swalter518

Thanks NLS, here I thought I had a totally warped perception of Cape May after k's comments- I also second the recommendation for a stop at the Lobster Pot on the Wharf (as you come into/leave town) Order your food at the counter and sit outside-it was one of our best meals on the trip and very casual and family friendly-just watch out for the sea gulls as they swiped one of my husband's shrimp right off his plate when we weren't looking!

mikemo

Brigantine might be an option with good location for day tours and fishing.
Have not been there since the late 40's and early 50's.
M

wanderluster

Totally love Ocean City, NJ.
Totally family oriented, reasonably priced and yummy restaurants, and an excellent boardwalk that is much nicer than your average beach boardwalk (includes antique and nicer gift stores).
Watch out (or join!) the 'parade' of bicycles and surreys each morning!

However, have also spent our fair share of time on Cape May with (and as) children and teenagers.
Our kids love that place too - as will the original poster's.

Stephanie

Since you are planning a trip to OC, NJ you must go to The Chatterbox Restaurant. The breakfasts are yummy. Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on top. Very popular place. I'd also suggest going to Wildwood, NJ to at least visit, lots to do for children, especially the age that yours are.

jed117

Long Beach Island is about an hour and a half from Philly. There are alot of nice motels on the beach - the Engelside, and the Sea Shell are two big ones. The Coral Seas is my favorite but it is mom & pop. There is alot to do for families mini golf, waterslide park amusement park ... however you will pay over 200 a night at these and almost any Jersey shore hotel on the beach in the height of the summer. fyi the town is Beach Haven for those motels

SAnParis

Cape May is best & probably most expensive. Wildwood is like Myrtle Beach North. I would not recommend it.

swalter518

Going back to Stephanies post, the crab cakes at Ikes on the Boardwalk in OC are the best I've ever had. Very casual atmosphere too.

vcl

I hate to burst your bubble, but I just checked the Engleside Inn website. The in-season rate for an efficiency suite that will sleep four is $329 a night, plus $12 a night for the extra person, plus New Jersey taxes. (We're going in February when an oceanfront efficiency will set us back $122 nightly.)
This Long Beach Island spot may be at the high end of the spectrum, but it's not that far out of line. We paid almost $200 a night for a room in Wildwood Crest a couple of years ago. If our grandchildren hadn't been there, we never would have gone for it.
Good luck on your search.

nls

your welcome swalter! We were actually thinking about trying Ocean City, NJ for the first time, do you have any recommendations? we need easy beach access, 2 adults and one toddler (we, obviously are not going with my "entire" extended family!!) is there anything like a Cape May town there or is it boardwalk? any eating suggestions would be wonderful too. thanks. I am going to do a separate post about it to get more responses too. take care.

swalter518

NLS, we didn't stay in either OC or CM but in Wildwood and wished we stayed in either of these places- CM does not have a boardwalk, but a nice "downtown" area with tons of shops and restaurants. We visited on two nights and ate at the Lobster Pot, just outside of town on the first night and loved it-there is both a formal restuarant and takeout service. We did the takeout and ate at the tables on the wharf. We also ate at a pub type place downtown which was good but the name escapes me. In OC, we spent the afternoon at the HUGE boardwalk and ate lunch at Ike's which I highly recommend for the crabcakes. They were the best I've ever had, all crab, not all filler with a little crab.

nls

Thanks swalter, I am very familiar with Cape May, but OC-NJ is a mystery to me. I have seen different reviews on OC-NJ and some not so good, and am concerned about what the real deal is. I have a toddler with health issues and want to choose wisely. Thanks for IKE's if we go there, youcan be sure it will top my list. If yougo to CM - Brad's Cafe on beach drive, as of last year has the best crab cakes, and like you said - no filler real chunks of crab. Its a little hole in the wall, people go in, in there bathing suits and they go in all dressed up (in khakis, or nice summer dress I mean, not in suits or jackets).

swalter518

After visiting both, my preference would be CM. The boardwalk at OC is HUGE making the hotels much further from the water in my perception than in CM. Plus we were travelling with my niece who was 8 mos old at the time and lugging her stuff up and over the boardwalk to get to the beach was somewhat of a pain.

nls

good to know, that is exactly the info I need. thanks again

Stephanie

The East Coast in summer is high even though the place you stay may not be fancy. Do a website search on Ocean City, NJ Chamber of Commerce and you'll find plenty of motels or hotels listed. I usually make my pick if it is AAA recommended. The only place I've ever stayed at OC, NJ is Days Inn which was right at the boardwalk, and this was the late 1980s in April when we went and the price was $75/night. The room was small but there may be larger rooms.

Striker586

Definitely go to Cape May. It's an amazing town, filled with great B&B's and restaurants. Very nice beach.

I'm not aware of any suite, full service hotels. There are some smaller motels near West Beach Drive.

You can easily drive up to Wildwood for the classic, over the top, NJ boardwalk experience. In Cape May you can go fishing, crabbing, rent bikes, jet skis, whale watching in season, etc.

I wouldn't recommend Atlantic City for a family.

Good luck and have fun.

geminidog

I would say that ocean city would be a great place with lot's and lot's to do for your kids at those ages. OC is known as americas greatest family resort for a good reason. Your price point will be a problem in summer months of july and aug. but you may get something in early or mid june.The city has lots of good dining nothing real fancy or truely great like cape may has. There's no liquor in OC it's a dry town, even if you drove the 3mi's to Somers Point to the liquor stores you still would not be able to bring it into an OC restaurant with you. I will agree with an earlier post that cape may is ok for the kids but truthfully it is more for adults, the kids won't have anywhere near as much to do as in OC but I think that you and other adults would enjoy it more. since it's only a 35 min. drive away you may want to stay in Oc and drive to CM one evening for a real fancy meal if thats your desire. Having said all that I'll just say that 4 mi. to the north of OC in Margate you can find some of the 5 or 6 best restaurants east of Phila. And they are nnot going to break your bank. Also Somers Pt. 3 mi. west of OC has many very good eating places that are fairely upscale but still not over the top. And best of all any ot these places would more than welcome you with your children, we take my daughter ( 14) all the time. Hope this helps.

geminidog

I don't understand what (swalter) could be referring to about OC hotels being far from beach. I believe she's getting things confused with wildwood maybe.If you go to www.tripadvisor.com and put in 08226 zip code you'll get some pretty good idea on hotels and motels and recommendation. Probably the greatest number of visitors comming to OC stay in condo's & duplex'srented thru realestate offices. You can also try to rent places yourself over the internet by going to google and trying oceancity.nj.com. I think.

iloveletters

I live in South Jersey and go to the beach every summer. One nice thing about the area your looking to vist, They are all close to Atlantic City and most motels offer trips to the Casinos.There isn't much to do in AC with your children. Cape May is a sweet Victorian town, but not much for young boy's to do(my son didn't like Cape May) and $$$.I have stayed at The Inn of Cape May built in 1894 and The Marquis De Lafeyette. Your best bet would be Wildwood. It has a boardwalk, waterparks, "the Morey's piers" and beach your little guys will love. Wildwood has a 1950's theme. Your not going to find chain hotels.I myself stay at the Montego Bay Resort in North Wildwood. It has an indoor and outdoor pool and small water park. The rooms are clean and they all have kitchens. The hotel is located right on the boardwalk. You can see the beach from most rooms, so you can watch your children from your balcony.Your only a few miles from Cape May and less than an hour from AC. They have a trolly that will take you on a "Doo Wop" Mid-Century Architecture Tour. If you do visit Cape May the Zoo is great and Free(always a plus).Go early in the evening and take the carriage ride, it is wonderful. Then, hit the little shops in Town...Something Mom will really enjoy! Hope this is Helpful.PS.Buy a few kites...great thing to do after dinner on the beach.

jojo7

I vote for Wildwood. I prefer it over Cape May. I personally didn't like Cape May, however, my 8 year old like it but if you asked him which place he prefers, he will tell you Wildwood. Just thought I would throw in a kids opinion, if that helps. Wildwood has alot to offer for all ages and if you love the boardwalk, you will be in boardwalk heaven because it is pretty long. IMO, Wildwood has a better boardwalk. It has been a long time since I have been to Wildwood and hopefully it hasn't change very much. My friend goes every year with her husband and kids so I can't imagine that it has gone down hill or she would not go. I now live on the westcoast and I miss the Jersey shore terribly!!!! My favorite beach is Island Beach State Park but it does not have a boardwalk but it is probably one of the nicest and cleanest beaches in New Jersey. I don't think you will be disappointed in Wildwood. Tons of accomodations to pick, many restaurants and just a kid fun atmosphere. Hope this helped. Good Luck!

wanderluster

Author: geminidog
Date: 01/27/2005, 01:29 pm

I don't understand what (swalter) could be referring to about OC hotels being far from beach.
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Huh geminidog?
Swalter is CORRECT. There are only 2 hotels ON the beach, both towards the south end and they are
-BEACH CLUB HOTEL
-OCEAN FRON HOTEL
Every other hotel is at least 1-2 blocks away from the beach.
You don't have to cross a street to get to the beach but you DO have to walk past parking lots and other commercial establishments.