Best place for a luau/party on/near the beach (Virginia Beach: to rent, how much)

[wjjbward]

Has anyone here, military or civilian, ever attended or given a catered affair/banquet at the Cape Henry Inn at Fort Story? If so, how was it? How was the food? The atmosphere? The experience itself? Cost?

How about at the "Shifting Sands" at the Dam Neck Navy Base? Same questions.

If you don't have any personal experience and know someone who does, can you ask them for me? I'm thinking about having an event at one of those 2 places next year.

[sheldonteam]

one of my friends got married at dam neck it was nice, that was about 5 years ago

[BikesareBetter]

Well I Bartended/Served a few banquets at Cape Henry Inn. Does that count? The Beach is right outside the place. It is kind of old and run-down I thought, like the main dining room you get to by going up the ramp kind of reminded me of a place that would be haunted. The curtains must have been on the walls or whathaveyou at least 20 years.
Food? I had some of the food the few banquets I was there and it was OK. I saw some Chicken Cordeon Blue Breaded Things. some dry chicken on a stick, rolls weren't anything special came from the freezer i thought they were dry. This was all last year though so my memory isn't too recent. The whole place really needs some renovation..like the carpet etc. Only 2 Bathroom Facilities as well. 1 for Men, 1 For Women..A few stalls in each. All the banquets/weddings i was there were buffets too.
Really go check it out. Oh yea they get their servers and sometimes bartenders from a staffing place lol...so yea OK i am done. Anything else shoot me a PM

[wjjbward]

Thanks, Bikes! That is great info. I would love to be able to have sort of setup ON the beach if possible. I'm also thinking of having foods like pit beef, pit turkey/ham, cole slaw, etc. Their website says they offer that type of menu.

I wonder if they've renovated any since you worked there? They were taken over by the Armed Forced Recreation Center last year. I think before Fort Story itself ran the place. Their website has improved at least, lol.

I will definitely visit there in the near future.

The Cape Henry Inn and Beach Club is an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) located on historic Ft. Story, less than 3 miles from Virginia Beach.

SHeldonteam-thanks. Was it a wedding on the beach?

[wjjbward]

Well after some research, I am not sure about the Cape Henry Inn. It would be too expensive in the long run. They don't do any food outside, so a luau would be out of the question.

There is a "cabana" at Dam Neck near the Navy Lodge and those new beach houses that looks like it would work. I just have to find out how much it would cost to rent for a few hours. It's right on the other side of a dune. I'll see how much they'd charge for food and also see if I could get an outside caterer. Maybe Beach Bully would do it!

[BikesareBetter]

What? What are you talking about they don't do food outside? Or you mean catering your own food other then a cake?
We set up a bar outside for some stuff last year and had entertainment outside. Go up there and look around back the facility. Yea, it is at Fort Story. Check it out on a Sat. that is when I usually had functions. Just tell the Security at the Gate that you are going to Cape Henry. Yea I seen the Web Site as you posted it. The Adobe Files are all new..

OHHHHHH I see
"No outside food or alcohol is permitted into Cape Henry Beach Club (with the exception of
specialty cakes). All food for the event shall be prepared by the kitchen of Cape Henry Beach
Club and consumed on the premises. Leftover food items shall not be removed from the Cape
Henry Beach Club function space.?

Yea like I said everything but the cake. Honestly I didn't think their food was that great.I was there for Dinner Buffets. Like you know The Belvedere in Baltimore? ..Yea on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst Cape Henry to me was like a 3 at best. Yea The Hors O Eurves lol..Mini Crab Cakes. Seriously they had Phillips Crab Cakes frozen from in a box and chucked them in the oven. Not like homemeade. The Cordon Bleu like I said before, some breaded chunks lmao. Uhhh Lumpia? funky tasting imitation Chinese Restaurant Egg Rolls.

Haha, I like the part about not removing the leftover food. WTF? you pay for that sh*t. We as in the hired staff, always cleared the leftovers, took it to the kitchen, and either pitched it or were allowed to eat it ourself. That is funny, really. Keep looking..

Oh and one last comment that made me laugh apropos their new BS on the web site
"Because of facility demand, Beach Club restrooms or function spaces are not available as changing rooms for bridal parties."
Due to facility demands?? lmao. Yea that is cause there is only one stinkin, literally stinkin too, bathroom for the whole place (Perhaps its the old *ss carpet in the place lord knows how much milk has been spilled on it and how many times it has been puked on; must be at least 20 years old though hah) Yea One Men, One Women Bathroom. Oh funny, I said that before I even read all their new sh*t.

[wjjbward]

I meant that they won't serve the food outside on the beach itself. A real luau is all outside.

I am thinking now of Ocean Breeze Waterpark. They are much more accomodating and everything is right there. Food is served for an hour and you get admission to the park for all day long. That would be a bonus for anyone visiting from out of town. I just need to find out what they do in the case of inclement weather.

[SEVAlife]

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel & Conference Center on the Bay offers banquets, both indoors and out on the deck. I've eaten in their Tradewinds Restaurant many times, and attended several catered events - all extremely good food! It's on a quiet section of beach surrounded by residential, near First Landing State Park on Shore Drive. Have fun!

[wjjbward]

I've gotten a good handle on what I think I'm going to do.

I'm probably going to rent a pavillion at the beach at Dam Neck or Little Island Park and have Beach Bully BBQ cater. Being from MD, it's nice to have a place that does pit beef here in VB! Their catering prices are excellent and so is what I've had of their food!

This is actually something I'm planning for next July. LOL My husband's going to be the big 4-0.

[dancingprincess64]

DId you ever decide on a location? My friend and I are planning a "joint party" in June and had the same Luau idea. Any suggestions?!