Jersey shore summer question!

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Hi!

We are looking to go to the Jersey Shore this summer for a few days or a week. My MIL lives outside Philly and we thought it might be more relaxing to be at the shore instead of her house for the whole week.

Now it gets complicated. My husband is one of 6 and all together there are 18 nieces and nephews ranging from 1 to 24. They have been "talking" about getting a house or condos this summer but nothing has been planned. The families can never plan ahead and I have been around long enough to learn to live with it, but want to do a CYA. Since they leave the planning until later the prices have gone up, etc.

So I am looking for reasonably priced condos or hotels near/on the beach where we could get our reservation in and the rest could follow if they wished. If the condo prices are too high then I am looking at a hotel for 3 week nights.

Oh, where on the Jersey shore? I have NO CLUE -- that's why I am posting here! I am not very familiar with the shore -- I know we stayed in Strathmere one year which was very nice. I don't think we are looking for the busy boardwalk areas and while Cape May looks beautiful the prices were high. We are looking for quieter beaches -- hopefully no beach tags. And while we don't need to be on the beach we want to be able to walk to the beach from our rental.

Any help or advice out there? It would be appreciated!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

LBI is my favorite place to visit, its very family oriented and if you book now you should be able to find some cheaper places to stay further along the Southern shore. If you find a real estate agent now he/she might be able to find you a cluster of homes to fill everyone's needs

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

Wildwood!! The beach by day and the Boardwalk by night! We've been there twice and loved it. Stay in Wildwood Crest - it is a couple of miles from the busy boardwalk and has nice quiet neighborhoods. Very family friendly! Lots of good restaurants and mini golf. Rent a house or condo. We did both. Our condo was half a block from the beach. Look at the official Wildwood site - they can send you brochures, maps, coupons, etc. Go to Calloway Real Estate for the rentals - we used them twice and were very happy. They were recomended by family.

Cape May is beautiful but yes, expensive in the summer, and right next door, so you can visit for a day.

 

[minniebeth]

If you are looking for quieter, than I would definately say LBI...Long Beach Island, like LuvOrlando said. A nice family, quiet, relaxing part of the Jersey shore. You are not going to find too many places that don't require beach tags, but if you rent a house or a condo, sometimes they will come included in the price of the rent. If you do have to end up buying them, by the week is cheaper than a daily tag.

If you have that many people, even if they come and go, a house will be much more economical and you can cook there for the time you are there (even if it's grilling, etc.). There are so many options for houses in LBI, especially if you don't need to be right on the beach yet within walking distance.

I grew up in NJ, the shore is just part of my life!
Enjoy!

 

[baileykelly]

I would also say Long Beach Island, my family has been going there since my dad was a kid. We've been staying in Holgate (very southern end) since I was a kid. You could find a big house to rent or maybe a duplex and get both sides for a bit more privacy. Most beaches require a beach badge on LBI. I would look in or just outside Beach Haven to be close to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment so kids that can't drive yet can walk in town. There is no boardwalk, just a little town that has bike rentals, mini golf, a waterslide, and a very nice arcade/mini amusement park for kids and teens. I would try to rent on the ocean side of the island if you plan on walking to the beach, the main road on the island can be a pain to cross in the busy summer traffic.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I'm plugging for ocean city. Great family atmosphere clean beaches. I would recommend renting a house rather then hotels. There are good deals and families could go in together. There are even deluxe houses that would fit your whole group still cheaper then ten hotel rooms.

 

[Scott'sAuntJill]

Another vote for LBI if you are looking for a less busy environment. We grew up going to Surf City as kids and loved it even without the boardwalk and amusements. If you want a little more "action" close by then closer to Beach Haven is probably a good place to start.

You might also want to look at Avalon or Stone Harbor. Avalon was our down-the-shore spot until we started vacationing in the Outer Banks as a family. Neither town has a boardwalk, but there are some shops, mini-golf, ice cream stands, a few restaurants. Avalon is south of Ocean City, but close enough to go for an evening on the boardwalk in Ocean City, a trip to Wildwood for the amusements, and also close enough for a day trip to Cape May and to make sunset at Sunset Beach.

If you think your family will all end up joining you, then renting a house for the week will probably be cheaper for the group, but you'd be relying on them to come through on sharing the cost.

 

[beachwalk]

We own a house in Ocean Grove - quaint victorian town one hour south of NYC. Beach is beutiful and Monmouth County offers many options within a short drive (shopping, etc). Check out www.ourtownrentals.com - John is the site owner and is very knowledgeable! If you are looking further south - Ocean City is a great town as well!

Enjoy!

 

[gina2000]

You won't be able to rent a home on the Jersey shore for less than a week. Condos are few and far between in a lot of shore towns - LBI in particular. Your best bet may be Wildwood if you only plan to stay a few days.

 

[DebD4T]

We've been vacationing in LBI for over 20 years. It is VERY family friendly.

Last summer we spent a few days in Wildwood. It was a lot of fun. (we stayed at a hotel on the boardwalk) BUT...

to get to the ocean, you have to walk about 1/4 mile across the sand!!!

 

[ccgirl]

I'm plugging for ocean city. Great family atmosphere clean beaches. I would recommend renting a house rather then hotels. There are good deals and families could go in together. There are even deluxe houses that would fit your whole group still cheaper then ten hotel rooms.

Another vote for Ocean City. My Dh has family right outside Philly. OC is about a 2 hr drive from there. You can definitely get house rentals for less than a week. We went kind of last minute last summer and rentals were cheap. I don't remember who we used to rent but they provided beach tags and we could walk to the beach. The kids did the boardwalk at night. Cape May is a very nice drive as well. I have stayed at the Watson Regency a few times. It was nice because it had an indoor pool so if it rained the kids could still be entertained. PLus, it was a suite so it had a living room, kitchen and bedroom. If you are looking for reasonable hotel rooms the Impala Island Inn was very reasonable. We have stayed there a bunch of times too.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[dani0622]

I live nearby Ocean Grove and will agree it's beautiful, smaller shore town.

I'm a big fan of Cape May, vacationing there many, many times. If you check out capemay.com or capemaytimes.com they have a great section on rentals and hotels. I found that if you stay at a "guest house" you don't have to pay the occupany tax. Not sure if that's true anymore, worth investigating. Also, more affordable if you don't stay in the center part of town - anything close to Washington Street Mall is pricier.

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with Wildwood. I know the Southern end of Wildwood Crest is much nicer and quieter, but we made the mistake of staying in the Crest section closer to the Boardwalk and didn't realize it. We were very unhappy and while the kids liked the boardwalk, we were miserable. We found it to be a like a party town and almost dirty and seedy, equivlaent to Seaside Heights, just bigger (that would be the shore town that stupid Jersey Shore is based out of).

We calculated that what we spent on a four day weekend in Wildwood was a few hundred bucks short of what we are paying for a week in WDW in February because of the expenses of the boardwalk.

 

[nmmom95]

We stay in Sea Isle City. It's right next to Strathmere. The only beaches without tags in South Jersey are Atlantic City, Strathmere and the Wildwoods. Wildwood (especially North or the Crest) will have family-friendly hotels.

 

[njmom47]

http://www.shorevacations.com/

I looked around and found a few sites...this one seems to have rentals for larger groups.
I think the farther south you go, the better off you will be.
I love Wildwood Crest, although it's been a few years since I've been there.

 

[Darcy03231]

Here's another vote for LBI. We stay in Harvey Cedars every summer and my kids love it there!

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Wow, thanks everybody for the advice! Just a few quick looks showed me that you all have the right ideas! We'll have to float a few balloons with his family and see what comes of it.

 

[lvloopingbag]

We love Ocean City.....

 

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

Hi!

We are looking to go to the Jersey Shore this summer for a few days or a week. My MIL lives outside Philly and we thought it might be more relaxing to be at the shore instead of her house for the whole week.

Now it gets complicated. My husband is one of 6 and all together there are 18 nieces and nephews ranging from 1 to 24. They have been "talking" about getting a house or condos this summer but nothing has been planned. The families can never plan ahead and I have been around long enough to learn to live with it, but want to do a CYA. Since they leave the planning until later the prices have gone up, etc.

So I am looking for reasonably priced condos or hotels near/on the beach where we could get our reservation in and the rest could follow if they wished. If the condo prices are too high then I am looking at a hotel for 3 week nights.

Oh, where on the Jersey shore? I have NO CLUE -- that's why I am posting here! I am not very familiar with the shore -- I know we stayed in Strathmere one year which was very nice. I don't think we are looking for the busy boardwalk areas and while Cape May looks beautiful the prices were high. We are looking for quieter beaches -- hopefully no beach tags. And while we don't need to be on the beach we want to be able to walk to the beach from our rental.

Any help or advice out there? It would be appreciated!!

Everything is expensive at the Jersey shore. Maybe rent a house again in Strathmere- the beach is always a short walk away. It's close to the boardwalks in OC and Wildwood for the younger ones- also Sea Isle has a small amusement area at the foot of the blvd.. For the older ones, Sea Isle, Avalon, Stone Harbor and Wildwood have clubs/bars. and Atlantic City is an easy drive if anyone wants to gamble or eat in a high end restaurant.

 

[sharonW]

Another Ocean city fan here, very family oriented.
Try VRBO.com for rental info. Good luck, planning
is half the fun!!!

 

[Tiggeroo]

Another Ocean city fan here, very family oriented.
Try VRBO.com for rental info. Good luck, planning
is half the fun!!!

Also OC is a dry town which means you won't have the problem of the 18-20yo's trying to get alcohol which is probably doable in Wildwood. I think Wildwood is dirty. It's fun for a night if the older kids want bigger rides and the beach is huge, but it is a long hot walk to the water. Sea Isle is nice but also a bit of a college drinking atmosphere. Cape May is nice for a day trip or for a couples only get away but not enough to do other then the beaches and shopping.