July 19, 2004

12:20 PM

I'm trying to plan a weekend in Wildwood, New Jersey next month for my boyfriend and I. I've never been there but I have a friend who is spending the summer there, and we're going down to visit her. She's given me the numbers of a few places to stay, and I've looked online and it seems like everything I come across are retro motel-type places. This is fine, but I wanted to know if there's any place out there that's better than the others, or if there's any specific place that I should definitely stay away from. I'm just looking for a place to stay that's comfortable, safe and clean.
posted by AlisonM to (4 comments total)

Check with some of the condo/apartment rental places. A good search would be "wildwood weekend rental" or "wildwood property rental" or "jersey shore rental" ... the rates vary from reasonable to absurd depending on a lot of things, but you can usually find something decent. I agree that a lot of the hotels that are there are either roach farms or chains, and neither are fun to stay in.
posted by SpecialK at 1:28 PM on July 19, 2004

I'm actually moving to Cape May County soon. While I can't give you an insider's perspective yet, this is what I've found out in my research:
Wildwood itself is apparently kind of seedy, and seems to be the highest-crime area in the county. Most of the other barrier island towns (Avalon, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle City, Strathmere) are fairly nearby and a bit nicer (unless the seedy quality is what you're looking for, but it sounds from your question like that's not the case), but more expensive.
It's cheaper to stay inland, so if you're going to be hanging out at a friend's beach place, you might as well stay in Rio Grande or Cape May Court House.
Alternatively, if you don't mind driving a little (like 15 minutes), the town of Cape May is lovely, very clean, right on the ocean, and safe. They just re-opened an old beach hotel called Congress Hall that is really beautiful. Also, there're more B&Bs than you can shake a stick at.
posted by willpie at 2:51 PM on July 19, 2004

Willpie's probably got your ticket right there... Thinking back, I remember *driving* to wildwood as a kid, but never actually staying there... actually, IIRC, we stayed in Dewey Beach, across the sound in Delaware, and took the ferry across when we went to the boardwalk.
posted by SpecialK at 6:03 PM on July 19, 2004

Thanks guys - we probably will end up staying in Cape May or somewhere on the outskirts. I don't mind driving, and you're right - I'm trying to stay away from the seediness :)
posted by AlisonM at 7:03 AM on July 20, 2004