Deal and Asbury Park

Deal and Asbury Park, NJ

price varies 

Optimum Seasons:  All Year Round

Ocean Place Resort

The Asbury Hotel

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Where do I start? This was truly one of my favorite road trips of all time. Here's a list of reasons why:

1)  The Asbury Hotel was just magnificent in every way.  1)  It has outdoor movies offered every night on the 5th floor rooftop.  I was told by a friend that they also have yoga every morning (ask the front desk).  The pool had the same vibe as a Miami boutique hotel.  The hotel itself was like a posh Brooklyn hotel with a great rooftop!  The Asbury is only one block away from the Asbury Park boardwalk and beach.  The hotel has valet parking which costs $20 per day.  I found a deal on tripadvisor.com for midweek and it was too amazing to pass on.  The neighboring and better priced Berkeley Hotel, which while renovated, is no where close to as charming as The Asbury.  The Berkeley is a half block closer to the beach, must cheaper, and is great bang for your buck.  If you don't find a good deal for The Asbury, just book the Berkeley instead.  

2)  Unfortunately, you have to pay to go to the beach before 4pm every day. The hotel doesn't offer free passes.  The front desk allege that it costs about $7 per person but I didn't inquire further when I got on the boardwalk.  The weather was too chilly to go swimming anyway.  We were able to enjoy the beach after 4pm though.  Tip:  bring sweaters!  This is a coastal town.  Figure it is ten degrees colder here than the forecast in your own inland town, and at night it gets pretty chilly (unless there is a heat wave that day).

3) The Asbury Park Boardwalk is absolutely adorable!!!!  You must try the fried oreos and the cannoli at the Ice Cream and Waffle Place located at the southern tip of the Asbury Park portion of the boardwalk.  From my hotel to that point was about a twenty minute walk with great restaurants at every corner.  And there are Fourth of July fireworks to boot!

4)  If you are bringing children, there are sprinklers and mini golf along the Asbury Park portion of the boardwalk. No need to just go to the beach. There is also a playground on the beach towards the southern end of the boardwalk! There are also murals all along the boardwalk, kind of like Wynwood neighborhood in Miami. Very cute for photo ops with or without the kids!

5)  You must experience the boardwalk at night!  And for an added bonus, dine at a restaurant here during sunset!  Have ipads for your children!  

6)  Walk through the Asbury Park Convention Hall on the boardwalk.  I don't know what this really is but it's frieken adorable.  Wikipedia "Asbury Park" for more details.  There's a lot of history here!

7)  Keep walking south on the Asbury Park boardwalk until you reach the Ocean Grove boardwalk (which according to wikipedia, parts were demolished during Hurricane Sandy).  This is just the most delicious beach town.  The homes are all Victorian.  Ten times more charming than any of the Hamptons, if you ask me!  Drive through this area and try to go through as many streets as you can.  It is just a 5 minute drive south of the Asbury Hotel. But you should walk the Boardwalk too.  There is also a great indoor restaurant on the northern most portion of the Ocean Grove boardwalk.  I believe it's called Dunes Cafe and it has panoramic views of the ocean (on the east side of the boardwalk and very close to the water.  Check the video below for an idea).  They serve ice cream, pizza, smoothies and much more. Google it for more info.  We ended up not dining here.  We were full on fried oreos.

8)  Drive through every street of Deal and Allenhurst, NJ.  Asbury Park is sandwiched between Deal and Allenhurst to the north and Ocean Grove to the south.  As I mentioned above, Ocean Grove is a Victorian and adorable town.  Deal is more affluent and the homes are on huge lots.  Kind of like the Hamptons meet Savannah, GA.  Nothing quite like the homes here. Allenhurst homes are similar but are on smaller plots of land.  It's actually more practical to go walking in this town so you see more homes.  The Deal homes are sometimes hidden behind long driveways.  Both are worth driving or taking a morning stroll through!  Allenhurst is sandwiched between Deal and Asbury Park.  This whole area is a grid along the beach.  There is no way to get lost. Ocean Avenue runs North and South and is a great street to drive on to get a good feel!

9)  Some Glatt kosher restaurants in the area:  Crispy Grill, Dougies, A Chinese/Japanese place (not so great) right next to Crispy Grill, Butcher's Cut, and Slices. There is also a Bravo pizza which is fantastic.

10)  Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch is just north of Deal. It is a fantastic hotel on the actual boardwalk with both an indoor and outdoor pool. It is a great option for road trips in colder months as it is significantly cheaper! Also, this is preferred to The Asbury hotel because it is both on the beach and access to the beach is free and lounge chairs are included. Also, the neighboring Pier Village and its shops and arcade are wonderful. There is a carousel on this boardwalk and the newly constructed boutique Wave Hotel which has an outdoor pool and is definitely worth booking if it’s comparable in price to Ocean Place Resort.

Click on the gallery above (best viewed on a desktop for captions), the video below of Dunes Cafe in Ocean Grove, and add your feedback by clicking on the comments section below!  Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see my next adventure!  And share with your friends if you appreciate this page!

Wave Hotel

Wave Hotel

Ocean Place Outdoor Pool

 

Jersey City

Jersey City, NJ

price varies 

Optimum Seasons:  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Westin Jersey City Newport

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Here are some highlights of my trip and general things to know about a road trip or vacation to Jersey City:

1)  Basically, the idea was to get as close to Manhattan as possible, with an indoor pool for the kids and a reasonably priced hotel (literally a fraction of the cost of what you'd find in the city).  Two hotels in Jersey City fit the bill:  Westin of Newport and Hyatt Regency.  Westin was the cheaper of the two.  And closer to the NJ Path station which gets you into downtown Manhattan in less than 15 minutes.  And the indoor pool looked bigger.  So this was a no brainer for us.  But if you ever find a cheaper deal for the Hyatt, it definitely looks sexier as it is literally on the Hudson River surrounding by water and has panoramic views of Manhattan's downtown skyline.

2)  To tell you the truth, I also picked Jersey City because one of me and my husband's favorite couple friends lives here and we rarely get to see them.  So I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and visit them and get a good trip out of it because otherwise, who from Long Island would ever pay two tolls to cross both the East River and the Hudson???  They proved to be wonderful tour guides who showed us a good time and took us to Prato Bakery (pictured in the gallery) which was super adorable and delicious.  They also showed us Newark Avenue, a pedestrian walk way with lots of boutique stores and restaurants.  We felt the true Jersey City vibe once we went out with them.  It kind of felt like Miami meets Long Island City (not as congested) meets a nicer more charming version of Williamsburg.  

3)  For those who are Kosher, Jersey City is a plus at is about a 20 minute drive away from Teaneck, NJ and a few minutes away from Manhattan.  Remember to do thorough research if you want to order or go to a restaurant on a Saturday night.  Many Kosher restaurants do not open on Saturday nights, even though we went over thanksgiving weekend when sundown is much earlier than it is other seasons.  Best to call in advance and see which is open and which is ready to deliver (probably via Uber).  I learned this the hard way as I dragged nine families via NJ Path to the Oculus promising them that downtown Kosher Bravo Pizza (a few blocks south of Oculus on Trinity Street) was open (as they had actually told me), only to find that they were indeed FUCKIN CLOSED!  For those who aren't Kosher, Jersey City is literally packed with great restaurants as is downtown Manhattan.  So, no losing for you!

4)  Definitely walk the Newport Boardwalk during the day if the weather is warm enough.  Remember to bundle up as Jersey City is on the water and may be a bit colder than where you are from.   The boardwalk is just a block away from the hotel.

5)  There is a mall with Macy's, The Cheesecake Factory, Cosi, Kohls and more right next door to the hotel.  My husband went inside and said it was quite nice.  No high end shopping here but enough to kill a few hours with the kids.  There is also a Starbucks on the water one block away from the hotel.  

6)  You would be an idiot to come all this way and not visit Libery State Park (with the closest views of Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty).  They also have a playground for kids.  Make sure to bundle up here!!!

7)  You would be a bigger idiot to come all this way (sorry to all families I traveled with who didn't follow my suggestion) and not go to the Liberty Science Center, a world class children's museum.  Better than any I have experience on the Island or Manhattan.  Definitely something to see.  Admission is rather high, but who really cares?  You'll never make the voyage otherwise!  Videos below and pictures in the gallery will explain it all.

8)  I'm a big view person.  I throw vicious tantrums when the front desk doesn't hook me up with a good room.  Normal people are not like this.  But if you are anything like me, make sure to request a room on a high floor with a city view, and flirt a little bit with whoever is behind the front desk.  

9)  The NJ Path is literally a block away from the hotel.  You pay $2.50 each way per adult to get into downtown Manhattan that is three stops away (including one easy transfer).  The train will get you into the Oculus, which itself is a site to see.  Be sure to travel west of the Oculus to see the 9/11 memorial (really mesmerizing at night), the beautiful Freedom Tower, and Brookfield Place for high end shopping (even though Oculus itself is a great mall!)  Stores in Brookfield Place include Gucci, Bottega Vonneta, Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vitton and more.  Also, there is an ice skating rink outside that is a must with the children in the winter.  Beautiful views of the Hudson (try to get here during sundown) and Christmas decorations as well!  And pretty affordable for ice skating in the city.  My biggest regret was not skating when we came here. 

Definitely view the gallery above and videos below for a better idea.  Please add your feedback in the comments section and follow me on Instagram and Facebook for live adventures.  And don't forget to share with your friends if you appreciate this page.  

 

Sesame Place Theme Park

Langhorne, PA

price varies for hotels; price for parking is $20; prices for park available on www.sesameplace.com

Hotels:  Spring Hill Suites 

Optimum Seasons:  Summer

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"Go before they grow" is the Sesame Place slogan!  Here's a list of things to know before you go:

1)  I'd say it's best to go here before your oldest kid is 7 years old.  Or just take your younger kids!  

2) This park is only 14 acres.  To put things in perspective, I know a few people who own residential properties one third that size.  This is NOT a big amusement park. Especially after losing my amusement park virginity to Disney World, this was very small in comparison.  One day will get the job done here!  One long day!  But if your commute is long, staying overnight is a good idea.  Anyway, your $50 per person ticket (offered on the Sesame Place website) can be used for two days any time of the year.  May as well book a hotel close by, or as we did, across the street to avoid parking fees and for general convenience, just to go two days in a row.  This way, you can perhaps go on day trips to either nearby Philadelphia, Adventure Aquarium, Crayola Museum, Please Touch Museum, Giggle Berry Fair, and more.  Or, you can do water rides on one day and dry rides another.  You will be less rushed this way!

3)  This is neither an amazing water park (Splish Splash is better for older kids) nor an amazing amusement park (Adventure Land is better for young and old children alike).  The big draw here is the character meets, the shows, and the parade (night time preferable as weather is cooler).  Which make it all worth it in the end!  And for me, the landscaping.  Half the entry fee is probably spent on maintaining the beautiful grounds.  

4)  Go midweek.  Never go on a weekend.  And go when there is 20 percent chance of rain as we accidentally did.  (If it rains for more than 2 hours, you literally get a rain check.)  There are virtually no lines this way!  Do not go the last two weeks of August as I have been told they are the busiest time of the year.

5)  If you are a girl, be prepared to have chronic wedgies.  Unless you avoid the water slides.  And unless your butt is tiny.  And G-d has been good to you. Then, you are safe.

6)  I was a bit surprised by the general lack of enthusiasm by the staff.  Maybe I'm just comparing this service to that of Disney World, where every employee is on Nice Steroids.  But most of the people working here had braces and were going through puberty.  Which means they'd rather be going to first base than telling children to stand behind the line during a Sesame Place parade.  But they were all nice regardless!  

7)  The food kind of tastes like high-end airplane food.  And there are no good restaurants or supermarkets within a half mile radius.  Pack wisely for the day! This just in:  a number have you have counter claimed that there actually is food around the area!  But I was too blindsided by the Home Depot and BJ's to realize!  Allegedly, there is a Red Robin, TGI Fridays, and Ground Round close by.  And if you drive 10 minutes away, there are great restaurants that aren't chains.  But I'm sticking to my word, there was basically NOTHING!  I want food to go...and there was none of that anywhere close.  

8)  If you want a break from amusement parking, there are a few good strip centers around the area.  Just shop at Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx while your husband slaves away with your children.  

9)  I stayed at the Spring Hill Suites across the street.  This way, I avoided paying a parking fee.  But it was way overpriced.  Basically, I have stayed in boutique hotels as expensive as this.  It is a nice, clean, renovated hotel.  The continental breakfast is yucky. If you find a deal here, go for it.  If not, stay elsewhere and just take a shuttle to the park!  If you are flexible, try offering a price on priceline.com for the best rates on hotels nearby (but you won't get the hotel you want necessarily)

10)  There are groupon deals in May and June (I totally missed that one!).  Keep your eyes out on groupon.  You may get lucky and find a good price! Also, if you book for a group of 15 plus, there is a special rate (contact Sesame Place directly about this?)  But I didn't do enough research before purchasing so I'm really not certain about how to get the best price!  

11)  There are fireworks on 3rd and 4th of July!  Can imagine this being magical!

12)  Download the Sesame Place app before you go to familiarize yourself with the rides.  And remember, the water rides are best for an 85 plus day when you dream of getting wet under a waterfall on the lazy river!

Tips:  Bring bathing suits and towels!  Always check www.groupon.com for deals before you go.  

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Hershey Park

Lancaster, PA

price varies for hotels; prices for park available on www.hersheypark.com

Hotels:  Eden Resort and Suites

Optimum Seasons:  Spring, Summer

Notes I've gathered from people:

-"complete waste of time"

-day or two is fine

-go to the zoo and chocolate world

-water park for all ages

-area for younger kids

-turkey hill and herrs nearby (don't know what this means...maybe their factory? google it)

Within an hour drive:

Dutch Wonderland

 

Dutch Wonderland

Lancaster, PA

price varies for hotels; prices for park available on www.dutchwonderland.com

Hotels:  Eden Resort and Suites

Optimum Seasons:  Spring, Summer

Notes I've gathered from people:

-doesn't get crowded like Sesame Place

-has water rides

-can get deals through Dunkin or AAA

-if you live in NYC or it's suburbs, Dutch Wonderland is a farther drive than Sesame Place

-one to two days is suffice.  Most suggest two days.

-Peddler's Village is an attraction about 25 minutes from here (no idea what it is...google it)

-many farms and shops around the area

-you could do a second day at Hershey Park which is 20 minutes away.  They sell combo tickets.  

-if you buy your tickets later in the afternoon, you get to go to closing time and come back all of the next day

-good for younger kids

-"quaint and sweet and lots of fun"

-"old and tired"

Within an hour drive: 

Hershey Park

 

Miami, FL

Miami, FL

price varies

Optimum Seasons:  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

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Miami is home away from home for my family!  Kosher restaurants and supermarkets are abundant.  The city, like New York, has much culture and diversity, skyscrapers, beaches, amazing nightlife, top notch hotels, and great food.  Except Miami has year round perfect weather and water that is at times as beautiful as the Caribbean and always much nicer than the beaches in the Northeast of the country.  

There is so much to do in this city!  I have been well over ten times, as a single girl, as a married girl, as a mother, as a daughter, and a daughter-in-law. Every trip was as perfect as the last.  In the past, I have stayed at Lowes, Shore Club, Fountainbleau, Sea Coast Hotel, and the Catalina.  But there is no losing with any hotel the shore in Miami Beach.  Book your hotel through tripadvisor.com for the best deals.  Both the Fountainbleau and Sea Coast Hotel have apartment units as well with cleaning services.  So it feels like a hotel anyway!

Places you must visit when you are there:  Ocean Drive and Versace's mansion in South Beach, the neighborhood of Wynwood with its beautiful murals, and Lincoln Road which is a beautiful pedestrian street.  You should definitely hotel hop down the main strip.  Each lobby and pool is worth seeing. Especially the recently constructed Faena.  The lobby and courtyard is remarkable.  I am a big fan of the Edition as well.  Shore Club remains an old favorite...lots of nostalgia here.  But really, every hotel is remarkable!  and Fountainbleau and Lowes are perhaps the more kid friendly ones.  And Lowes has prime location!! 

The town of Coconut Grove is delicious in every way.  Go there one evening with the kids, but if you are single, you can skip this.  And before you dine there, go to Vizcaya mansion....truly one of the most remarkable pieces of architecture in the United States.  The gardens make you feel like you're on an Italian villa.

Drive down "millionaire row" and see all the beautiful houses on the bay.  You can take a cruise here too, but the landscaping in the front of the homes are as charming and driving is for free!  Take a day trip to Bal Harbour Mall for outdoor, high end shopping.  Dine in Aventura a town north of Miami.  Visit Key West or the Miami Seaquarium (which I regret never doing).  Or just have an Uber driver give you a tour of Miami (as we did).  There is no shortage of beauty at every corner of this vibrant city!  Definitely visit at least once in your life.  And stay at least 5 nights to make the most of your trip if you are going with children.  

I highly recommend getting a citi-bike for a couple of hours (find out where the closest one is to you), and bike riding down the boardwalk (which runs behind the hotel strip on the beach, and is a vision all of its own) and back up through the streets so you get the most intimate views of Miami.  And do it early in the day, and put on loads of sunblock!  

We also took a cruise from Downtown Miami which shows you all the backyards of celebrities homes on the water.  And offers spectacular views of Miami's downtown skyline.  

The sunsets in Miami are to die for.  Either you get a beach view room, or a bay view.  It is win win, because if you don't see the beach, you get the sunsets!  Unless you get a room with both...which is the best cast scenario.  

Uber in Miami is super cheap.  No need to rent a car here, even if you're staying a long time.  It'll just be a headache with parking!  

I have visited in the Spring, Summer and Fall.  Winter I understand is too cold here but a lot of celebrities flock here during Christmas so it might be a fun time to be here then.  The ocean and weather are perfect in the Spring and Summer, but 4th of July is a great time with the fireworks.  There is literally no losing in Miami!

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El San Juan, San Juan Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

price varies

Optimum Seasons:  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Me on my husband went here in the winter of 2009 on our mini-moon. This had a lot to do with me being too lazy to renew my passport and very little to do with my actual desire to go to Puerto Rico over the million other sexy places the Caribbean has to offer for people who just got married and have no children.  If I were to do this all over again, I would have waited to have children and until they were teenagers before going to Puerto Rico. 

We stayed in El San Juan hotel.  This was a decent hotel literally 5 minute drive from the airport.  It is right next to the Ritz Carlton which is a few notches above in class and probably price.  I wasn't too impressed by the color of the ocean and nothing about the grounds or hotel was particularly so beautiful.  They had a few great restaurants in the hotel lobby.  They also had a taco bell and pizza hut located on the street right outside the hotel in case you're a fan of fast food!  The big problem with this strip is that there isn't much else to do.  

One night we decided to go to dinner in Old San Juan, a very charming and colonial port town located in San Juan.  You are able to walk the cobblestone streets and see the whole town probably in short of two hours.   This is definitely a must.  It was a good 20 minute cab ride from our hotel, however the hotels closer to Old San Juan don't have sand beaches like those of ours so that is why we chose to stay at El San Juan hotel.  

Also, Puerto Rico is all about nature and exploration.  Me and my husband did our first and last hike up of our entire eight year marriage on this trip.  We wanted to go see a waterfall in the mountain.  This is probably as close to doing something exotic as I will ever get.  But I'm sure this is much more beautiful in Hawaii or other places in the world. This was also a half hour cab ride from our hotel.

We also were convinced to go canoeing in a bioluminiscent bay (where you can see the animals in the water at night because of the reflection of the moon...which makes them appear to glow.  Or at least I think that's the reason).  This ended up being the worst money we ever spent in our lives.  If your husband doesn't know his right from his left, and neither of you have ever canoed before, be prepared to have your canoe toed.  Literally, a neighboring canoe had to throw a rope our way so they can get us back to shore.  

Basically, the only thing I really adored about Puerto Rico was the proximity to New York and Old San Juan.  No other Caribbean island has a town this historic and beautiful (maybe they do, but I haven't been to them yet).  

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Crowne Plaza, Stamford CT

Stamford, CT

price varies

Optimum Seasons:  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

www.crowneplaza.com

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I stumbled upon this hotel purely by accident.  One of my friends yelped "kosher restaurants" near our hotel in Old Greenwich (the neighboring town) and we found a Kosher restaurant called "Soosh".  We put it in our navigation and noticed that the restaurant was in this hotel.  We didn't realize there were parking spots for the restaurant right in front and we accidentally parked in the hotel's lot in the back.  We walked through the hotel lobby to find a Shabbaton occurring (during Hanukkah with thousands of lit menorahs...pretty surreal).  Once we found our way to the restaurant, we asked the owner what the Shabbaton was all about, and he told us that this is a weekly occurrence. The hotel lobby was immaculate...as though I walked into a Miami Southbeach hotel!  After I got home I went on the hotel's website to see if it's worth staying there, and I was shocked by how spacious and well decorated the rooms were.  And some of the rooms have kitchens as well!  (Just look at the website).  And the price during winter break is very affordable!  Tip:  "Soosh" was the best Kosher sushi I ever had. They have a kid's menu as well and they hand out crayons and pages to color!  Great service, great menu!  All around amazing experience!  

Kill a few birds with one stone:  Greenwich, CT is the must see neighboring town.  Very affluent with beautiful homes.  Google "nicest neighborhoods or streets of Greenwich and head there for some house site seeing!  Greenwich Avenue is a half mile stretch of high end shops and boutiques.  There weren't many restaurants open on New Year's day when we went, nor clothing stores, but we still enjoyed our experience.  The Saks Fifth Avenue here pales in comparison to that in NYC.  Drive around the neighborhood of Belle Haven (a lot of streets are private so you won't have access unless you have balls to drive through.  But there are many streets along the Long Island Sound that are worth seeing) which is a peninsula surrounded by water at the very southern tip of Greenwich Avenue.  If there is a neighborhood to see in Greenwich, this is it!  Skip the others!  The lot sizes are too big to even see the homes!  Also, for a sand beach, visit Greenwich Point Park (in Old Greenwich). This may or may not be a private beach so you should give them a call before you go, but I just drove by in the winter and it was beautiful!

Click on the gallery above (best viewed on a desktop for captions), the videos below to get a better sense of the area, and add your feedback by clicking on the comments section below!  Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see my next adventure!  And share with your friends if you appreciate this page!