Trip Report

A friend and I had another nice stay in Virginia Beach at Memorial Day! We stayed at the Sandcastle Resort (though I don%26#39;t think it lives up to being called a ';resort'; it met our needs just fine) and the free continental breakfast each morning is a nice perk. We really enjoyed our room%26#39;s oceanfront balcony and the hotel%26#39;s proximity to the pier. We loved the wide, clean beach for walking, and the boardwalk (busy with pedal cars and roller bladers) for people watching.

We had crabcake sandwiches at Ocean Eddie%26#39;s on the pier for lunch, which come with nice crispy fries and a dill pickle. They have good frozen drinks and desserts too. I had the triple chocolate mousse--yum.

We had a terrific dinner at Waterman%26#39;s one evening. The valet parking made me think it would be ridiculously expensive, but really their prices were in line with other seafood restaurants there and the food was very, very good. (Way better than the seafood buffet we tried the evening before.) I had the fried seafood platter with jumbo shrimp, succulent scallops and an especially delicious crab cake. Too bad I had no room left for the mashed potatoes and hush puppies, let alone dessert. I appreciated the nice ambience and service, and was impressed by how many of their tables offer an ocean view.

I also booked a spa package at Salon @ 31, and for $150 I got 2 hours of bliss--a facial, swedish massage, spa pedicure, shampoo and style--all wonderful and worth every penny. They even brought me a complimentary glass of wine while I had my pedicure! Ahhh....

We took in a movie (Night at the Museum 2) at the AMC theatres in Lynnhaven Mall, where they have a theatre with an IMAX screen. It was probably not worth the extra money to see it in IMAX when the movie didn%26#39;t seem to have been filmed to take advantage of the IMAX experience, but the extra large screen and stadium seating are nice.

From our balcony we watched people parasailing, and I decided I wanted to try it. We went to Rudee Inlet Parasailing, the ones with the smiley face parasails. It was so much fun, and it felt very safe and easy, not scary at all! It was worth it to me to buy the photo package, since the first mate is in the best position to take pictures of your elated face as you lift off, float on air, and gently land again. Then once you%26#39;re safely back on the boat, he hands you the SD memory card with about 25 pictures of you having the time of your life!

We had hoped to visit the new exhibit at the Aquarium, but it didn%26#39;t open on schedule, so we%26#39;ll have to come back to Virginia Beach again for that someday! :)

Trip Report

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