Favorite Delaware/ NJ/ VA Beach Vacation

[CherylA]

Coming from Connecticut. Looking to do 4 nights Mid August on the beach at a resort that has a pool. Considering Virginia Beach but don't know much about it. Have heard good things about Rohoboth Beach DE too. Where does your family go? What do you recommend?

 

[ssawka]

Coming from Connecticut. Looking to do 4 nights Mid August on the beach at a resort that has a pool. Considering Virginia Beach but don't know much about it. Have heard good things about Rohoboth Beach DE too. Where does your family go? What do you recommend?

Are you looking for a beach with "stuff", or a tranquil beach? Virginia Beach is good. We prefer to go to the beach up by Fort Story. Much less congested than near the "boardwalk" (it's actually cement). For a tranquil beach, we like Chincoteague, but it is not directly on the beach. You have to drive over the bridge to Asateague. But, you might catch a glimpse of the wild horses.

 

[ItsNotMuchofaTail]

My family has a cottage on Long Beach Island. No boardwalk, more laid back atmosphere. It was hit pretty hard by Sandy in some spots though. Not sure what the summer will bring, we haven't been since we winterized in November. But its beautiful there. My favorite place in the world.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I like Rehobeth but I prefer "stuff" at the beach

 

[CherylA]

I like the idea of a resort on the beach that has a pool that overlooks the beach so anything too remote doesn't really have this. Kids are 8 and 11 girls mostly want pool time. I like to walk around the beach, stop in some shops, go for ice cream, mini golf at night. That kind of thing. Would love if every restaurant wasn't a 2 hour wait because everything is so crowded!!

 

[katrina1122]

Wildwood, NJ. Most motels/hotels have pools. Beach is beautiful and unlike many NJ beaches it's free. Plus you have the boardwalk for the night time. ONly 10 mins to Cape May so you can enjoy walking around Washington Square and seeing all the beautiful victorian b&b's.

For quieter stay look for hotel in Wildwood Crest or North Wildwood. Wildwood is where the boardwalk is so it tends be noisier and crazier.

 

[louey]

I really like Rehoboth Beach , its a nice family place. I am sure there a couple of hotels on the boardwalk with a pool but you are gonna pay $$$. The boardwalk has Funland with rides and games for the kids, putt putt on one of the rooftops, nice restaurants not sure if you can make reservations, there are some nice shops too? Also out on the main road Route 1 there is a water park and outlets for shopping. If you want there are a few other beaches not far from Rehoboth like Lewes Beach nice for small kids no waves and usually alot of children there, Henlopen Beach (state park), Bethany Beach, Indian River Inlet. Hope this helps.

 

[gracie1]

I work in Rehoboth, and if you want a hotel with a pool then you want to stay at the Atlantic Sands. There are also condominiums you can rent, if you were going to stay for a week. You can look at things to do on www.rehoboth.com. I strongly suggest for a family vacation not to stay in Dewey Beach. That is the party town and at times trouble!!
The hotel with the pool is right on the boardwalk. If you wanted to stay out on the highway then there are other hotels with a pool. But then you would either have to take a bus into town, or if you park right on the avenue you have parking meters which are in effect 10am-midnight, $1.50 an hour. Or you can park off the avenue in residential areas where you can buy a permit on a daily basis, or multiple day basis. But remember if your parked at a meter, money must go in the meter!

 

[Judique]

Coming from Connecticut. Looking to do 4 nights Mid August on the beach at a resort that has a pool. Considering Virginia Beach but don't know much about it. Have heard good things about Rohoboth Beach DE too. Where does your family go? What do you recommend?

What do you expect to pay per night for your hotel?

We go to Ocean City in Maryland.

I've been to Virginia Beach, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and prefer Ocean City.

I stay at the 17th Street Holiday Inn which gets pricey in July and August.

But it has 2 pools overlooking the ocean, plus an indoor pool and a couple of restaurants.

The rooms are decent and you get a little kitchen plus balcony with full sized table and chairs.

There is plenty of mini golf nearby. Lots of food options in walking distance.

And a side trip to Assateague to see the wild ponies is just a few miles away.

 

[bmraar]

I live in Virginia Beach. If you go, look for oceanfront hotels on the strip-- those suit your list of wants better than other areas of Virginia Beach. Most hotels in Virginia Beach have indoor pools, not outdoor, but it looks like the Courtyard Marriott at the Oceanfront North has a pretty nice new outdoor pool, complete with waterfalls. There are outdoor concerts throughout the summer along the beach, and several festivals on weekends. Lots of shops, restaurants right along the strip. There are a couple of putt putt places on the strip too, one of which is indoor and uses black lights, which is pretty fun for the kids. Also a few haunted houses and fun houses. The Virginia Aquarium isn't far, and has an Imax theater. Motor World and Ocean Breeze are pretty close as well, if you are interested in go karts or a water park.

Hope that helps!
Kim

 

[howlongtildisney]

Another vote for Rehoboth Beach! Although I am a little biased, my family has been vacationing there for five generations. I find it to be a nice balance between stuff going on and tranquil. It's not as big as some of the mega-beaches like Ocean City or Virginia Beach but has plenty of activities for everyone.

We've always really enjoyed renting a house from either Coldwell Banker or Jack Lingo. For a hotel like you described, the Avenue Inn can be a fun option. The only downside is that the pool is indoors and does not have a beach view.

 

[CherylA]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm a little scared of little motels, not sure of what they'll be like. As for what we'll spend, it will probably be 3 nights maybe 4. If could find a name brand hotel or at least something with stellar reviews on the beach (or a stones throw from the beach) that has a pool, I'd be comfortable at $250/night or so.

Edited to add. Love the 17th Street Holiday Inn in Ocean City (exactly what I had in mind) but woo pricey. About 400/nt when we'd be there. We don't usually do Beach Vacations so this is something to adjust to!

 

[lovedonald]

We love Virginia beach, rehoboth, and ocean city Maryland. You can't go wrong with any of them. They are beautiful! If you are looking at ocean city md. I know that holiday inn at 17th street is awesome. It is so expensive though! We found the spinnaker or the Howard Johnson are cheaper alternatives that are still nice. You can still get an ocean view or ocean front room for a little cheaper.

 

[holden]

We love Ocean City, NJ. We have stayed in hotels and have rented houses. The Beach Club Suites are right on the boardwalk and have a pool - nothing fancy, but water to swim in. The location is great, and Ocean City is a family friendly town. The boardwalk is great for shopping, riding bikes, and entertaining the kids with rides, arcades and a water park. THe beach is nice too.

There is a Beach Club Hotel too, but the rooms are a bit smaller than the Suites. The Hotel pool is right on the boardwalk/beach but the Suites pool is on the second floor.

Ocean City, NJ was voted one of the top beaches in the US by the Travel Channel.

 

[LiamandMaeve]

We love Ocean City, NJ. We have stayed in hotels and have rented houses. The Beach Club Suites are right on the boardwalk and have a pool - nothing fancy, but water to swim in. The location is great, and Ocean City is a family friendly town. The boardwalk is great for shopping, riding bikes, and entertaining the kids with rides, arcades and a water park. THe beach is nice too.

There is a Beach Club Hotel too, but the rooms are a bit smaller than the Suites. The Hotel pool is right on the boardwalk/beach but the Suites pool is on the second floor.

Ocean City, NJ was voted one of the top beaches in the US by the Travel Channel.

I second the vote for OC, NJ. Then again, I'm a little partial as it's my beach- I live 10 minutes off the island. OC, NJ has always been known for its family friendly atmosphere. It has a beautiful beach with just the right mix of entertainment and relaxation. Good luck with your choice!

~Christine

 

[LisaInNc]

We go to Va Beach just about every weekend in the sumer. There is a LOT to do. I only live an hour away but I try to do a few weekend stays a season just to feel like I am on vacation.

They have fireworks on Saturday nights, one night a week there is a movie shown on the beach and activities relating to that movie on the boardwalk. There are street performers on every block. There are live bands every weekend. We usually pack a picnic and chairs and have a great night.

The restaurants on the boardwalk are not great for that I would get in your car a 5 or 10 minute drive would give you a lot of options and you would not have to wait 2 hours .

The Hilton is the nicest hotel on the beach with a rooftop pool but it can be pricy. There are not a lot of hotels with great pools since the beach is right there.

Around 31st street umbrellas and really nice lounge chairs are set up, they also have cabanas. You pick the one you like, plop yourself down and someone comes to collect the money I think it was something in the neighborhood of 30 for an umbrella and 2 chairs. These are huge umbrellas. Then sometimes people come around with free popsicles, cold facecloths or offer to spritz you. It's got a nice resort feel when they do that.

There is usually an area where they put out lots and lots of pails and shovels and kids seem to gravitate and dig together. There are 2 or 3 playgrounds on the beach.

Utilize restaurant.com they offer a lot of certificates for the boardwalk hotel restaurants and this is a good way to save on breakfast I used one just for dessert one night, the kids LOVED it. Read the restrictions some are for dinner only but if they don't say that....get creative! A mid afternoon snack might be fun!

Lisa

 

[ssawka]

The restaurants on the boardwalk are not great for that I would get in your car a 5 or 10 minute drive would give you a lot of options and you would not have to wait 2 hours .

Except you have to hit The Pocahontas for breakfast. It's an experience! But, that's on Atlantic Avenue.

 

[CherylA]

For you fans of Ocean City, NJ a lot of the reviews of the motels/hotels talk about if they give you beach tags or not. What are those, do they charge you to go the beach if you dont have them?

 

[AuroraRora]

For you fans of Ocean City, NJ a lot of the reviews of the motels/hotels talk about if they give you beach tags or not. What are those, do they charge you to go the beach if you dont have them?

Yes, there is a per-day charge per person if you don't have beach tags. I'm not sure how much it is but I believe it's on the Ocean City website - I looked it up when we were thinking of going there and we had no idea what beach tags were! Ocean City is gorgeous.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Ocean City is beautiful and nice for a day trip if you stay in Wildwood, NJ. Wildwood's beaches are all free and just as lovely, and they have a better boardwalk (In my own opinion only). I am a bit biased as I spent all of my childhood summers there because that's where my grandparents lived. As someone else pointed out, you're also within easy driving distance to Cape May.

You can find a nice hotel on the beach in Wildwood and be within walking distance to the boardwalk.

http://www.wildwoodsnj.com/