I'm living in Upstate New York. A friend and I would like to get away for a REALLY relaxing long weekend in early May. We love the idea of the beach but, the travel time to Florida just might be too much for a weekend. Is it too cold in North or South Carolina to go to the beach in May? Does anyone have any other suggestions for two moms that don't feel like being tourists or shopping or sightseeing...for two moms who just wanted to warm our bones and read a good book or two near some water?
Thanks for your help.
hip chic

We are headed to the Outer Banks of NC in early May and looking for a lot of the same. The water temperature will most likely be too cold for swimming (maybe a quick dip, just to do it!), but the pools and hot tubs should be comfortable. And it should be warm enough to relax on the beach with a good book.

You could look into the Sanderling Inn in Duck - it's a bit high end, not sure of your budget.

We're renting a large house, so can't really offer suggestions for hotel roomw/inns, but I know it has been discussed here before if you do a search of "outer banks".

We used to go to the Outer Banks (NC) in May fairly often. The weather is REAL hit or miss. It might be warm...or it might be really cold. Sometimes it was really windy, making sitting on the beach like being sandblasted. The water in NC will be way too cold to swim in in May (you might not care about that though). Perhaps the hardest part of going to NC for the weekend is getting there! If you fly, it won't be a direct flight and you'll have to rent a car and drive from Norfolk. If you drive it will take up your whole weekend! At least with Florida you might be able to catch a direct flight on JetBlue to get there. I'm in Rochester and getting anywhere for a weekend is a challenge because the flights stink! NYC is easy, but that's about it, unless you want to drive someplace. How about taking the new fast ferry from Rochester to Toronto that starts up May 1? (Honestly, I'm starting to sound like I work for them - I keep recommending it - but I really don't!)

If you are flying, your total travel time might be similar to get to the Outer Banks as it is to get to Florida. To get to the Outer banks I think you'd be flying to Norfolk and then renting a car and driving the last two hours or more (depending on where you stay on the Outer banks.) I don't know about flying into S. Carolina and beaches there.

I think you'll be fine as far as the temps go. I wouldn't limit yourself to just the outer banks in NC. You could fly into Wilmington, and there are several good options within an hour or two from Wilmington for a nice getaway. Or, you could fly into Charleston, SC. There are some nice islands in the Charleston area that would fit the bill for a relaxing weekend.

I would suggest the Charleston beaches. The OBX of NC is a time consuming trip. You could fly into Charleston and hit Folly Beach, Sullivans Island, Wild Dunes, Johns Island, Kiawah, etc. Also, Charleston is a short trip from the above beaches. Water temps and air temps will be warmer in SC.

Having been to both the Outer Banks of NC and the beaches near Charleston, SC, I much prefer the SC beaches and surrounding areas. We loved Isle of Palms - beautiful, serene, etc. We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn at the Wild Dunes - just lovely!

Enjoy your trip!

For a wonderful beach--and May is prime, not crowded, gorgeous weather, try Litchfield by the Sea. Look at the site for Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort. You can fly into Myrtle Beach easily--and probably cheaply. Good shopping, excellent restaurants, beautiful beach (a gated community so uncrowded).

You'll have warmer weather in SC in Charleston on Hilton Head. I went to Charleston in 2000, 2001, and 2004 on the first weekend in April and each time was warm enough to loll on the beach in a bikini. By May, it will absolutely be warm enough, unless of course you get rain. Ocean temps are too low for my liking that time of year, but my Northern-born husband would swim.

Normally I prefer Charleston for the restaurants and sightseeing, but it you really just want to park your rear end on the beach and discover "island time", then I recommend Hilton Head. Both have airports with connections out of Charlotte on USAIR.