We were looking to go away to nice vacation spot at the water. With my wife pregnant, we didn't want to leave the U.S., and Florida was out due to risk of Zika. That is how we decided to travel to VA Beach.
We left on a Sunday morning, stopping first to buy food for the 7-hour drive. It was a very enjoyable drive down.
In order to get to our destination, we had to pass through a magnificent Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel.
Day 1-Sunday
We arrived Sunday late afternoon to our hotel; Holiday Inn VA Beach - Oceanside.
We choose this hotel due to its proximity and private entrance to the beach. All rooms have a private balcony which was a must for us. We also looked for a room that has a kitchen, so we can eat comfortably in our room, but when we arrived, we found out that only the king suite has a kitchen. The room was clean, as the reviews had said. It was a bit small which was fine as we spent of the time on the balcony or outside. We had requested a quiet room and received one on the 12th floor.
After settling in we went for a late evening stroll on the boardwalk. One of the things I liked about this boardwalk, was the separate pavements for bikes and pedestrians, so when taking a walk, we were not constantly stopped by bikers. The beach and boardwalk were well maintained and very clean.
As there aren't any kosher restaurants in VA Beach, we brought along all our food in 2 huge ice boxes. When we wanted to eat supper, we took an out the double wrapped frozen restaurant meals (I bought them from a takeout in Brooklyn) and microwaved them. We brought along plastic ware and cutlery as well. In order to keep the ice box cold we replaced the ice every day from the ice machine. We
would back and forth from the ice machine to our room until the ice box was fill. It's a miracle the ice didn't use up...
Day 2-Monday
Early morning, after watching sunrise, I set out on a 45-minute drive to the nearest minyan. The Bnei Israel Congregation of Norfolk is the nearest shul, located in Norfolk VA. Although the drive is long it was pleasant as there is no traffic early morning.
After breakfast we set out on our first trip in VA Beach; Ruddy’s Dolphin Tours (
www.rudeetours.com), $22 per adult. We took the 11am one so we should still have time to spend on the beach. The tour company promised to give you another free ride if no dolphins are spotted. Dolphins are very common in VA Beach, and we were very excited to see them. The trip turned out to be awesome. The captain steered to the regular places where the dolphins hang out, and boy were they jumping around! They came very close to the boat and even swam alongside us for a while. There were loads of dolphins out and we enjoyed every second!
When we came back, we went to buy some beach gear. Plenty of cheap stores dot the Avenue. We bought sunglasses, flip flops and colorful beach towel. Before going down to the beach, we filled our small ice box with ice, water bottles and soda.
The beach was awesome. It is extremely clean and has plenty of lifeguards. They rent chairs and beach umbrellas, but we decided against it. We sat in the sand, swam a bit and headed up to start the supper process.
Day 3-Tuesday
We decided to dedicate Tuesday to the beach. We drove out to Walmart, bought chairs and an umbrella (for cheaper than it would have been to rent for a day) and some water bottles as the hotel charged $2 a bottle. The weather was beautiful, and we really enjoyed our time by the sea.
Day 4-Wednesday
We awoke to sunrise. Watching it from our balcony, in the cool morning air, was breathtaking. We laid back down for a quick nap. After eating breakfast, we left for a cruise that passes through a naval base (
www.misshamptoncruises.com) $24 per adult. We saw many warships, battleships, hospital ships, guard ships and much more. The tour guide was knowledgeable, informative and funny. He described each ship's purpose and the battles it had fought in.
After that it made a stop on Fort Wool, a civil war era fort. (They only make the stop weather permitting as it is difficult to get to the Fort in bad weather) The fort hasn’t been touched and has many interesting sites, such as cannon shooters and watchtowers. We both enjoyed it and is a great idea for anyone who enjoys history or military.
It was a very windy day and the waves were quite wild, so we did not spend much time on the water.
It was July 4, so at 7:30pm they had a firework show on the water. Many people went down to the beach to be able to see it close, but we stayed in the balcony. Turns out we had an amazing view, as we were high up and didn't have to push through masses of people. The show was really nice and lasted half an hour. Afterwards plenty of people fired their own fireworks and the beach was alive with activity much later than usual.
Day 5-Thursday
We started our last day early. We packed up and checked out early so we can have time to sit on the beach a bit. After loading up the car we asked if we can keep it parked in the lot for a bit longer. They agreed. However, it turned out to be very hot and so we left after not too much longer.
We started the long drive back home. When passing through Delaware we decided to stop for coffee. We stumbled upon a mall which had a Starbucks and many other great stores. We bought plenty of things for cheap and spent 2 hours in the mall. When we got back home it was very late, so we bought supper and sat down thinking about the awesome trip we took
Summary
It was a beautiful trip. We didn’t want to tour around a lot, we preferred to relax on the short vacation break we get from work. The beach was a fantastic place to do that. Even the short trips we took were relaxing and not high pressure. However, there are many other trips one can take such as parasailing, wild boat rides etc. We loved the relaxation and the clear air. Recommended trip for any couple looking for a nice outing!
