We are looking for a good hotel/resort for a week in June north or northwewst of Washington D.C. and within 4 1/2 hours driving distance (since my mother is 85 years old). There will be 14 of us--my mother, her 5 middle-aged children and three husbands, and 5 teenage (16-19 years old) grandchildren. We are looking for a nice place (so expensive is fine) that has a variety of activities in the area (beach or mountain) to keep us all active and happy. Meals included is fine, although they need to be pretty good-we were not crazy about the quality of food at the Homestead. Any suggestions?
June family get together in Jersey/Delaware coast or Poconos/Catskills
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Normally I would suggest you consider Rehoboth, Delaware, which is 130 miles east of Washington. There are no inclusive resorts there that I know of but a variety of hotels...look at the Boardwalk as one possibility; certainly plenty of restaurants of decent quality but you'd have to walk/drive to them. The town is considerably quieter than nearby Ocean City which is much larger in size.
You may want to check Shawnee on the Delaware in the Poconos. The Poconos are a love hate relationship you either have dated properties or mega gambling resorts and finding a "nice" place is tough. They exist but you may have to do research. Yes I grew up next to the Poconos. As mentioned the Rehoboth/Dewey/Bethany Beach area is laid back and you can drive the kids to Ocean City for boardwalk, etc. I've going there for 25 years and owned a home in So Bethany for a while. Try Sea Colony in Beathany. Contact the Visitors Bureau as they are quite good. I have only camped in the Catskills and love it. My new favorite place to get away.
Hope this helps.
The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs WV outranks all of the other places mentioned. It is 4 hours from DC. http://www.greenbrier.com/
Presidents have stayed there. During the Cold War there was a plan to have the US government there in case of nuclear war.
I love Skytop in the Poconos for family gatherings. I don't like the food at the Homestead either. I think Skytop's food is better but I wouldn't call it gourmet. The Greenbriar's food is supposed to be wonderful but friends have complained that the "tone" of the place has changed since the addition of gambling.
The Greenbriar is not a bad idea; it's not quite northwest, but it is up! I did check out Skytop, which looked like a slightly rustic (on purpose) version of the Homestead; good to know that Skytop's food is better than that at the Homestead.
I would suggest Ocean City, New Jersey. It's a great family resort with nice beaches and a fun boardwalk.
There are many condos and houses for rent or you could stay at one of the motels in town.
Ocean City is also nice because it's about 20 minutes from Atlantic City, 30 minutes from Wildwood and 40 minutes from Cape May.
I would go as late in June as possible for a better chance of nice weather and warm ocean water.
Here's an article about Ocean City from my Web site (it's below the review of Revel):
http://www.MyJerseyShore.com/our-review-of-revel-in-atlantic-city/
Have a great vacation!
Please let us know where you decided to go.
I agree that for a group this size, renting a house in Ocean City, NJ would be a great idea. That way, you could prepare some meals yourself, rather than eat out for every breakfast,lunch, and dinner. The beach there is beautiful, and there's a great boardwalk where all the teens hang out at night. Be aware that restaurants in Ocean City do not serve alcohol. However, you can drink whatever you like in your house, or drive to another town for restaurants that serve. Cape May and Altantic City are each easily visited from OC.
Rehoboth's boardwalk is elbow to elbow in the summer months. I think a house rental in Ocean City NJ is a good idea also.
I would suggest Ocean City, NJ as others have mentioned. We stayed at the Flanders on the boardwalk and it was really nice - more cost effective to rent a house though.
If you choose the Poconos I can suggest Woodloch:
http://www.woodloch.com/
It is a very family friendly environment and it is activities for all age groups. We went last year for spring break and the kids loved it - also saw lots of smiling Grandparents - it is worth looking at - the food is OK - not grand.
Good luck.
If you are still looking for a place for your trip, I would suggest Nemacolin Resort in Pennsylvania, which is about 200 miles from DC. The resort is beautiful and has lots of recreational amenities, and the location is convenient to white water rafting and to the Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water house, which is a real treat. It is pricey but does have something for everyone, from golf, to spas to wine tastings and skeet shooting and equestrian activites.