We began our trip down to NMB at 2:00 am, we arrived 14 hours later. I-95 to Rt 40 to 17. Not too bad with some congestion in Virginia and N. Carolina. and a couple of stops. Our ride home was another story...15 hours and we still weren%26#39;t home yet! Terrible trafffic on I-95 from Virginia to NY! Mistake was not leaving earlier than 5:30am from NMB. I also didn%26#39;t realize that it was the beginning of college for many students!
We stayed at the Ashworth and our 3 Bdrm condo was beautiful!! What a view also! We were extremely happy and comfortable there. It was better than we expected. Kids had fun going up the block for pizza and ice cream. We rented thru Century 21-Thomas and when we arrived there at 4:00, our unit was ready. Unfortunately for others staying at the Avista, their condos weren%26#39;t ready and the tempers were flaring up in the office. I was so glad the Ashworth condo was ready!! We unpacked and headed for Krougers (which is by far the cheapest gracery store), Boullini%26#39;s IGA (in Cherry Grove or Little River , I%26#39;m not sure) is a beautiful store, but over priced.
We spent our days at the beach mostly and going out at night or late afternoon. We bought an umbrella and two more chairs to add to our 1 chair and umbrella. It was so hot, you needed shade on the beach! The weather was perfect! Only one day with off and on showers so we opted for shopping at the Tanger Outlets. Very good deals there for us! We ate at the Olive Garden, River City Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Giant Crab Seafood Buffet and then some fast food places. All places has very good food. Barefoot landing was really nice as was Broadway at the Beach. It was hot, so we shopped in all the air conditioned stores. We went to the Aquarium at BATB (which seemed a little small, but was good) and the 3D-Max theatre (didn%26#39;t feel it was worth the money, we went to the shark movie and felt like we just watched the discovery channel).
The guys went fishing off the Cherry grove pier. Cost $6.00 each to fish with your own poles, $16.00 if you wanted to rent. They didn%26#39;t catch anything, but had fun watching the others catch fish, even a small shark.
We went to two miniature golf place and had lots of fun there too!
Our family really enjoyed our first trip to MB/NMB and would love to return! It was very relaxing and we found that you can go at your own pace with your days and nights. The only bad part was our return ride home and unpacking!! Thanks again to everyone for suggestions, they were very helpful.
Trip Report 8/18 - 8/25
Thanks for your TR! I%26#39;m glad your family enjoyed the stay.
Trip Report 8/18 - 8/25
No matter where we stay, we never really expect the unit to be ready early. Most times it is. If it isn%26#39;t we just look at it as it%26#39;s our fault for being early. Most places will allow early check-in. Just can%26#39;t get in room. Gives you access to pools and rest rooms while you wait.
We usually stay in Cherry Grove and do most of our shopping at Boulineau%26#39;s. Yeah it%26#39;s a bit higher in price but takes less time than driving out to Rt 17 or down to Main Street. More time on the beach is more important than saving a few dollars.
dont scare me. we%26#39;ll be checking into the avista on tuesday 9/4 for our first ever trip to mb/nmb. havent heard anything bad about the avista, please dont start now.
I doubt if you%26#39;ll have any problems. Avista is a very nice place. Only bad review I%26#39;ve ever heard about it had to do with not enough cabinet space in bathroom. Very minor problem.
Check-in is a hit or miss no matter where you stay. More often than not it goes very smoothly.
Another thing to consider is you%26#39;ll be going after school has started. Should be much less crowded. Read somewhere the other day that last week was most crowded week of the season. Could have had a lot to do with slow check-in. Week you%26#39;re going there should be fewer people checking in.
Just in case, go in with an open mind. If you can%26#39;t get into room, ask if you can have access to pool while you wait. Chances are they will say OK.
If by some chance you can%26#39;t, there%26#39;s a public beach access just a couple blocks to the south. Public restrooms. Spend the time walking on beach or walking along Main Street. Enjoying the area is much better than stewing at check-in office.
Have you checked out Avista%26#39;s web cam? You can play with it this week while you wait for trip to begin.
http://avistaresort.com/webcam.html
Oh my Goodness!!! I surely didn%26#39;t mean to scare or upset anyone. I was just glad that our condo at the Ashworth was ready and we could go straight there and not wait like some others. This was at 4:00pm and I%26#39;m sure the people waiting had just driven a long time and were tired and frustrated. It clearly states on the contract that while they try to geet people checked in at 3:00, delays can happen. We walked past the Avista on the beach and it looked like a great resort. I%26#39;m sure you will have a wonderful time there. Sorry if my post upset you.
Pop, yes, the IGA is closer to Cherry Grove, but for us, Kroogers was closer and us being on a budget meant that we appreciated the cheaper prices. Like I said, the IGA is a beautiful store. Unfortunately, my husband went there hungry and with their hot foods and their deli items, (like I%26#39;ve never seen before in a grocery store) we ended up spending a good penny. Word to the wise...don%26#39;t go there hungry! LOL!
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