I have been trying to find a thread on this all morning and I give up. I've been to HH twice and really like the beach. Would I also like the beach at Vero? I'm considering going to VB instead of HH next year just prior to a 3 nite cruise. Are there major differences in the beaches? Also, what are the restaurants like at VB? It's funny, I had never even considered going to Vero b/c I just wasn't interested (never was a big beach goer), but after having such a nice time at the beach in HH, I started wondering if I should have a go at Vero.
In my opinion, they are quite different. The beach at HH is firm and flat and extremely wide at low tide. It is great for walking and bike riding. The beach at VB not so firm, somewhat course, and at a slope or pitch. Not particularly wide. No bike riding, and walking (depending on the tide) can be a bit of an effort. The main advantage of VB is that the resort is right at the beach with great views. It is also less crowded.
The actual beach at Vero is a bit hard to describe. I tend to think of it as "wild" or "natural". It is completely different from a NJ beach. I haven't been to HHI yet so I can directly compare with that. Vero is wonderful to walk along the shore and explore. Staring out at the ocean can be mesmerizing. As already mentioned, the beach itself is pretty narrow. It can also vary greatly depening upon weather conditions....sometimes is can be really narrow. There is a dune that protects the resort so you have to go down from resort level to beach level (there are stairs and a ramp) This is the reason oceanviews are so hard to guarantee at Vero. The ocean is right there but the dune blocks the view. Vero is a very popular winter resort destination but people stay primarily in homes and condos that they own or rent. It is not "toursity". Other threads can relate the things that are available to do in the Vero area.
HH IMHO has a wide "sandy" area even at high tide, the "drop off" is much shallower and in general the surf is much more gentle Vero would have maybe 30 yards from the bottom of the steps from the resort to the water at low tide and at high tide (on a rough night) it could touch the steps. Vero is quite a steep beach and has some strong currents, IMHO you have to be a lot more vigilant if you have small kids at Vero. IMHO HH has the better beach for people with small children, but you have the aggrevation of getting to and from the beachhouse. Vero's proximity equals out that IMHO. It gives you the option of playing round the pool, taking them for a walk/play on the beach for half an hour then going back to the pool if the beach gets too much. I wouldn't say one is "better" than the other overall, it's just each has it's own strong and weaker points. It's certainly worth the visit. There are some good restaurants in the VB area. The resort has a very nice restaurant it may still be two restaurants ( I heard they were going to combine Shutters and Sonya's Anyone know? ) but they are a little pricey, IMHO. There are also a few very nice ones a short drive away. There is a very useful book in reception that has sample menus, contact numbers and directions to a large numebr of the local restaurants.
HH is much moore of a vacation and resort island, with lots of potential activities. Great bike riding trails, plenty to see and do. The resort is separate from the beach, with an additional beach house and beachside pool. Vero is located in a retirement/living community. The beach isn't near as nice, but you can walk right there and back and forth to your room. Not nearly the number of offsite vacation activities. Much of the decision for us was the time of year. During Christmans and Spring break, Vero has more likelyhood of swimming weather than HH. HH beach is much, much better, huge and bikable. Veros is very narrow, but relatively private. Rooms are both pretty large. If you have a boat, you can park it at HH with Dock access, not at Vero. Vero has onsite restaraunts, HH requires some walking, but not much, there are restaraunts close by. Both restaraunts use the same kitchen. and you can actually order from one menu while in the other. Probably not much advantage to combining them. It is nice to have the upscale restaraunt on site, we've had a wonderful meal there.
Here is a list of a lot of restraunts(address's and phone numbers also) in VB with-in a 20 minute drive from the resort. http://www.metatiki.com/index.cfm?m...ngs&BusinessType=Food/Dining&city=VeroBeachFL There are pro's and con's to both beaches as the above posters have stated. We prefer VB because of being on-site. You won't know which one you prefer until you try both. You can't go wrong with either one.
