAT location! I stayed here in early May with my DD. She had a competition at the Convention Center. It is within walking distance to lots of restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.) and a big mall. Our room had a microwave, a Keurig coffee maker, and a small fridge. We felt very safe walking around and into the parking garage.

We drove to her competition in just a few minutes and also drove to the beach one day. There were many public parking garages near the beach.

We both commentated that we preferred our location to the beach. We love the ocean and will go on two beach trips this summer, but it was quieter and more comfortable where we were staying. We will stay with the Towne Center location next year if she competes in VA Beach again.

I also 2nd the traffic. We came from PA on a Friday in early May and it took 9 hours! (Other people on DD's team left Thurs and it only took them 6 hours for comparison.). Toward the end, my GPS said we had 38 miles left and a flashing sign on the Hwy said it would take 90 minutes to go that far. The sign wasn't wrong. I can't imagine what it would be like during peak season!

 

[mrsboz]

I tend to like the known name hotels. They always seem to offer more of what we like such as restaurants on site and usually updated rooms. Does anyone know of any other suggestions of a nice hotel?

We are driving from Boston and are trying to find somewhere to go for a night at about five hours.

Could I stay at the Hilton Town Center to view Willamsburg and Busch Gardens or is that too far?

 

[Psychodisney]

We stayed at the Residence Inn a couple of years ago. It is right on the beach. Really enjoyed it. Had a kitchenette which was great for breakfast. As far as restaurants, we didn't find any....

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

For our 2 visits to Williamsburg we had our timeshare for the week so we didn't stay overnight in VA Beach but each time we'd go we'd make it a weekday so it's not so crowded. A friend has stayed in VA Beach a few times and likes the Courtyard by Marriott. I wouldn't wait to book though; summer is their busy time. I surely wouldn't mind paying extra to be oceanfront. We spent 2 nights in Cape May, NJ earlier this week and it was 1 block walk to the beach. So nice & convenient. Once we parked our car, we didn't move it until we drove home.

I would also highly recommend the water park owned by BG, "Water Country USA". We just love that place! I think we spent half our day in Hubba Hubba Highway.

 

[isaacsfam]

We live in VB and I would not stay at Town Center. It is in a great location as far as the city goes but it is not close to the beach at all. Driving and parking at the beach is difficult so staying at the oceanfront fixes those problems, plus if you are going to the beach you should stay there. I'm not sure which hotel would be good but I would suggest the bigger names because there are some terrible looking hotels down there as well. As for Williamsburg on a normal day it will take an hour to get from the beach to Busch Gardens. If you are doing Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg you could stay there for one night and do those days back to back to avoid the driving. Check to see if it is cheaper to buy tickets online and if not try stopping in at the Wendy's down the street from Busch Gardens, I think they usually have coupons there. I will try to think of some good places to eat and fun things to do and get back to you.

 

[isaacsfam]

It looks like BG is $72 per day and Colonial Williamsburg is $48. If you buy a Colonial Williamsburg Bounce ticket it is $123 but that is for seven days at BG, CW, and Water Country USA (I think it also includes parking at least for BG) so that might be the better deal. For restaurants lots of my friends like Otani Japanese Steak House on Laskin Road. If you are up for a 20 minute drive to Norfolk you should go to Doumar's. It is an old car hop type restaurant near the Virginia Zoo. They have the best barbecue and ice cream. They have the world's first waffle cone maker and during the day someone is usually outside making fresh cones. Get a limeaid and/or a strawberry willie YUM!

 

[coachb]

It looks like BG is $72 per day and Colonial Williamsburg is $48. If you buy a Colonial Williamsburg Bounce ticket it is $123 but that is for seven days at BG, CW, and Water Country USA (I think it also includes parking at least for BG) so that might be the better deal. For restaurants lots of my friends like Otani Japanese Steak House on Laskin Road. If you are up for a 20 minute drive to Norfolk you should go to Doumar's. It is an old car hop type restaurant near the Virginia Zoo. They have the best barbecue and ice cream. They have the world's first waffle cone maker and during the day someone is usually outside making fresh cones. Get a limeaid and/or a strawberry willie YUM!

It includes parking at Water Country as well.

 

[mrsboz]

Thanks for your help everyone. I am still in the planning stages.

isaacsfam: I am thinking of staying at the downtown hilton town center on the first night because it is so much cheaper and then the next morning move on to the $300/night Hilton Garden Inn. We could stay at the Garden Inn for three or four nights and then stay somewhere in Williamsburg and see Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. Is there a hotel that you suggest that is cheaper than the Garden Inn? It is so hard to pick a hotel from MA. I am scouring the internet for proximity to the ocean and reviews for cleanliness. Also, do you have a suggestion for a hotel when we visit Williamsburg? I loved your other suggestions thank you and please keep them coming.

Someone else suggested hotels are just as nice near the Garden Inn or across the street but I don't know how to find them on the internet. Anyone have any ideas I would welcome them. I don't cherish the thought of hotels that allow dogs.

 

[isaacsfam]

Since we live here I don't always notice the hotels but my in-laws stayed at the Courtyard @ 25 St. and Atlantic Avenue years ago and it was nice. There is also a Holiday Inn Express @ 26 1/2 st and Atlantic. I would just make sure you go with a big name hotel to make sure you aren't disappointed when you get there. When looking for hotels the ones on Atlantic are on the beach (or across the street) and anything on Pacific is one block away. The major stuff on the boardwalk is between 1st and 30th streets and Atlantic with the majority between 1st and 19th.

I can't really think of any hotels near Busch Gardens or Colonial Williamsburg because we have never stayed at any (again we never really pay attention to that). I will ask around and see if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

We went to Williamsburg and VB 2 years in a row.
We stayed at

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/ho...iamsburg-historic-district-PHFWBHX/index.html
nice large rooms and breakfast. We did not do Busch Gardens, but visited Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown with the Historic Triangle ticket.

Spend the extra money on a ocean front hotel, we tried to save money one year and booked a really crappy hotel and only stayed one night before moving to a new one.