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I am feeling land-locked and want to see the ocean so thinking about planning a late September birthday trip for a week or so. Not too people-y, great seafood. I have been to the northwest and gulf coasts but never anywhere else. Budget is negotiable. Just looking for some ideas to get the ball rolling.
Oregon coast.
Newport, Roseburg, etc.
bae’s neck of the woods will show you plenty of ocean too.
I don't remember where you live, but what about the Great Lakes? They're the inland seas.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkytoe
I'm in Colorado but this will be a bit of a splurge trip so either US coast or maybe Mexico/Costa Rica.
Maine.
Tybee can weigh in here, but I was just in Maine with my grandson/DD/DSIL
I think it fits your criteria of.not too people-y and great seafood, especially if you like lobster rolls!
https://visitmaine.com/places-to-go/...s%20and…
We stayed here and liked it:
Official - Colonial Gables Guest Rooms & Cottages on Belfast, Maine Coast
but as you can see, in Maine, this is considered oceanfront, which is a problem for me, what they call oceanfront here.
I grew up with Georgia and Florida sandy beaches, then South Carolina sandy beaches as an adult, so that would be my preference for a beach vacation in September. It is hurricane season so I would not go to Mexico, but I would risk Georgia or South Carolina.
In Beaufort, SC you could get to Hunting Island State Park which is right past the island where we used to live. Or you could also drive down to Hilton Head or Tybee for a change of venue.
Maine is very scenic, and people love Arcadia Park, and September is a good time to go. And of course there is lobster!!
Beaufort and Sea Island are more about shrimp. Culturally, very different places. If you like to swim in the ocean, be aware that great whites have killed people at Hunting Island and in Maine, now, as well. There is a good doc about this on Cape Cod that I just watched, can't remember the name. But it explains it really well and how they are dealing with the dangers. As recently as 10 years ago, when we lived near Hunting Island, there had been no deaths from Great Whites.
I don’t think there’s much beach on the Oregon coast so if you want sand in between your toes, probably that’s not the experience. But I just remember being in Newport looking down on the ocean. Hardly anyone around. And I don’t know about the quality of the seafood. It probably isn’t great.
We stayed in Yachats OR a decade ago. The Oregon coast is beautiful but I recall climbing down steep rocky terrain to get to the sand. Maine sounds intriguing.
The beaches here remind me of Oregon beaches because there is a lock of rock and a lot of climbing down steep rocky terrain. The Bar Harbor beaches look good:Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkytoe
Bar Harbor Beaches - Acadia Region Beaches
There are sand beaches at Ogonquit and some near Portland but they are very crowded and extremely pricey. All of Maine is insanely pricey, actually.
My brother lives on an island off of Portland and people go there for beaches--you have to go on a ferry to get to it. And the beaches there are rocky, too, for the most part. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
If you like body surfing which I used to like in SC, I don't know where you could do that in Maine. My dil had to get a wetsuit for my granddaughter because she is very thin and the water is so cold she was turning blue.
But scenery here is gorgeous to look at, that's for sure.
I always felt that the Great Lakes were not the OCEAN, but they have tides, some waves and sandy beaches. What I liked best was when you came out of the water, the sand just comes off easily, unlike our Maryland ocean beaches where sand sticks to EVERYPLACE on your body! We were on Lake Michigan and loved it, the color, the tide and the gentleness- this was in late august. We didn't swim, though. I don't do much swimming any more...and now when we go to Ocean City we just watch the ocean from the boardwalk like old people! Main water is frigid! Again, went in September, went up to my knees and could not breathe from the cold! It was a state park beach and no climbing down. Some of the Maine beaches have sea walls with ladders to climb down at low tide...
A neighbor is working in Monhegan ME this summer which got me curious about that part of the states.
We lived in Traverse City for seven years. I would go back to Leelanau County to live in a heartbeat.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkytoe
I’ve never been to the Pacific NW so we are going mid-September to the North Cascade loop, Washington. Got the idea from a book detailing the most scenic drives in America… a portion is oceanside. Sounds like you have already done this? Costa Rica is awesome!
I'm a little reluctant to chime in here, because you guys might never let me show my face in the Frugals Forum again, but I've stayed in a couple of REALLY nice places on the water in Maine. They were very expensive then, and are over-the-top expensive now, but if you really wanted to splurge:
https://innbythesea.com/
https://www.blackpointinn.com/
Part of the reason for being frugal is so that you are able to splurge without going into debt! These places look fabulous!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
Alan, please ban rosa from this site!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
hahaha, I have to say those prices make even me, Miss Spendy Pants, gulp,
I should mention that I stayed at those places before the idea of frugality was even on my radar.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
Black Point Inn was in 2004, and I got a special deal due to a somewhat unusual situation. We had booked a week at the Portland Regency, a favorite of ours. We usually stayed at the Regency in the winter for a bargain off-season weekend, and I wanted the indulgence of a whole week in the summer. I booked it 6 months in advance. Two weeks before our stay, I got a notification that the hotel had gone completely non-smoking, which was a dealbreaker for us at the time. I wrote a rather eloquent letter, with my main complaint being that I did not have nearly the same vacation booking options with a two-week notice as I would have had when I made my reservations 6 months prior. I got a call from a manager, who offered me reservations at their sister hotel which still allowed smoking. It was much more expensive, but she gave it to us for the same price. I think it was about $250 per night at the time, pricey in 2004 but not insane.
The Inn by the Sea - I believe it was around $400 per night back in 2007, and we had an entire two-story townhouse setup. Totally indulgent and we had a lovely week. We came home to a leaking oil tank, which had to be replaced, then DH got a broken tooth, we needed some radiator repairs, and my car needed expensive work twice. As I wrote home equity checks for each of these small financial crises (our financial strategy of choice at the time), I said to DH that I was pretty sure we weren't doing this right, that we should have rainy day savings for stuff like this. He said that we did, but it hadn't rained, so we went on a nice vacation with the money, lol. That was like a moment of truth for me, and I started really getting interested in personal finance, reading books, blogs, finding The Simple Living Forum, pushing money into our 401ks, paying down that HELOC, and we were mortgage free by 2011, and both of us able to retire early. It was funny timing, because it was just before the Great Recession began, so we often joked that Rosa stopped recreational shopping and the economy tanked!
Just think what we could have done if we had been smarter at an earlier age!
They are lovely and yes, very spendy. My thing is when we do travel we spend very little actual time in a room so it never makes sense to pay a huge amount.
I am all about luxury hotels with a view.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/di...ian-Skerry.jpg
Six great whites spotted in Harpswell in last two weeks
OMG! We vacationed in Harpswell several years back!! Wow! Where is that photo from? It's a great shot.
You are in for a lovely treat, but I wouldn't call any portion of it really "oceanic." Unless you mean the short portion that's in the Salish Sea (Strait of Juan De Fuca). You'll have to journey further west to see ocean.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugal-one
the photo was on the story about the lobsterman, Corey Hawkes, who saw 6 great whites and took a video but looking at it closer I doubt that was a photo he took? Because he wasn't down there with them, right?
Maine lobsterman captures rare encounter with great white sharks
I guess there are alerts at several of the beaches now. We were supposed to go to Crescent Beach today but weather is not cooperating.
What is so weird to me is how different shark behavior is now than when I was a kid. Here is a picture where the only fatal attack in Maine occurred, off of Bailey's Island. That is where they have seen one this week. But when I was a kid, no way would a shark go into this cove, although I guess that is what they said in Jaw where he goes into that inlet cove where they think it's safe. (This is also a good picture of what a lot of Maine beaches look like.)
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxne....jpg?ve=1&tl=1
Happy to hear. We are not going for ocean views! You are the second person to say this is a good choice. I’m getting excited!Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
Inn By the Sea is just steps away from Crescent Beach. We are beach walkers, not swimmers or sunbathers, but it was a wonderful beach to walk, and at one end, there was a huge meadow absolutely full of goldenrod, native asters, and an incredible number of monarch butterflies! We called it "the Kingdom of the Butterflies." That was 18 years ago, so I wonder if the butterflies are still abundant? If you get there Tybee, you will have to let us know!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
Wow, that sounds like a great project to check out with the granddaughters!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
Tybee: We stayed there in the month of September. The Kingdom of the Butterflies was at the far right end of the beach as you are facing the ocean. That was a long time ago, so for all I know there may be a condo development there now, although I hope not!
Now I am pondering some of the Caribbean islands off Puerto Rico. Have to factor in hurricane season with that locale though.
What about something like the USVI? No passport needed, so that's a plus if you don't have one.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkytoe
Or this cottage in South Haven on Lake Michigan:
Cheerful Cottage Modern Farmhouse, walk to beach! - Cottages for Rent in South Haven, Michigan, United States - Airbnb
Here is the photo of the beach there:
https://a0.muscache.com/im/pictures/...a.jpg?im_w=720
Man, does that look gorgeous!