Ocean City

Let me say first that I don't know anything about anything above say 20th street for the most part.

The first things I would think about is budget and two small kids. When my kids were very young we liked to stay right on the boardwalk. Easy access to the beach during the day and the boardwalk at night when trying to juggle little ones and all their gear. It is pricey and if you get a hotel room you will be eating out a lot. Another thing the beach is much wider toward the inlet as opposed to say 12th street. (Check a map, and you'll see). Carrying 2 kids and their gear across hot sand......The less the better. You get my drift.

If you get off of the boardwalk the rentals are cheaper, and there are many nice family owned apartments. We did this when the kids were 7-10 or so. You can cook your own meals and save money. The downside is having to cross Philadelphia and/or Baltimore Ave.'s. But it's not too bad..

August is still prime time in O.C. so it is still jumping and prices are still pricey.

I am biased toward the boardwalk. The kids love the game rooms and the atmosphere. The closer you are to the inlet the busier the boardwalk. It is a carnival-like atmosphere at Trimper's, and the kids love it as well.

Some people swear that uptown is better, and I'm sure you'll get posts from that vantage point. Like I said, I know zero about uptown!!

You will have a great time. I have for 30+ years, since I was a kid. Most in this forum seem to be like me, and return year after year!!

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Hope this helps some. Alot depends on how close to the "action" you want to be. If you stay down towards the boardwalk,,it is noisy, and congested...but you are close to everything and can more than likely walk about everyplace you go. If you stay up further, you will have less noice, and less congestion..but you will need to take the bus, or drive. Depends on how much you plan to do..Rides are quite pricey as are the carnival games they have.

I prefer a condo, that has a full kitchen, where you can at least prepare some breakfast, snacks etc. I have never been a fan of hotels..

If you stay down by the boardwalk, you have quite a long walk to the beach..the further up you go..the shorter the walk thru the sand. again, that is up to each person,,I know when i had little ones...dragging all the stuff you need can be an inconvience..

Parking, depends on time of day... Inlet normally has plenty of parking.(noromally) and i believe it is $2.00 an hour or maybe it is for 1/2 hour.... or if you are lucky you can park on a side street for FREE.. We did go down 4th of July week, and on the Sat June 30, we went to park at the inlet, and there were NO open spots! Lots of people park there and go to the beach,

Advice. Take your own, umbrella, sand chairs. they are quite pricey to rent each day. We have a condo on 52nd street. and we love that location.It is somewhat quieter. BUT you have to drive or take the bus to the boardwalk. But our kids are all grown, so we dont do the boards to much anyway. Almost anyway you stay along the strip. you can find some stores, mini golf, restaurants that are within walking distance. Hope this isnt too lenghty, and does help you.!! Have a wonderful time...I too have been going to OC for the last 35 years!! It can be pricey...but taking some food does help.

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We've been going to OC for years. We just returned from a week stay in June. My wife and I have a 5 year old daughter and we had a great time.

As far as places to stay and location, I would recommend Park Place Hotel on 3rd street. It's not cheap but real nice and the location is perfect. If your kids are like most they will want to spend alot of time at trimpers rides which is only about a 4 or 5 block walk down the boardwalk. There are play things like slides and swings on the beach which is FREE ( a word you don't hear much in OC ) that my daughter loved. Also a playground on 4th street a couple of blocks toward the bay. Nice entertainment for kids and again FREE.

Also, Park Place has Conner's Cafe which is a good place to eat and reasonable for OC.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

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I appreciate all your comments. I new I'd get some valuable tips.

mkandy
"Easy access to the beach during the day and the boardwalk at night when trying to juggle little ones and all their gear." YES!! U know what I'm talking about. I'm assuming we'd be fine up to 20th street.
Park Place sounds good but very pricey. Boardwalk area would be perfect I would hate to take the car from point a to point b. I'd prefer to walk.

mommom
I appreciate long posts it shows me that you really care about helping others.
Just a quick question to your post "We have a condo on 52nd street. and we love that location. It is somewhat quieter." Are there life guards @ this area and is the beach taken care of?

dours
Things like slides and swings on the beach which is FREE is exactly what we need. Wouldn't of know without ur post, many thanks on that tip. :)

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Although it can be quite convenient to stay on or near the boardwalk, it is quite pricey and can be quite loud - lots of teenagers hanging out. We prefer uptown near "condo row." There are plenty of activities and restaurants nearby. There are hotels that offer play equipment on the beach for kids, as well as free childrens activities such as clowns, arts & crafts, pirate treasure hunts, etc.

Our family would much prefer to brave the traffic to the boardwalk one night during our visit and stay in a calmer, quieter location the rest of the week. We like to go miniature golfing one night, Jolly Rogers one night, go carts & crabs one night....stuff like that.

By the way, the beaches have lifeguards the entire length of Ocean City so uptown, downtown or midtown all have guarded beaches.

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You wouldn't necessarily need to stay in a condo to be able to cook your own meals. Many of the hotels have kitchenettes with stove & fridge. Like the Comfort Inn on 5th street. (staying there in Sept!!!)

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Renee
"beaches have lifeguards the entire length of Ocean City so uptown, downtown or midtown all have guarded beaches."
Thank you couldn't find that mentioned anywhere sounds like all the areas are unique and well managed. Ur right about the boardwalk being pricey YIKES!
Any hotel/condo recommendations?

sassyvega
"Many of the hotels have kitchenettes with stove & fridge"
Yes I noticed that. There so many hotel/condos to choose from which makes it even more difficult.

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Something with a kitchen is nice most condos have them and some hotles offer rooms with stoves and refrigarators.
We have always liked staying on the boardwalk it is alot easier with kids going to the beach instead of trying to carry everything to the beach.
You will not need parking if you stay on the boardwalk but if you dont you will have to park at the inlet(easiest spot) I dont know the prices since we stay on the boardwalk.
Any other advice would be to look at the restuarant section of forum and learn what places to stay away from, other than that have a good time.

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We have always stayed on the boardwalk as well, except this year. This year we are staying on 51st & Beach. So we can still walk to and from the beach for lunch/restroom breaks, and enjoy it from our balcony at night. We decided to stay up there to save on money and we kinda booked last minute and didn't have many options for the week we could go. But we saved a lot on the condo, not to mention what we will save not being on the boardwalk every night. But I've never stayed up that far, so I/we may not like it.

Try the Decatur House on 12th & Boardwalk, thats were we stayed for 10+ years. They offer oceanfront and ocean view, and the oceanview still has a very good view of the ocean & boardwalk. Most are rented through Century 21 & Coldwell Banker. 205 is very nice, thats where we stayed most years. All floors 205-210 are the oceanfront rooms. Oh and the kitchen is a big deal. When my parents starting taking us to OC, we only ate out 1 night while there. My parents cooked all of the other meals in the condo. A very big money saver. Goodluck, and you may not know it yet but your starting a family tradition this year. You and your family will love it.

http://www.century21newhorizon.com/rental/alpha.html

http://www.cbvacations.com/vacationrentals/searchprop.asp

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Ok, I throw my 2 cents in here...

First let me say that I agree with most of what mkandy posted, expcept the part about crossing the highway with your kids, chairs, umbrella, sand toys, towles, blankets, snacks ect, ect, ... IMO it IS a big deal! True you can save a few bucks by staying a street back, but is it worth the torture?

It IS August, which is prime time, everything is going to be pricey. The boardwalk is generally more expensive than uptown, but you have to watch because some of those condos in the north end of town can be pretty expensive too.
I, also am biased to the boardwalk, to me you can't beat the convience of it, you can walk right out of your place to shops, restaurants, & amusements. and not have to worry about your kids and the traffic. AND I would not worry about the noise of the boardwalk like another poster stated. You have 2 kids- you ARE the ones making the noise!:) + if you stay any where from 9th st, on up it's really pretty calm. Also, with kids that age, chances are they are going to be so beat from playing on the beach all day that by 10:00 you'll all be ready to turn in for the night. The later the night gets, the family traffic decreases, and the teenagers seem to gain the majority, but there are cops EVERY where, on foot, in cars, on bikes, even on horseback! If there is ever any trouble it is dealt with almost instantly.

I have been vacationing in OC for 36yrs, I have 5 kids I've stayed all over - hotels on and off the boards, same with condos, both have +'s & -'s but I would say a hotel w/kitchen is hard to beat, with a condo you need to pack all the same things you normally take to a hotel, plus - sheets, blankets, pillows, towels & paper products. Condos in season generally rent by the week, and start on the weekend, where as hotels rent any day of the week and if you want to do 6 or 8 day stays you'll have that option. Also when you are checking out, all you do with a hotel is go to the front desk, when you rent a condo, you have to clean it before you leave, and then get in your car, & drive to the reality to turn in your key.

Remember this is just "MY" point of view, good luck and have a great vacation!

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