Any suggestions for places to stay at the jersey shore?

Do you have a particular city in mind?

In addition to where, what price range do you have in mind?

We just booked at Aqua Beach in Wildwood Crest, south of AC. My sister-in-law found it and it's got ok recommendations on Trip Advisor.

The Hewitt Wellington in Spring Lake is great!

I'm interested in same info for Jersey shore. Planning a summer trip to NYC and wondered about feasibility/convenience of driving up to the shore from NC and commuting into NYC for a day trip or an overnight stay. Any advice/suggestions? Have a husband and two young children.

Read that Wildwood Crest is a hot party spot. More interested in family friendly destinations.

I remember Wildwood Crest as being much quieter and much more family oriented than Wildwood, but it has been about ten years since I have to been the south Jersey.

independencedaybaby--
Depending how old your children are, you could spend a day in Manhattan and get a flavor of the city. Decide what you want to see/do when here with the kids. That would determine if you want to stay overnight. Central Park zoo, museum of natural history, empire state building, statue of liberty,ellis island, are all great themes for the kids, but they take time. If you do a day trip you can park in the lots as you exit the Lincoln tunnel. Driving up from the shore will take you 1.5-2 hours,depending upon traffic. If you stay overnight, the hotels have arrangements for parking for a fee.

Independencebaby, I think you are thinking of Wildwood, not Wildwood Crest (or I hope so). The resort we are staying at focuses on being family friendly which is why my sis-in-law picked it. From everything I've read it's pretty sleepy.

Wildwood Crest is definitely family friendly; it's where our daughter and son-in-law have taken our young grandchildren (now 9 and almost 7)for several summers.

If you want to stay at the Jersey shore and commute into Manhattan, chose more northerly resorts -- perhaps Point Pleasant or Spring Lake depending on your pocketbook and taste -- then drive about half an hour to Atlantic Highlands and commute to the city by ferry.

My children are 9 yrs.old and 15 mos. old. The 9 yr. old is dying to visit The American Girl Place on 48th/5th in NYC for lunch and for their musical revue. We'd all like to read the Staten Island Ferry and see Lady Liberty. If time allows, I'd love to take my daughter to the New York Public Library. One of her earlier favorite kids shows, Between the Lions, is based on that library and we're both tremendous book lovers.

Have also considered staying in Brooklyn and commuting over via public transportation of some sort. That way we could also see the Brooklyn Bridge.

We'll have two full days to spend in NYC. The rest of the time is travel time since we're opting to drive to Jersey or Brooklyn because we're first-timers and don't know if we'd be up for NYC traffic. The parking lots near Lincoln Tunnel are interesting. Are they 1-day only?

My boyfriend and I are also looking for a hotel/motel in the Wildwoods area. We wanted something a little bit removed from the loud boardwalk area and right on the beach if possible. Any suggestions? I would love to just wake up and walk outside and onto the sand! ;-)

Check out Aquabeach's website-aquabech.com

For a shore spot near Manhattan you might check out Ocean Grove.

For a nice vacation stay near the WIldwoods you might check out Cape May.

Whoops-I meant aquabeach.com.

Independencebaby, it would be feasible to stay in a beach town in Northern NJ and commute into NYC by ferry, train, or car or bus for a day trip. A day trip would be a long day, but possible. You could also stay overnight in NYC.

Realistically, you are looking at about 2 hours each way door to door, and longer by car or bus if there is any traffic. If you go by car, do not plan this trip for a Monday or Friday in summer, as traffic is very heavy on those days.

For the best commute, look at towns along the coast from Sandy Hook to about as far south as Bay Head, any further south than that at you have a longer commute. Besides Ocean Grove, mentioned above, towns to consider are Avon by the Sea, Belmar, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Spring Lake (springlake.org), Bay Head (bayhead.org), and Sea Girt (seagirtboro.). For links to town websites go to www.state.nj.us/localgov.htm

Your commuting options are:

1. Ferry from Atlantic Highlands/Highlands or South Amboy. As mentioned above, there is a high-speed ferry service that goes from these three towns in NJ to the South Street Seaport area in lower Manhattan and 34th Street on the east side in midtown. You would also pass by the Statue of Liberty on the trip. It is convenient, as you could drive to Atlantic Highlands or South Amboy from any of the shore towns mentioned above in 20-40 minutes. The fare is about $20 one way for adults, although there are off-peak fares (after 9 am) round trip for about $25 and about $13 for kids. I believe parking is free, which is a big plus. I think that door to door would take about the same as the train or driving, but would definitely be more pleasant and less hassle. Take a look at http://www.seastreak.com or call 732-872-2628

2. Train. See NJ Transit at njtransit.com for schedules. You want trains on the North Jersey Coast Line. Most trains from the NJ shore area will require a change in Newark Penn Station (not to be confused with Penn Station in NYC). The trains from the shore areas tend to be locals (i.e., many stops) and it will take about 2 hours each way to get to NYC. If you go for the night, try to take as little luggage as possible, as the trains are not really built to accommodate large suitcases and it is no fun changes trains with a lot of luggage.

3. Car. I would try to avoid driving into Manhattan, because in addition to traffic parking is expensive. My advice would be to drive to Jersey City and take the ferry over to NYC. The drive from any of the shore towns mentioned above to Jersey City without traffic would be about 1.5 hours. The ferry is a nice ride over as you get to see all of Manhattan. They also offer sightseeing cruises which include the Statue of Liberty. You can park for free in the ferry lots. Take a look at www.nywaterway.com or call 1-800-53-FERRY. You can leave the car overnight, as the lot is fenced. You have a choice of going to the downtown Wall Street/Battery Park or to midtown (at West 38th Street). If you go to the Wall Street area, you will disembark not far from the piers for the Staten Island Ferry.

4. Bus. Take a look at NJ Transit for schedule. There are buses in the summer from the Point Pleasant and Toms River areas. The buses would take you to the Port Authority bus terminal at 42nd and 8th Ave in Manhattan. Some may require a change. On a weekday, this may not be a bad option, as the bus puts you right into midtown and should be faster than going by train.


There are not a whole lot of hotels in any of the shore towns, it is mostly homes, which you can also rent by the week. In any event, you would need to make a reservation ASAP, as the hotels fill up very early. I like the Bay Head or Point Pleasant area as you can go up to Jenkinson's Beach in Point Pleasant where there is a good old fashioned boardwalk (cotton candy, rides and arcade games), a nice aquarium (good for a rainy day) and there are free classical concerts on the beach on summer evenings. Take a look at http://www.jenkinsons.com/

There are very few hotels on the beach itself as the real estate is too expensive. A few B& Bs and hotels to consider would be as follows, some are across the street from the beach, some are a few blocks away:

Bay Head Gables Inn
200 Main Avenue
Bay Head NJ
732-892-9844
http://www.bayheadgables.com/

The train station is bout 100 yards from the hotel.


The Grenville
345 Main Ave.
Bay Head, NJ 08742
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (732) 892-0599
Fax: (732) 892-0599
http://www.thegrenville.com/

Also close to the train station, has an excellent restaurant.

Conover's Bay Head Inn
646 Main Ave
Bay Head NJ
800-956-9099
732-892-4664
http://www.conovers.com/


The Breakers
1507 Ocean Avenue
Spring Lake
Phone: (732) 449-7700 ~ Fax: (732) 449-0161
breakershotel.com


Surfside Motel
101 Broadway
Point Pleasant Beach
732-899-1109
http://www.surfside-motel.com

White Sands Ocean Front Resort Hotel
1106 Ocean Ave.
Point Pleasant Beach
732-899-3370
http://www.thewhitesands.com

Windswept Motel
1008 Ocean Ave.
Point Pleasant Beach
732-899-1282

Point Pleasant Manor
310 Sea Ave.
Point Pleasant Beach
732-899-7300
http://www.pleasantmanor.com/

For a list of other B&B's go to http://www.jerseyboardwalk.com/bed.htm

As for Brooklyn, you will not find the traffic there any different, better or worse than Manhattan itself. I would not view driving into and staying in Brooklyn as any less of a hassle than driving into and staying in Manhattan. You may be thinking of the Bronx, which is further north of Manhattan and is somewhat easier to drive into, although there are large parts of the Bronx which are not very nice. You could consider staying in Westchester County just over the border from the Bronx which has some nice towns, especially along the river. You could also stay along the Connecticut coast, esp a place like Mystic or the Greenwich/Stamford/Darien area which has some nice beaches and the museum Mystic Seaport which kids love. It is about an hour by train from Westchester and the above Connecticut towns to mid-town Manhattan.

Most Coast line trains do not require a change in Newark, but all south of Long Branch require a change in Long Branch. Many people commute into Manhattan from Monmouth County, so it is completely doable for daily visits. Easiest is to drive it during non-rush hour traffic.

Still trying to digest all of this. Thanks a ton for including so many details. Buses and trains are foreign to my family. The ferry sounds great. Are there two- one regular and one express? Are these towns in Monmouth Co.? Totally unfamiliar, sorry.

Considering staying instead in Jersey City and ferrying over to NYC or take the NJ Transit into mid-town Manhattan, since our first and most imp. stop is The American Girl Place near 48/5th. The ferry sounds nice and would allow us to see the Statue of Liberty while travelling, so that could be more efficient in the end.
Anyone have experience with any of these hotels?:
Ramada Limited and Suites
65 Tonnele Ave.
Jersey City

Days Inn
also on Tonelle in North Bergen

Palace Hotel
also on Tonnele

Howard Johnson Newark Airport
(as an alternative, they offer free shuttle service to airport and to trains into NYC).

Rates range from $89 to $124.00, including our children. In NYC we were either going to have to rent two rooms, not good with two young children, or pay $200 and up for accommodations for more than 2 people. From the descriptions I've been reading elsewhere on this site, that's not something we're keen on.

If you stay in any of the hotels you mentioned, you'll most likely not want to leave your rooms except to escape the area. Nothing much you'd want to do there.
Why not look into some of the Meadowlands hotels, which offer easy access to movies, shopping, et al?