Suggestions please on nice beach towns for summer vacation

[claremarie]

Look into the Sanderling Resort, near Duck NC. My brother has been taking his little ones there for the last several years. North Carolina Resort, Outer Banks Vacation, Spa, Hotel | The Sanderling Resort & Spa

[SiestaBay]

Originally Posted by pcity

The Jersey beaches need the revenue to buy sand. If they were left to nature, there would be no beach left, thanks to erosion.

Wildwood is one of the few beaches in the world that doesn't have an erosion problem. More beach is naturally added each year. It's the opposite of erosion there, can't think of the name off the top of my head though!

[pcity]

That's a good point. Because of Wildwood's location, what happens is that all the sand that the other Jersey beaches add to their beach every year eventually ends up in Wildwood. That's why they can keep their beach free, and also why it takes like 10 minutes to get from the entrance of the beach to the water.

[nwlv]

coastal morphodynamics.

[slim04]

If I am staying for a week, I generally don't like the Jersey or Mid-Atlantic beaches. They are ususually just OK, the water is colder than what I would like, and they can be absurdly expensive for what you get. If you don't plan ahead, you might be stuck with a $200 Motel 6-like room if you can't find a decent condo or villa to rent.

Places like the Outer Banks has much more condos, villas, and homes for rent for a reasonable amount. Also, since Carolina schools start in early August, you can get shoulder season pricing mid-August through September.

Hilton Head Island and Myrtle Beach are similar, but require 3 to 4 hours more driving (7 to 10 hours total) or a flight to Columbia or Savannah. But both of the areas have fantastic golf courses and a much broader tourist infrastructure and amenities.

The last time I was in Hilton Head, I rented a 3 Bedroom/3 bath townhouse with 2 jacuzzis, 2 bikes, a beach locker at a beach club, a full kitchen, and access to a pool with a water slide. This places was an easy 1/2 mile walk to a private access to the beach on a private trail (or I could have used a private parking lot at the beach) for $1,200 for a week in August. We had a great time. I think there are a lot of retirees in the area and they rent out their homes during to summer to supplement their income. Plus there are a ton of timeshares that people rent out pretty cheaply because they are tired of going back every year.

[nwlv]

That was interesting about Congress meeting at Cape May; but I'm going to have to give thumbs down to Jersey, as well. I agree the water temp is too low most of the time. The crowds in the DC area are bad enough without having to go up there.

[Melbourne Family]

Thanks all for your imput. So should I assume that the Outer Banks beaches will be less crowded than those in NJ? Coming from Australia (with a total population of only 22 million) maybe the Jersey beaches would make us feel a little swamped if they are very busy in August (although I love the look of the Cape May township, may have to go there off season for a weekend or something). Clairemarie I checked out the resort you mentioned, looks great but it doesn't appear to have an outdor pool which we would like. I'm afraid if I don't get something organized soon we'll miss out. Maybe we should scrap the beach idea this year & just look for a great resort somewhere where we can just relax & the kids can swim in a pool?

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by Melbourne Family

So should I assume that the Outer Banks beaches will be less crowded than those in NJ? Coming from Australia (with a total population of only 22 million) maybe the Jersey beaches would make us feel a little swamped if they are very busy in August (although I love the look of the Cape May township, may have to go there off season for a weekend or something).

I'd also cross off DE and MD beaches as well, for crowds. We're used to busy Jersey beaches, but were shocked at how tight people packed in at Bethany Beach, DE. I swear, if you didn't put your bag down next to your chair, someone would sit there. At least in Jersey they give you some personal space.

A lot of Jersey beaches are crowded, but some are better than others. Cape May Point is less crowded, for the most part. Avalon usually isn't too crowded, either. We used to stay at the Golden Inn all the time (beachfront, pool, 10 minutes from Stone Harbor's shops, ~25 to Cape May). Avalon's a quieter town of mostly houses, so the beaches typically aren't quite as packed away from their boardwalk. (I don't mean to be pushing the NJ beaches so hard, it's just what I know)