Cheap and relaxing summer vacation???

[lexie's mom]

We just got back from 10 days in Disney. Now, I think we need a vacation from that vacation! We would like to be close to a beach. We live in NJ. (Yes, I know the Jersey Shore is convenient but my family has a house there and we put in a lot of "work weekends" there.) We do not mind driving or flying. Since our Disney trip was so much $, we are looking for something more low key and affordable. (I am sure all inclusive places are out of my range but would LOVE them.) My girls are 17 months and 5 1/2 years old.
Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Stacey

[MelissaTC]

There are lots of nice beaches in North and South Carolina. We take a trip to Myrtle Beach every summer but that is because my husband needs other things besides just the beach. Sunset Beach in NC is lovely, quiet and uncommercialized. You can also take a drive into SC to go to Myrtle for the day. At MB, we stay at the Dunes Village Resort and really like it. It is on the northern end of the beach and it is surrounded by beautiful private residences as opposed to a ton of hotels.It also has a small indoor water park that is perfect for evening fun.

[SnuggleBuggles]

If you have the option of going slightly (even by a week) off season you can rent a house in the outer banks or many other east coast beaches for a pretty good deal. It'd choose that to a hotel b/c you don't have to eat out. Saves a ton.

If you really want a low key vacation consider renting a cabin in one of the state parks! Lots of recreation and some places have nice cabins.

Beth

[boolady]

Cape Cod? Hilton Head is beautiful, though a much longer drive from NJ than Cape Cod.

[PMJ]

There are lots of nice beaches in North and South Carolina. We take a trip to Myrtle Beach every summer but that is because my husband needs other things besides just the beach. Sunset Beach in NC is lovely, quiet and uncommercialized. You can also take a drive into SC to go to Myrtle for the day. At MB, we stay at the Dunes Village Resort and really like it. It is on the northern end of the beach and it is surrounded by beautiful private residences as opposed to a ton of hotels.It also has a small indoor water park that is perfect for evening fun.

:yeahthat:

[lexie's mom]

Thank you for the suggestions. I am going to start to look into them, now. Since I am a teacher, I am not able to go off season. (I also think going to Disney prime-time, during Spring Break, was a killer.)

Stacey

[MelissaTC]

ETA that the place where we stay has a full kitchen and washer/dryer so we eat in most of the trip. I freeze some meals and bring them in a cooler. But it is exactly 3 hours door to door for us.

Good luck with your planning!

[ewpmsw]

Our family lived in Philly when I was a kid and we did tons of state/national park camping trips in PA, OH, WV, VA and NC. First Landing State Park in VA (near VA Beach) has a nice beach and decent campgrounds. (That is the campground I've visited most recently. James River State Park and Bear Creek Lake in VA are pretty nice, too.)

Most of our family vacations revolved around railroad history, revolutionary war or civil war history. Cass Scenic Railroad in WV was a favorite, as was East Broad Top (PA). The Blue Ridge in VA is really pretty - Crabtree Falls (private) campground is below a lovely waterfall. Haven't been there in about 15 years, but they used to have small cabins in the '90's.

We're staying in Sandbridge, VA, in a few weeks. I'll post a review when we come back. Corolla and Duck, NC, are becoming our off-season beach favorites. We often share a weekly rental with other couples/families. It's pretty reasonable in the off-season.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, maybe I'm the outlier here... just got back from NC beaches last night. I didn't find it one bit relaxing. Maybe it was b/c we have 3 LOs, but dude, I worked the whole time! There are few tolerable dining spots at our somewhat secluded beach area, so I cooked and served food so.many.times. We brought one meal from the freezer, but we spent two nights dragging around the grocery, then a ton of time deboning chicken, chopping this/that, just general cooking. DH took the big kids to the beach a couple times while DS2 napped in the morning, and I had to vacuum the entire upstairs so we could put the crawling/putting-everything-in-his-mouth baby on the floor. Then another day, because the house belongs to my ILs, I decided to use that time to scrub the kitchen floor. Apparently no one has done that in YEARS b/c it looked amazing afterwards. When we were leaving, we had to go through the whole cleaning routine, washing linens to store away, etc. Every table has a glasstop, and every window had to be cleaned since our kids licked all of them. It was exhausting.

I need a cheap and relaxing vacation where I don't have to cook or clean. Do those exist?

[LBW]

We did a week on Block Island a few years ago - that was lovely, and not as far as NC/SC. The water isn't as warm, though! We went a week into the off season, and the house we rented was $1200. I think it rents for 4-500 more in season.

Last year, we rented a house in York, Maine. Such a fun, beautiful location. I think that house was about $1600 for the week. I'd go again in a heartbeat!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I need a cheap and relaxing vacation where I don't have to cook or clean. Do those exist?

In a related thread last week I said that my ideal is renting a house and sharing it with helpful friends or family. Divvy up the meal preparation, go simple with it. I like renting from a company that will handle the real cleaning so all you have to do is basic tidying before going. Last year we rented a house with my parents and it was great. They took care of the kids while we cooked and stuff. It felt more like a vacation because we could share the normal work. Oh, and it is cheap b/c you split the cost!

Beth

[lexie's mom]

After reading the various posts and investigating suggested destinations, it seems that a cheap and relaxing trip may be hard to find. I also think that it is what you make of it. Knowing myself, I will be the one scrubbing kitchen floors, etc. I think we may wait awhile and look into an all inclusive resort with a kids club that I would trust and feel safe leaving my girls...without the guilt.

Thanks again!