Beaches: Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany? Pros/Cons? Comparisons? (Georgetown, Rehoboth Beach: oceanfront, rentals)

[rdflk]

Thanks in advance. can't wait to see the answers.

OH, AND DEWEY BEACH, too.

Myself and 3 three friends want to stay a long weekend in a beach/oceanfront house OR hotel in late April in Rehoboth, Lewes, or Bethany. It's a girls' getaway weekend we do every year...sleep late, eat, stroll, window shop or find something else to do.....eat, stay up late, watch movies we've rented, relax, plan the next day, sleep late, do it all over again. No stress no concrete timetable or schedule.

Rehoboth is the biggest and busiest of course, with the most shopping etc. BUT I've heard it also has the LEAST amount of actual BEACHFRONT accommodations. I've been to Rehoboth a couple of times and stayed with friends there but it was so long a go I forget where. Never been to Lewes, Dewey or Bethany)

One person wants to stay in a HOUSE, as opposed to a hotel. I really don't care as long as I open my window, and ocean spray spritzes my face because 50 feet away is sand and water.

What are the comparisons? Pros and cons to Rehoboth, Lewes of Bethany.
Also any recommendations for a NICE, luxury place? House or hotel.

I found this in an older thread:
In Rehoboth, the Boardwalk Plaza is THE place right on the boardwalk. Upscale.
The Atlantic Sands and Beachview are also on the boardwalk.
If it's the one I think it is, reviews of the Boardwalk Plaza didn't bowl me over.

The thread also said:
In Bethany there is a B & B called the Addy Sea right on the ocean.

All suggestions, insider info, first hand stories welcome!

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by rdflk

Thanks in advance. can't wait to see the answers.

OH, AND DEWEY BEACH, too.

Myself and 3 three friends want to stay a long weekend in a beach/oceanfront house OR hotel in late April in Rehoboth, Lewes, or Bethany. It's a girls' getaway weekend we do every year...sleep late, eat, stroll, window shop or find something else to do.....eat, stay up late, watch movies we've rented, relax, plan the next day, sleep late, do it all over again. No stress no concrete timetable or schedule.

Rehoboth is the biggest and busiest of course, with the most shopping etc. BUT I've heard it also has the LEAST amount of actual BEACHFRONT accommodations. I've been to Rehoboth a couple of times and stayed with friends there but it was so long a go I forget where. Never been to Lewes, Dewey or Bethany)

One person wants to stay in a HOUSE, as opposed to a hotel. I really don't care as long as I open my window, and ocean spray spritzes my face because 50 feet away is sand and water.

What are the comparisons? Pros and cons to Rehoboth, Lewes of Bethany.
Also any recommendations for a NICE, luxury place? House or hotel.

I found this in an older thread:
In Rehoboth, the Boardwalk Plaza is THE place right on the boardwalk. Upscale.
The Atlantic Sands and Beachview are also on the boardwalk.
If it's the one I think it is, reviews of the Boardwalk Plaza didn't bowl me over.

The thread also said:
In Bethany there is a B & B called the Addy Sea right on the ocean.

All suggestions, insider info, first hand stories welcome!

Hi, I am the responder re: Boardwalk Plaza .......and I live in Rehoboth. If you were coming at another time of year, I would say you could toss a coin but in April, Bethany and Dewey will be all but dead unless it is late April and even then the towns are still largely in winter mode although a very few stirrings may not be out of the question. Lewes and Rehoboth would be the better choice as both are more year round residential. The ADDY Sea is beautiful but it will be very quiet then in Bethany.

I am not sure what reviews you read but as far as I have ever seen the Boardwalk Plaza always got rave reviews. The Bellmoor also gets great reviews and is lovely but not ocean front. I am sorry I could not offer a better suggestion but I am sure another poster will respond.

[rdflk]

Nuts2, more details please.....
Our weekend is always the last complete weekend in April.
USUALLY we only do Fri and sat night and leave sunday after lunch, but this year we might do THURS also.

One of us is checking out house rentals. I'd like a hotel. But it really doesn't matter.
But we would like enough to do so that we aren't bored. We relax a little, shop a little, stroll a little -- and, of course eat a lot.

But we also have on SET planned activity on Friday night -- paint your own pottery. We've done these girlfriend reunions for 10 years, and have pottery pieces for each year. We'll do that this year, too if there's a paint your pottery place in Rehoboth or wherever -- or a wine and painting class. IF not, we'd still like to do SOME kind of artistic class, or project. We don't want the area to be TOTALLY dead.

I'll checkout the Boardwalk Plaza again.

[rdlr]

We've been in Kent County (40 minutes from Rehoboth) a lifetime, and frequent Atlantic Sands Hotel just because it's right on the ocean front, and priced reasonably. We only vacation at Rehoboth Beach on off-season, but I work down there 2-3 times/week. We always book the same room, overlooking the ocean, and we usually go for weekends in Oct. Nov. Jan. Feb. and March. Our favorite restaurants are open, but it is much quieter during off season, than the hustle-bustle, crowded summer season, which we hate. In April, things liven up because lots of people go to book their summer rentals. Rehoboth Beach is never totally dead. Bars and pubs still book bands, or some type of live music. We enjoy walking Rehoboth Avenue, the pubs/bars, and walking the boardwalk. We booked way ahead for April 3-4 which is the weekend of the Delaware Music Festival in Dewey Beach at the Rusty Rudder. That's the last weekend we will spend in Rehoboth Beach until next Fall. And then there's another music festival the following weekend at the Rudder. Some don't enjoy Dewey Beach, but we have our most fun there. We purposely look to see when the greyhound convention is in Dewey Beach each year, and it's April 10-12 this year. We made the mistake of staying in Dewey Beach that greyhound weekend once, and it was a nightmare....hundreds of dogs everywhere, in every motel, on balconies, and splashing in the ocean. We will never stay in Dewey Beach again, waterfront or not, at any time of the year, because of those memories.

Creative Crafts, paint your own pottery, is at 146 Rehoboth Avenue, but I'm not sure it's still open.

[Chickahominy]

Hours

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by rdflk

Nuts2, more details please.....
Our weekend is always the last complete weekend in April.
USUALLY we only do Fri and sat night and leave sunday after lunch, but this year we might do THURS also.

One of us is checking out house rentals. I'd like a hotel. But it really doesn't matter.
But we would like enough to do so that we aren't bored. We relax a little, shop a little, stroll a little -- and, of course eat a lot.

But we also have on SET planned activity on Friday night -- paint your own pottery. We've done these girlfriend reunions for 10 years, and have pottery pieces for each year. We'll do that this year, too if there's a paint your pottery place in Rehoboth or wherever -- or a wine and painting class. IF not, we'd still like to do SOME kind of artistic class, or project. We don't want the area to be TOTALLY dead.

I'll checkout the Boardwalk Plaza again.

I have never stayed in Rehoboth on the water, but if you want LUXURY then as far as I know BP is the way to go. That said, the other poster, RDLR has been a solid rock of information and never once led me astray while we were looking before relocating. If she says the Atlantic Sands is nice, I would take her suggestion to heart.

The pottery place, I am sorry to say closed earlier this year. The owner said the rents were making it impossible to stay. The Possum Point Players have a show in Georgetown that weekend and they are pretty good. Possum Point Players - Georgetown DE.

The only place I can think of on the water in Lewes is the Inn at Canal Square, (not to say there aren't others, just that is the one that comes to mind.) Other than a walk to Irish Eyes Pub, you will most probably need a car. Rehoboth should be very walkable, if you stay in either place I mentioned. IF you are up for a spa treatment there are many packages in Rehoboth. Have a great time.

[longnecker]

Well off the beach and boardwalk is the new FairField Inn opening in April. This is brand new out on Rt 1 right in the middle of shopping and plenty of restaurants. There would be plenty of free parking available in downtown Rehoboth.

[rdflk]

Great info so far thanks....yeah we're definitely going for ocean front -- not just ocean view....ocean FRONT.
Will call both hotels for rates. Other person is researching house rentals.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by rdflk

Great info so far thanks....yeah we're definitely going for ocean front -- not just ocean view....ocean FRONT.
Will call both hotels for rates. Other person is researching house rentals.

There are more ocean front in Dewey than in Rehoboth, in fact, I can only think of a very few that are ocean front that are close in to Rehoboth Avenue. Try the internet rate and then call each of the hotels.

For house rentals try VRBO.com

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by rdflk

Great info so far thanks....yeah we're definitely going for ocean front -- not just ocean view....ocean FRONT.
Will call both hotels for rates. Other person is researching house rentals.

Since it's off-season, we go with Atlantic Sands' winter rates, a bargain. We love ocean front, too, and enjoy the balcony off our room. It makes our winter, and we just skip summer at the beach! Atlantic Sands even has a restaurant on the boardwalk level.....so handy. It's a cheap getaway for us 4-5 times/winter.
http://www.atlanticsandshotel.com/