Three Days on the Jersey Shore: Report
Sep 10th, 2007 | 05:39 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Three Days on the Jersey Shore: Report
I had American Idol concert tickets for Atlantic City and free airfare, so we headed to New Jersey for the weekend. I'd been agonizing for weeks whether we should stay in AC or farther south. Many reviewers were very down on Atlantic City - it was a dump, etc. I'd never been to Cape May and had read glowing reviews. It is less than 1-1/2 hours away. We just got back from an expensive trip to the Caribbean, so this was going to have to be a "budget" trip. When I started pricing out hotels/motels both in AC and Cape May I found that many were booked up already and those that weren't were upwards of $200/night (more for AC). For some reason, this weekend after Labor Day was very popular.
With the help of reviewers from TripAdvisor and other sources, we were able to find availability and chose the Buckingham Motel in Cape May for $95 a night.
Wonder of wonders, (unlike my last two trips) our flight wasn't cancelled and took off on time. We rented a Dodge Charger (but got a Magnum) for $28 a day from Dollar at the Philly airport. To answer your questions in advance, we had to fly to Philly cause NW doesn't fly to AC. And we got a 1000 mileage bonus for renting an intermediate car through the NW site. I'm a sucker for extra miles!
It's about 1-1/2 hours to Cape May from Philly and we had no trouble finding our way. Call us crazy, but halfway through Jersey we stopped in Vineland and caught the first showing of "3:10 to Yuma". Great movie! Got to Cape May at about 5:30 and checked into the Buckingham.
It's been a long time since we stayed in a motel like that. I'll bet it's been around for 50 years or more. It looks like the old kind of places my parents used to take us to. But to their credit, everything was freshly painted and clean and it was directly across the street from the beach. It even had a hook on the wall for a plastic flyswatter! Inside the bed had a flowery bedspread, a ceiling mounted TV and a wall-mounted AC/heating unit. Outside the door were two plastic lawn chairs where you could sit and drink your beer at night.
OK, what do I want for $95 bucks a night (with a 4% discount for cash, no less.) When we explored downtown Cape May later, I decided I'd definitely stay right in town next time - if there is a next time.
We had made reservations at Louisa's in town, but alas got there too late for them to accomodate us. We walked a few blocks from the motel to Bloody Mary's for a drink and appetisers and then because we wanted some staples for the room we drove in town to Colliers Liquor Store and to the Acme Supermarket. Because it was convenient, we ended up having dinner across the street from the market at Oyster Bay. It was pretty generic and IMO not worth the money we paid. The crabcakes I had been looking forward to were breaded and deep fried ala Popeyes. To quote Roseannadanna, "never mind".
The next morning I awoke early enough to walk across the street and out onto the shore to catch a spectacular sunrise on the ocean horizon. The wind was up and there were some impressive waves.
On a side note, there is a charge for using the beach, but only between certain hours. I have never seen that before and I think it stinks.
We drove to AC the next day and spent some time at Caesars. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had read many negative reviews, so perhaps my expectations were very low, but it wasn't bad at all. In fact the top floor of Caesars, where the Pier Shops were, was beautiful. It is all glass overlooking the boardwalk, beach and ocean and there are pockets of seating areas with wooden beach chairs and real sand. It's a genius idea, really. You can take your shoes off and pretend you're on the beach from four stories high. There are plenty of enticing places to eat up here and we choose Buddakan on the advice of Steve R, a poster here on Fodors.
He was so right. It was one of the best meals we have had. Not only was the decor cool (if you can get over the huge golden Budda that is the first thing you see.) It is Asian-modern influenced. Every dish we had was perfectly prepared and lived up to the menu description. It's not cheap, but worth every cent. I dropped hubby off in Caesar's casino and walked over to the outlet shops a few blocks away. Lots of great shopping here - wish I had had more time.
Back at the casino, I joined hubby and we played a little video Blackjack (my favorite). We usually break even, and get our free drinks to boot. Soon it was time for the Idol show. We walked out the front door on the board walk and a short two blocks away was Boardwalk Hall. I was laughing because there were so many preteens there. We felt a little out of place without kids in tow. I have to say the "Idols" worked their little b_ns off and put on a fantastic, almost 3 hour long show. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Their youth, camaraderie, bantering and obvious affection for each other were uplifting and we left with smiles on our faces.
The next morning we met some friends for a surprise birthday brunch for one of my oldest friends (we've known each other since we lived in Jersey when I was five). We met at the Mad Hatter for breakfast. It's a charming restaurant in a B&B. Very nicely decorated, landscaped, with dining indoors and out. My friend was shocked to see me and we had a very happy reunion.
Afterward, we spent some time at an art fair and looking in the many quaint shops. If you are contemplating a visit, definitely stay right in town, so you can walk around without having to look for a parking place.
We had an uneventful return to Philly and, once again, a smooth flight home. Feel free to ask any ? you have - I'll give it a shot.
With the help of reviewers from TripAdvisor and other sources, we were able to find availability and chose the Buckingham Motel in Cape May for $95 a night.
Wonder of wonders, (unlike my last two trips) our flight wasn't cancelled and took off on time. We rented a Dodge Charger (but got a Magnum) for $28 a day from Dollar at the Philly airport. To answer your questions in advance, we had to fly to Philly cause NW doesn't fly to AC. And we got a 1000 mileage bonus for renting an intermediate car through the NW site. I'm a sucker for extra miles!
It's about 1-1/2 hours to Cape May from Philly and we had no trouble finding our way. Call us crazy, but halfway through Jersey we stopped in Vineland and caught the first showing of "3:10 to Yuma". Great movie! Got to Cape May at about 5:30 and checked into the Buckingham.
It's been a long time since we stayed in a motel like that. I'll bet it's been around for 50 years or more. It looks like the old kind of places my parents used to take us to. But to their credit, everything was freshly painted and clean and it was directly across the street from the beach. It even had a hook on the wall for a plastic flyswatter! Inside the bed had a flowery bedspread, a ceiling mounted TV and a wall-mounted AC/heating unit. Outside the door were two plastic lawn chairs where you could sit and drink your beer at night.
OK, what do I want for $95 bucks a night (with a 4% discount for cash, no less.) When we explored downtown Cape May later, I decided I'd definitely stay right in town next time - if there is a next time. We had made reservations at Louisa's in town, but alas got there too late for them to accomodate us. We walked a few blocks from the motel to Bloody Mary's for a drink and appetisers and then because we wanted some staples for the room we drove in town to Colliers Liquor Store and to the Acme Supermarket. Because it was convenient, we ended up having dinner across the street from the market at Oyster Bay. It was pretty generic and IMO not worth the money we paid. The crabcakes I had been looking forward to were breaded and deep fried ala Popeyes. To quote Roseannadanna, "never mind".
The next morning I awoke early enough to walk across the street and out onto the shore to catch a spectacular sunrise on the ocean horizon. The wind was up and there were some impressive waves.
On a side note, there is a charge for using the beach, but only between certain hours. I have never seen that before and I think it stinks.
We drove to AC the next day and spent some time at Caesars. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had read many negative reviews, so perhaps my expectations were very low, but it wasn't bad at all. In fact the top floor of Caesars, where the Pier Shops were, was beautiful. It is all glass overlooking the boardwalk, beach and ocean and there are pockets of seating areas with wooden beach chairs and real sand. It's a genius idea, really. You can take your shoes off and pretend you're on the beach from four stories high. There are plenty of enticing places to eat up here and we choose Buddakan on the advice of Steve R, a poster here on Fodors.
He was so right. It was one of the best meals we have had. Not only was the decor cool (if you can get over the huge golden Budda that is the first thing you see.) It is Asian-modern influenced. Every dish we had was perfectly prepared and lived up to the menu description. It's not cheap, but worth every cent. I dropped hubby off in Caesar's casino and walked over to the outlet shops a few blocks away. Lots of great shopping here - wish I had had more time.
Back at the casino, I joined hubby and we played a little video Blackjack (my favorite). We usually break even, and get our free drinks to boot. Soon it was time for the Idol show. We walked out the front door on the board walk and a short two blocks away was Boardwalk Hall. I was laughing because there were so many preteens there. We felt a little out of place without kids in tow. I have to say the "Idols" worked their little b_ns off and put on a fantastic, almost 3 hour long show. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Their youth, camaraderie, bantering and obvious affection for each other were uplifting and we left with smiles on our faces.
The next morning we met some friends for a surprise birthday brunch for one of my oldest friends (we've known each other since we lived in Jersey when I was five). We met at the Mad Hatter for breakfast. It's a charming restaurant in a B&B. Very nicely decorated, landscaped, with dining indoors and out. My friend was shocked to see me and we had a very happy reunion.
Afterward, we spent some time at an art fair and looking in the many quaint shops. If you are contemplating a visit, definitely stay right in town, so you can walk around without having to look for a parking place.
We had an uneventful return to Philly and, once again, a smooth flight home. Feel free to ask any ? you have - I'll give it a shot.
Sep 11th, 2007 | 04:07 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,739
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Sounds like a nice getaway weekend, maggi.
Spent many fun summers in cape may during the 70s & 80s where it was safe to wander without the parents, and yet be close enough when we needed more cash!
Loved taking the 'big boat' to DE! Thanks for the report maggi, and the sweet memories!
Spent many fun summers in cape may during the 70s & 80s where it was safe to wander without the parents, and yet be close enough when we needed more cash!
Loved taking the 'big boat' to DE! Thanks for the report maggi, and the sweet memories!
Sep 13th, 2007 | 07:43 PM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,558
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Escargot and Ellen, everything there reminded me of the 50's! It was like a trip back into my past. We drove through Wildwood (it was Harley weekend - what an experience!) and had fun looking at all the vintage motels from the 50's and 60's and beautifully restored, I might add.
