First Beach Trip! Need advice please

[Anonymous]

We are taking our DD to the beach this summer and while I have found two great rentals I need advice from other moms on which place would be best.

#1 Sea Colony - obvious advantages are ocean front, playgrounds, etc.

#2 renting a home in OC, 2 blocks from the beach. The community has a pool, lake and more space than the SC apartment.

My husband and I love the beach but dont know how she will do and want to pick the best place for her.

DD will be 18 months -- any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I think Bethany is much more family-friendly than OC. Too many teens/20 somethings drinking too much in OC. But I don't have much comfort level for that now that I have kids. So I'd pick Sea Colony. Most important to me when my kids were that age was easy access to a pool. Neither of my kids liked the beach for extended periods of time at that age. The pool was much more of a hit. We drove to OC to walk the boardwalk in the evenings sometimes. Or up to Rehoboth.

[Anonymous]

I second the thought about Bethany being more family friendly. If you want more space at Sea Colony, can you find a townhouse rental instead of the condos?

[Anonymous]

I think you'll be fine either way. Having grown up going to OC twice a year on family vacations (every June and August) and now opting to stay in Bethany with my two little ones, I'll throw in my two cents.

The pros of having a house with access to a pool (and perhaps a playground) are obvious --- space and someplace fun to be other than in the hot sun on the beach. Walking to/from the beach won't be that a big a deal if it's only 2 blocks --- you'll just need to pack lightly and take only what you can carry. (I'd send DH ahead with the car to unload and set-up beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. before heading over with the little one --- but I'm demanding like that

Be prepared to extend a lot of effort to get on the beach (sunscreen in the house/apt BEFORE heading to the beach; packing cooler and diaper bag; setting up the gear, etc.) for a relatively short amount of time. Little ones can't stay on the beach all day -- particularly if it's windy or hot (regardless of whether you have a shade tent --- b/c hot is hot --- and parents who keep infants out in the heat for extended periods of time are nuts IMHO).

NOTE: you'll have to do the aforementioned regardless of whether you stay oceanfront at Sea Colony or two blocks away.

Being oceanfront is nonetheless convenient. DH and I tag-teamed it with our kids. One parent could take the little one upstairs to nap while the other parent got some quality downtime to relax on the beach. It's also great for bathroom breaks for the grown-ups, quick trips to grab a snack, fix a bottle, etc.

At Sea Colony, it is nice to set up the gear super early to grab a nice spot on the beach and leave it set up all day so we can come and go as we please -- I don't think we would do this if we were staying 2 blocks away (SC has a private beach, so I never worried about my stuff walking off).

We like SC b/c we can walk into town where the little boardwalk is. If your kid likes the stroller and walks, then SC is a good bet as you can walk around as opposed to being on the beach all day. We walk to town for coffee in the morning and in the evenings for dinner (sometimes) and dessert (always). There's a nice little playground and room for the kids to run around in a fenced in area. They have entertainment on the boardwalk many nights. It's very low key and family-oriented.

[Anonymous]

Bethany.

[Anonymous]

I love having a Sea Colony condo right on the beach with a young child. You can sit on the balcony and enjoy the ocean while the child naps (and sleeps at night). I think in a house, I'd feel more restricted. In a beachside condo, I felt like I was still on vacation even while confined to the condo (we bring a monitor so that we can hear him from the balcony).

You can run down to the beach for short periods (important for kids if it is too hot, too cold, they get bored, hungry, need a diaper change, etc). The pools are right there. I think our favorte activity last year (my son was about 20 months) was going down to the beach after dinner in clothes and running around. It's not too hot or too cold (June), we could play with bubbles, fly kites, and watch the other kids running around. They also have swingsets on the beach.

I also loved the confinement of a condo. Weird right? But I felt like I could unpack, settle, whip up a quick meal, all while "watching" my son play. There's no stairs to worry about, you can see the pictures of the place online and find a decently easy place to babyproof (less knick-knicks the better) - and the kid is never out of earshot - it's magical. The condos also have washers and dryers - which is important because my son can really go through clothes (and I admit I love to wash the beach towels). Honestly, upon coming home, I was asking my husband for weeks "why don't we live in a condo?"

[Anonymous]

One more tip - at 18 months we found our son to be scared of the ocean - so we set up our chairs and umbrella at the "back" part of the beach and he would play happily. My DH and I would take turns bringing pails full of ocean water so he could play with water and sand.

[Anonymous]

I'd stay in Bethany but get a rental (town home or house a few blocks from the beach). We do that AND we do leave our umbrella and non-valuables set up all day when we go back and forth. Lots of people do and no one bothers them.

You just never know if the little one will like the beach and a poor or just being away from the beach is nice. Sea Colony (besides being at least from the outside) always seems so crowded. But, this is pure speculation. Lots of people swear by it. I'm just not into that set up.

[Anonymous]

Off all the buildings at Sea Colony which is the best for a toddler?

[Anonymous]

The oceanfront high rise buildings at Sea Colony are all the same. Choose based on the unit floorplan, size, decor and view you like. If you think you might walk into town (as opposed to drive), you may want to be in the Annapolis - Brandywine - Chesapeake buildings because those are slightly closer to town and have a play area near them. However, we always drive to town, and we don't think parking is difficult (we don't go during the very prime time though). Edgewater has a deli/convenience store on the first floor and a plaza in front of its larger pool. Harbour and Island are perhaps a bit quieter on the south end of the strip. Really, they are all about the same.

[Anonymous]

The oceanfront high rise buildings at Sea Colony are all the same no matter what your family. Choose based on the unit floorplan, size, decor and view you like. If you think you might walk into town (as opposed to drive), you may want to be in the Annapolis - Brandywine - Chesapeake buildings because those are slightly closer to town and have a play area near them. However, we always drive to town, and we don't think parking is difficult (we don't go during the very prime time though). Edgewater has a deli/convenience store on the first floor and a plaza in front of its larger pool. Harbour and Island are perhaps a bit quieter on the south end of the strip. All are handicap accessible. Really, they are all about the same.

[Anonymous]

WE like Edgewater because it is center - close to both a big pool and toddler pool and has the convenience shop and has indoor pool and fitness center) BUT since it is the center, it can get crowded. Also, I would avoid the first few floors with a toddler since it has activities that can be a bit loud. We've stayed on the higher floors and noise isn't a problem.