Why my weekend in Atlantic City, NJ was my best beach vacation ever

Everyone knows that I have a soft spot for Atlantic City. Especially the part of AC they call “North Beach.”

But what a lot of people may not know is that every summer I choose to spend some of my vacation time in Atlantic City, as opposed to jetting off to a beach vacation elsewhere. Why? Think about it. It is the only true resort beach vacation within driving distance. And it’s just as good, if not better than any other beach destination.

You have the strip of hotels on the boardwalk that kinda makes you feel like you’re in Cancun.

You have the action and the casinos which kinda makes you feel like you’re in Vegas.

You have lazy days on the beach and beach bars at night which makes you feel like you’re in the Caribbean.

And of course, the ocean views and the gourmet restaurants within walking distance, which kinda make you feel like you’re in Europe.

And the stunning beach rivals any beach I have seen anywhere.

We chose the Ocean Resort and Casino because it has all of this and more. This includes everything that I enjoy on vacation: a beautiful clean modern hotel with great energy.

Stunning ocean views from just about every single place you can go in the resort. Service is better than just about any other five-star hotel I’ve been to.

And the food — don’t even get me started. We ate at Dolce Mare, which boasts not only those aforementioned views but has the most incredible seafood I’ve ever had.

In the interest of making this as good as any other vacation we’ve ever had, we decided to take in a show on Saturday night. Hosted by our own Bill Spadea, we were treated to a tribute to Frank Sinatra starring the incredibly talented Michael Martocci, and the legendary comedian, Tom Dreesen, and then we tried our luck in the casino where the energy puts anything in Vegas to shame.

We saw plenty of families with kids there, too. No doubt, those kids were heading either to the indoor/outdoor pool area or maybe even crossing the boardwalk to experience all that Steel Pier has to offer.

The Ocean Casino and Resort is perfectly situated because the North end of the boardwalk has fewer crowds but has great energy nonetheless.

One day, we sat on the beach the entire day, and on another day we treated ourselves to a gorgeous cabana in one of the stunning pool areas. And of course, the beautiful glass railings around the pool area, which allow you to take in the beach views made me feel like we had the best of both worlds.

This summer was kind of a tough one financially. We, like a lot of other New Jerseyans, are trying to adjust to the new increased prices of everything. Staying in the state for our vacation was probably the best decision we’ve ever made. And guess what? Whether you have money to burn or not, a vacation in Atlantic City has everything you need.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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