My family needs to go to Virginia Beach this summer for 1 week for my daughter's dance. I haven't heard good things about it. Are there any really nice hotels in the area?? I'm thinking of the Doubletree which is attached to the Convention Center instead of staying at the beach. I'm hoping this will be a little nicer.

I would appreciate any feedback.

Virginia Beach is a large city. The "resort strip" at the ocean front is only a small part of it. Will your daughter's dance be at the ocean front? There are some nice hotels there. The Sheraton Ocean Front is nice. The Cavalier on the Hill is a very old and venerable hotel. I have never been in the guest rooms, but the ballroom is fantastic. Then there is the New Cavalier right on the ocean. If your dates are right in high season, the "strip" gets real crowded in the evening with people strolling and sometimes the young people get a bit rowdy. They have had problems in the past with "cruising" - young people in cars just driving up and down the street impeding traffic. The city put some new rules in place like a car cannot pass a certain point more than twice in a certain time - like an hour or something. If the dance is not right at the ocean front, you may want to stay further away or even in one of the adjoining cities. Norfolk has several nice downtown hotels. Do a search and contact the Visitor's Bureau for more info.

Hi Marissa,

You might want to check out Sandbridge Realty for house rentals. Just a few miles south of the Strip and lots of nice home rentals. I stayed there several years ago for several months in a beautiful home on the beach for less than a hotel. It was during the winter though. If you do a web search and find there site, they can send you plenty of info. Ask for Shirley Moyer. She is a wonderful lady that helped me plenty. Nice restraunts close by as well. Margie and Rays Seafood has great She Crab Soup, and a steamed seafood platter that is good as well. There are grocery stores close by if you want to eat in. There is a park at the south end of the area that has miles of trails and you may see some wild horses. Plenty of farmland in the area for a nice escape of the crowds at the strip. Email me direct for more info at [email protected].

Don

My daughter's dance is going to be the the convention center and is in July. So, I guess it will probably be better to stay at the the Doubletree right next store away from all the noise. I guess I could always go to the beach by car. Has anyone ever stayed at the Doubletree.

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I was not impressed with the doubletree. We stayed at Turtle Cay, across from the beach, it's was really nice. The doubletree looked old, and in a yukky area. Turtle Cay is fairly new. Also, a new place called the Boardwalk was just being built, and looked very nice. There's a few good posts if you search on Virginia Beach from people with more experience than I, so research some more if you have time.

We stayed at the new part of the Cavalier overlooking the beach and really enjoyed it. The room weren't large or fancy but were just fine, and, in my opinion, it is worth it to be right on the beach. This was about 3 years ago in late March.

The Cavalier is far enough north to be away from the strip noise, I would think, but I always take ear plugs to hotels in case there is hall noise. This could easily happen at Virginia Beach.

Norfolk did not have a good offering of hotels when we were there, and it was, in fact, less expensive to stay at the beach, so we left our yucky Norfolk hotel early and went to the Cavalier.

Lisa-
What was the weather like in March? We are looking at a timeshare exchange for March 7-14 at the Boardwalk or Turtle Cay. Will it be cold? If that is off-season, will everything be closed? Thanks.

Jill - Early March weather varies so much. You could expect anything from some light snow to only needing a light jacket or sweather. Most of the places on the beach strip will be closed up.

For the July trip, the rates for rooms on the beach itself will be sky high. Sandbridge may be a good option if you are seeking the "beach environment". Not as nice, but getting better, is the Oceanview / Willoughby Spit area of Norfolk. As already stated, Virginia Beach (and Norfolk) is a very large city, not limited just to the beach. I can tell you that I've found July weather to be oppresively hot.

We stayed at the Sheraton and it was really nice...on the Boardwalk in the slightly quieter section. You could tell Virginia Beach was trying really hard to make things nice and there was nothing really wrong with the area, but I doubt I'd go back unless I had a reason (like your daughter's dance).

Rebecca,

Was the Sheraton nice or really nice??? I also saw on the Marriott website that they are opening a new Marriott I think next door by then. Maybe that will be nicer.