I hear good things about Stone Harbor and Cape May.

I would try and shoot for a part of NJ:
1) Stone Harbor
2) avoid anywhere near AC, Asbury Park or Seaside.
3) Maybe the Pt Pleasant or Spring Lake areas.

We usually do a week in a rental at Ocean City, NJ but the past two years have only had time for a quickie getaway. We've stayed at Watson's and really like it (family of 5...we admittedly don't spend a ton of time in the condo, but feel it's sized just right for us).

Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, NJ - the hotel is fine and fronts a nice, decent sized beach, and you can walk to a little area of shops and restaurants called Pier Village. You can drive to Sandy Hook, NJ in 10 min which is a a state park with trails, nature activities, great beaches, etc. You can easily take the commuter train from Long Branch or even the ferry from Sandy Hook to get to NYC from there!

Lots of hotels in point pleasant. This town has a boardwalk so lots of day trippers. Fun. Nice beaches.

Starlight or Tradewinds in Lavallette, NJ. Beautiful beaches and the hotels also have pools.
nice small family friendly beachtown, everyting rebuilt since Sandy.

Any hotel on 79th or 78th street in Avalon is fine. Great area.

Seriously??? Not one hotel or beach recommendation in NJ???

Then maybe I'll take my chances with the Caribbean Motel.

Considering a trip to NJ on a whim. This would be mid-week for two nights, so condos and rentals aren't an option. We've never been to a NJ beach (usually go to Bethany), so we aren't sure where to begin looking. From a quick google search, it seems like a lot of the beach towns have houses instead of hotels...so where should we look?

Fwiw, we are planning to piggyback this on a trip to NYC, so we will hit the beach on the way up or back.

Please suggest hotels and landmark type restaurants. We love hitting restaurants, ice cream shops, donut shops, etc. that have been around for decades and are family traditions at the beach.

Thanks!