I have just returned from my week long vacation with my family. This year we decided to take a few days and head to The Jersey Shore. Wildwood to be exact. Then a few days in Atlantic City. But I'll save that part of the trip for my next review.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Okay, getting to Wildwood NJ is very simple. If you can get to the Garden state Parkway just take it to exit 4b (or 6 if you want North Wildwood). From Long Island New York it took us about 3 1/2 hours with no traffic. Not a bad car trip to have with a teenager and a infant.

When we arrived at Wildwood the first thing I noticed is all the hotel/motels are not common ones (Holiday Inn, Hilton, ect.) But I had made reservations at a AAA approved. I just had to bite my lip and hope is was going to be okay. Well I have to say I was impressed. We stayed at Heart of Wildwood Motel. The rooms were kept very clean and tidy. They seem to have just remodeled the rooms and everything was new and had been freshly painted. The pool was kept clean as well as the deck around it.

The only negative thing I would say was they needed to use a fabric softner on the towels, they were a bit hard. The price was not to bad, they offer a large range depending on the time of year you go and type of room you want. We went in season and requested 2 double beds that was $120 a night. If we wanted a crib it was a extra charge so I brought my portable playpen. But every room has a mini fridge at no extra charge.

THE BEACH

The beach was real nice but a bit of a walk to get out to the water. Be sure to wear shoes as the sand is hot even with sandals on. ouch!! The water was pretty wild while we were there. But all in all the beach was kept clean.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

So your not into the beach or just can't take to much of it? Well then your like me. There are so many more things to do. Wildwood has a boardwalk that goes for several miles. There you can find arcades, shops, eateries, card readers, candy stores and much more. They also have 2 Water Parks and lots of amusement rides for all ages. I will say we spent a lot of the time in the arcades at the pool and at the go-carts. Me and my daughter did manage to sneak away from the guys to do some shopping. They also have from 7am to 11am bike rentals for about $7 for the 4 hours. which was a lot of fun.

You can visit www.wildwoods.com and request a copy of their calendar to see all the different events they have going on. Most of the things seem to be weekend events but they are interesting.

BOTTOM LINE

It is a bit expensive to go on all the rides, but they do offer a pay one price special. Bring a good pair of walking shoes. You will be doing a lot of it. But they do offer a tram that you can ride if you get to tired. And bring lots of sun block. We definitely had a great time and would think of going back. We stayed for 3 days, I don't think we would have needed more time unless we were big into beach.