Laying home today with a sore back from all of the weekend activities I decided to spend a little time while off of the ice packs/heating pad to look for vacation resorts along the east coast from Maine to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Jenne and I haven't had a decent vacation together in long time. The last time we tried was in September 1999 in Myrtle Beach, SC. We were there two days enjoying things with the entire Burnham family and then everything went to hell.
Jenne got sunburned bad (3rd degree) from the knees down. We were evacuated along with several hunfred thousand people because of an approaching hurricane. Think of Washington, DC traffic that stretches for hundreds of miles and you get the idea of what we experienced. It took us over nine hours to get to South of the Border (typically it takes less than four to get there and nine to get home) where we were suppossed to meet my family (also evacuated from MB). We spent one night in a roach motel at South of the Border waiting for them to show up and they never did. They got to South of the Border ahead of us, never left a message for us at the hotel and just drove on to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. We woke up the following morning to pouring rain and it took us another nine hours to get home going north in I-95. When we got home we collapsed into bed only to wake up and find out that the hurricane followed us home. It never hit Myrtle Beach, but went north in NC. In hind sight we could have stayed in Myrtle Beach. Two hours after being awake at home we lost power due to the storm. Frustrated beyond all belief I called the Inn at Antietam and we left home and stayed there in Sharpsburg, MD for a few days while it ocntinued to rain on us. Joy. This year we want to take a nice vacation - just the two of us - along the Atlantic Ocean. We are looking at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but will entertain other possibilities, so I am soliciting suggestions from you, my readers. Do you know of a nice place in the Outer Banks? Or even north along the east coast all the way to Maine? We don't want to fly... too much of a hassle. Please provide the name of the inn or resort, where it is at, and its web page or a means to contact them. Tell us what you liked about it and the kind of things you did. Jenne and I want to relax and be waited on. Our primary goal is to relax and unwind. Thanks for the suggestions. it's time to get back on the ice packs/heating pad.
work, work, work, no vacation. eternity driving around the circle of death.
OK, you get a vacation. Our suggestion to you is to go a little farther south, yes fly to fort lauderdale, rent a car and go to the Florida keys.
4 hours from Baltimore and you are at key Largo!
flights are cheap, rental cars can be cheap. Once you drive the "18 mile stretch" from Florida city and arrive in key largo, you will think you are in the Carribean. Or better yet, take the back way, Card Sound Road and stop at Alabama jacks on the way in.
You can stay in a laid back resort in the middle of the keys or go all the way into key west. 1 choice, Lime Tree Resort in Layton. they have a web site.
In Key west, the Southermost Hotel, has good rates are you are right in old town.Do not stay in the New Town Hotels, you will miss all the fun.
You will never be the same. Keys Diesase, the loss of the desire to work strikes all who come here.
If you want to consider, you know who to call.
Posted by: h2Cousin on April 11, 2005 11:45 AMOuter Banks. used to be really nice, now getting commercial as heck. I wouldn't stay in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head these days. They were crowded and dirty back in '98. The banks south of Bodie Island inlet should still be good. Nice little towns down there include Duck, Salvo and Avon.
If you want a really isolated, quirky destination on the Banks, I recommend Ocracoke Island. It's got Blackbeard, traditional architecture (not a single concrete box in sight), a British war cemetary (the only soveriegn British territory south of the Canadian border; there is also a German cemetary, but that one isn't marked), a marina and more night life than you would expect. There's about a million photos waiting to be taken there. It's 2 hours south of Nag's Head, and you'll have to take a ferry to get there.
Posted by: Jeff on April 11, 2005 04:11 PMMy aunt and uncle have a timeshare on Oak Island, NC, which is on that small south-facing stretch about an hour from Myrtle Beach. Lovely place.
Posted by: Jaime on April 11, 2005 06:53 PMOur honeymoon trip took us to the land of my sweetheart's youth, Massachusetts. Loved seeing the small town she grew up in and Boston and Salem. Loved overdosing on seafood. I will always treasure the days we spent in P-town. The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa is just the ticket for romance and pampering. They have a website and I put the link for it in this form's URL section where I would normal put a shameless plug for my own website.
Posted by: juli on April 11, 2005 11:27 PMJamaica Waste Water Treatment Plant- Jamaica/Queens NY. You can take your camera and get great shots of all the crap out there. It is a great place on the water that attracts sky rats aka sea gulls. If the tradewinds are blowing, you will know it!!! Not too crowded and reservations are not necessary. They do not offer all inclusive, so food and drinks are on you.
If DC is your bag, try Blue Plains WWTP. Same as above, except the rockfish aka stripers love the water temp near the basins.
I second the trip to Fort Lauderdale and then the drive to the Keys. I moved to Ft L from the DC area 6 years ago and have loved every minute here. It is like being on a year round vacation. The Keys are beautiful and you would have unlimited photo opportunities!
Posted by: Nicky on April 12, 2005 03:37 PMThanks for all of the input folks. Jenne and I have decided on Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC. We have even made our reservations, so we are set. We are thinking of Fort Lauderdale, FL for next year... or maybe in the off season during the winter doldrums when we will definitely be in need of warmth and sun.
A month a a half and we are on vacation. I am counting the days.
Peace,
--Will