Small reunion in VB

Hi,

I am from PA and trying to plan a small reuntion for 3-4 families from our adoption group (3-6 year old kids) in VB. I know nothing about the hotels and am afraid to pick on unseen. We are thinking about 3-4 nights starting on June 14. I read Northern VB is more family friendly. Hotels seem So expensive. Can anyone recommend something reasonable on the beach. Are there hotels that are not right on the beach that are more affordable? I would have for everyone to arrive and the hotel is a dive! Thanks for any help.

Kathy

Small reunion in VB

I%26#39;m sure others will give you hotels suggestions too but try the Belvedere, it%26#39;s on the oceanfront/boardwalk at about 36th St. Hotels can be pretty pricy during the summer, especially the newer ones and those on the oceanfront. The entire resort area is family friendly, the most action (stages w/ music, etc) takes places in the middle which is about 15th St to 31th Sts and the ends tend to be a bit quieter but close to everything that%26#39;s going on. To get a good understanding of the geographics of the beach so you will know about hotel locations, click on ';know before you go'; on the left column, then look for ';getting around';. I%26#39;m sure you will find the right place for your reunion. Good Luck.

Small reunion in VB

Trip Advisor%26#39;s hotel ratings will give you a good idea of reviews. Click on hotels and it should give you a rating of what people think, as well as an average price. Also, I live here, and have visited many of the hotels when I had an event in 2006, so feel free to pick your favorites, give me the names and I%26#39;ll be happy to try and point you in the right direction. You can e-mail me through the site if you wish. In terms of on/off the beach. Oceanfront hotels are typically the most expensive. As long as you get a hotel on Atlantic Ave, then you are right by the beach, either oceanfront, or simply crossing a small street to get to the beach. In terms of being in the middle, the last post gave a good description.

I totally believe in reading the hotel reviews, but you have to know how to read them. You%26#39;re new to TA, so you probably haven%26#39;t experienced ';The Troll Effect'; yet. Trolls are people that take advantage of the free features at TA to post extremely negative reviews to make a business look bad (are they a disgruntled ex-employee? a competitor down the road?) OR they post glowing reports to make a business look terrific (are they the manager trying to drum up business?). But most reviews are honest. Still, you have to realize some people complain about minor things that wouldn%26#39;t bother you, or they clearly want champagne on a beer budget. I would suggest you ignore some of the best reviews as well as some of the worst reviews to get a good idea.

The other thing is the weird TA ratings system. I don%26#39;t know where the numbers come from. Being #1 doesn%26#39;t mean it%26#39;s really the best hotel. I notice that 2 of the highly rated hotels in Virginia Beach have been open only a couple months - not even in the tourist season - so I don%26#39;t know how they got to be at the top.

If you go shopping for less expensive accommodations, you%26#39;ll find them away from the beach, like at Town Center or around Newtown Road. That%26#39;s about a 15-minute drive maybe? Doubletree and Quality Inn are several blocks off the beach, and it would be walkable to the ocean, but I think you can find something good on Atlantic Ave. The Alomar is on 16th St, I think - that%26#39;s a street that intersects with Atlantic. Explorer3 has spoken highly of the Alomar, if I%26#39;m remembering correctly.

Please post again as you narrow down your choices, and we%26#39;ll help you find the perfect venue for the reunion.

Welcome to the forum!

I agree with Wendymath about the Alamar. They only have 22 units, so you won%26#39;t get the teen crowd having a hotel room party. I think the owner lives on premises. And they have a nice pool. They are only a block and a half from the beach...very easy walking distance. If you stay at Town Center or otherwise way off the oceanfront area, you will have to bother with parking. It is such a short distance from the beach, you won%26#39;t find parking any closer, anyway. Also, one little extra...look for the wonderful playscapes on the beach at around 11th and 31st Streets. So much fun for the little ones. One of them is like a pirate ship...not sure about the other one.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I really appreciate it. The Belvedere looks like a possibility, but they are closed until April and I can%26#39;t find a Website for them.

I was also considering Kutty Sark? Any input on that one? Their rates seem very low, which worries me. $85 a night and the place looks nice on the Website. I%26#39;m trying to stay around $100/night if that is possible since one of the families is flying in. Thanks again for any input.

Kathy

You may already know this but if you don%26#39;t....when you call the number for The Belvedere you can leave a message with your contact information and questions and they will likely contact you as soon as possible. Also, I believe they operate the coffee shop in the motel which is open 7am-2:30pm daily, number 757 4250613, maybe you can catch the owners and get information/reservations that way before 4/4/08. There are many reviews for the Cutty Sark on TA, check them out. Good Luck.

Cutty Sark is a family owned ';vintage motel.'; CS was featured in a magazine article last year that celebrated the good ol%26#39; early motels that have managed to keep the charm of the 1960s. The motels in the article still have many of the original features or design elements (hopefully not the original bedding - ha!). CS still has the original kitchenettes. As a child I always wanted to stay at the Cutty Sark because it was so ultra modern - it has a certain ';Jetsons'; flair. A few years ago, it just looked old. But now it is considered ';retro'; and quite fashionable again.

The motel gets good marks for good service. In addition to the efficiencies, CS has some cottages to rent. CS is across the street from the ocean, but the view is not obstructed by other hotels or buildings. If you look online at cuttysarkvb.com, you%26#39;ll see the view. It%26#39;s a good value. I suspect staying under $100 in June will be very difficult and your choices will be quite limited.

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