Can anyone tell me about where to stay in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area if I'm on a budget? Now that it's summer, anything close to VA Beach is extravagently expensive on the weekends. Are there any places in Norfolk to avoid for safety reasons? Any places further out that would be easy to get to from Fort Story and northern VA Beach?

Stay wherever you are right now...Norfolk and VB are tacky, tacky, tacky...

If you would stay in a hostel, there's one 2 blocks from the beach on 24th, affiliated with Angie's Guest House. I think it's under $20/day. Try www.hiayh.org if interested. My niece stayed there & thought it was great; we older travelers sometimes aren't as adventuresome.

Actually it's funny - even though I'm 52, I HAVE on occasion stayed recently at a hostel. Sometimes the location and price just can't be beat!

This time, however, I think I'll pass...but it's good to know that there's SOME place in Virginia Beach that's affordable!

I used to live in that area- I avoided Norfolk and VB as much as I possibly could- used to drive three hours to Nags Head and vicinity.

I am at Virginia Beach right now. It is August 7, 2004...I had only heard of this area...and since I was in Fredricksburg for a school, I decided to leav for the weekend for VA Beach. It is crowded, noisy and very touristy...BUT I loved it. I woke up at 0530 to see the sunrise...wonderful...sat at the crowded beach and saw a pod of dolphins about 100 feet from me..dolphins were playing in the surf...the people that were near me were locals and told me to go to Mahi Mahi for dinner and have the blue crab, which I did...awesome. Yes, its crowded..yes, its a bit cheesy...but the sand is nice...the sun is warm...the water wonderul. I stayed at the Barclay Towers,..which I wouldn't necessary recommend..it was $206 a night..which I would have given $60.00 for...BUT it had an ocean view..and you eventually got used to the musty hurricane water damage smell..I would come here again to the beach...maybe not make a trip of it, but if I'm nearby again...