My year-old daughter and I tagged along with my husband to Delray Beach, FL, March 22-25, as he had a conference to attend at the Marriott. We wanted to enjoy the beach and some sun together and we had a nice time. It wasn't as warm as I had anticipated (mid-70s), but we enjoyed the beach and I loved seeing my daughter's face as she felt the sand and ocean for the first time!

The Marriott was sold out so we stayed at Crane's Beach House, a small boutique hotel on Gleason St., just a couple of blocks from the beach and the Marriott. The staff here is very friendly and definitely works to please. The room was a bit older and small, but having a kitchenette was wonderful for the baby. There were some nice touches like complimentary water, and cold beverages in the fridge for an extra charge. The bath products were from Bath and Body Works and the room was cleaned well. The grounds were gorgeous with tons of foliage and there are two swimming pools on site. A complimentary continental breakfast is also served from 9-11 a.m. We enjoyed it and would stay there again.

During the day, my daughter and I spent time at the beach and walking up and down Atlantic Avenue, but we also enjoyed a cruise on the Delray Yacht one morning. We just found it walking one day and I went back the next day for the trip. We had a really nice time. It was $21 for adults (the baby was free) and the trip was almost 2.5 hours. They have two cruises per day. You go down the waterway and there was lots of interesting trivia and beautiful homes to see. The sun felt wonderful on deck and the boat was gorgeous. I would highly recommend this trip.

I had lunch at Ciao's Sandwich Cafe (thanks for the recommendation here) and Sandwiches by the Sea. Both were on the way to the beach on Atlantic Ave. and I enjoyed both very much. Ciao's had fresh chicken salad, which was great, although the bread was a little dry. The staff there was wonderful. SBTS was more of a sub shop but the meats and rolls were very good and the staff was also very friendly. We also enjoyed some frozen yogurt there later in the afternoon.

We had dinner at Rustica Pizza, Lemongrass Asian Bistro and Boston's by the Sea. The pizza was okay, not great. I would recommend getting a whole pizza, which would be much fresher than the ready-made slices. We liked Lemongrass, although the service was horrible. The tornado chicken was very good. Boston's was casual by the beach and was decent.

Overall we really enjoyed our unexpected beach getaway and had fun in Delray Beach. We ran into a lot of very friendly and helpful people at the hotels and restaurants.

Thank you for your recommendations here and don't hesitate to ask if you have questions!