nyc_boy

Looking for a place to spend a romantic weekend in the Jersey Shore. Willing to pay good money for the right place. The trick is that I don't have a car since I live in the city. Renting a car would be a simple option but driving out of Manhattan on a Friday night is a real pain. Any suggestions for a lovely but carless weekend?

jtp

You narrowed the list (to your advantage) when you said "romantic" Spring Lake is really lovely, some charming Bed and Breakfast (www.bedandbreakfast.com) lets you see the rooms, get prices and at their message board, you can get advice from folks who have actually stayed at whatever site you are interested.
The other option (an addition 2 hours plus) would be Cape May.

vcl

You can get a train from New York Penn Station to Spring Lake, which may be the bed and breakfast capital of New Jersey. If you prefer something larger and more impersonal, trains run to Atlantic City as well.

Ryan

Bay Head may not be a bad spot. There are several B&B's, with the Grenville being the most notable. It is a giant, old Victorian Inn with a fairly decent restaurant. (The Bay Head Gables is another B&B in town.)

The town itself is really nice and the beach is great. The big upside for the beach is that it isn't "day trip friendly" (no real public facilities and restrictions radio/food/drinks) which means it is less crowded than somewhere like Pt. Pleasant.

The best part about the beach is that it doesn't have a boardwalk and generally, the police are pretty calm about people quietly sitting on the beach at night with a bottle of wine and a blanket. For several years I had a house there and my friends and I would hang out on the beach at night, all the time and were never bothered.

The easiet way to get there from NYC is the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line train from Penn Station. Bay Head is the last stop on the line. If you were looking to have a car when there, which isn't required, but a nice option in order to head to a few decent local restaurants (like the Crabs Claw in Lavalette, or Spikes in Pt. Pleasant) then Avis has a location about 1/4 mile from the Pt. Pleasant train station. I believe that Enterprise also has several local offices and they'll pick you up.

As previously mentioned, Spring Lake is also nice and is a fine option. Bay Head is a bit smaller which means the beach is less than a block away from any of the local B&Bs if that is important to you.

Scarlett

Is this another weekend after the Long Island weekend or instead of? I don't know which one to answer!
I think Long Island would be easier to get to from the city, take the train right to the end, Montauk!

screen_name

An excellent choice would be Ocean Grove, NJ. You can take the train from NYC and can have a fabulous carefree weekend without a car. Ocean Grove has a charming Main Street, beautiful beaches (you can rent chairs and unbrellas), shops, restaurants and some low-key entertainment...all within walking distance. You can also rent bikes at the hardware store on Main Street and ride along the beach for miles. Ocean Grove is famous for its Victorian architecture, very similar to Cape May but much closer to home.

Find a hotel or B&B directly on Ocean Avenue and you will think you've died and gone to heaven!!

http://www.oceangrovenj.com/

nyc_boy

Thanks much for the quick response. Spring Lake or Ocean Grove it is.

Merilee_Tucker

The Breakers in Spring Lake is right on the ocean and it houses a good restaurant along with a bar/lounge where there's live music on weeekend nights. There's also a fabulous wraparound porch where you can just sit and watch the ocean. I don't know your travel dates but there's also an outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Third Street is the main street in town and there are many nice shops and restaurants. By the way, it's an easy walk to Third Street from the hotel. For a longer walk you can stroll to the Sandpiper for dinner and then dessert at the News ice cream parlor just a few doors down from there. Ocean Grove is very nice but local law prohibits the sale of alcohol and since you won't have a car you may not want the hassle of getting to a place where you can buy a nice bottle of wine, etc.

SusieQQ

Much better than the Breakers is the Hewiit Wellington. Might be hard to get reservations, though. I haven't been in the Breakers, but I've heard negative reports on the rooms. By the way, the main street is Third Avenue, not street.

Merilee_Tucker

It has been a few years since The Breakers has redecorated their rooms, but they're still in good shape especially The Tower or one of the luxury oceanfront. The Hewitt is pretty, but it's lakeside, not oceanside and that's why I recommended it. It certainly isn't a very long walk from the lake to the ocean, but it is wonderful to be right there. I've been going there for about 16 years and darn if I can't stop saying or writing street, not avenue when it comes to that pretty little town.

screen_name

A previous poster correctly observed the Ocean Grove is a "dry town." If this is of concern to you, rest assured that liquor is nearby. Since Ocean Grove is only one square mile in size, liquor stores, night clubs and restaurants serving are a short walk away in neighboring towns.