Hampton Inn Oceanfront North, Virginia Beach...Neptune's Trident Is In Striking Distance
Written: Apr 30 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fresh and new all around. All rooms face the ocean. Free breakfast. Free internet!
Cons: Accessible rooms are somewhat less than accessible. Free breakfasts can be a mixed blessing.
The Bottom Line: The Hampton Inn Oceanfront North in Virginia Beach offers recently renovated rooms and an excellent location.
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| tombarnes's Full Review: Hampton Inn Oceanfront Virginia Beach |
The Hampton Inn Oceanfront North in Virginia Beach began its life about ten years ago as a Days Inn. Fortunately, it has had its Days Inn persona exorcised. The result is an agreeable place to spend a night or two by the pounding surf. As long as your expectations are in line, you should come away from the experience unscathed.
The location of the hotel is particularly good for visitors to the beach, as it sits on the ocean at 32nd Street, just above the iconic, but abominable Neptune statue. I challenge you to find an uglier piece of civic sculpture anywhere. Garden gnomes have more artistic value...Back to your scheduled review...
Lobby
They have done a nice job at brightening what used to be a grim space with skylights and columns of brushed steel. The reception desk even has a sort of fountain running over a steel panel. All in all, a bit more than you might expect from a Hampton Inn.
Room
Our requirements on this trip were sharply circumscribed by the need to have a handicap- accessible room. I had called ahead to make sure that we would have one of these rooms. We were indeed given a room designated as such, but it was a room with two double beds on the fourth floor. While the room had a large bathroom, there were few other features which would recommend it for use by a guest in a wheelchair. We found ourselves back at the front desk in two minutes. As we'd arrived in the early afternoon, we were fortunate to be given another room.
The second room, 201, was a sort of suite. Certanly more spacious than the first, this room offered a sleeper sofa and enough space for a rollaway bed. Once these had been deployed, the sense of space shrank accordingly. Nonetheless, we were relatively comfortable for what was to be a short stay.
For those with an affinity for flat screen televisions, this place won't disappoint. The screen could practically have had its own zip code- more than adequate for watching the news. There was also a desk with ports etc. and adequate lighting for work. Coffee and so forth were also provided.
The balcony was just that a narrow balcony just wide enough for two chairs. No table, but I suppose you could improvise with something or other.
Bath
The baths were also nicely revamped and offered the usual amenities. Unfortunately, for a supposedly accessible room, they weren't up to the task at hand. Namely, the lack of grab bars nearly created a catastrophe. To their credit, the general Manager himself visited the room and apologized for the deficiencies of the room. He said that more bars would be installed the following week.
Dining
The restaurant, Timbuktu is a holdover from the previous administration. I'ts a vaguely Moroccan sort of place and seems to enjoy continued local popularity. We couldn't judge much for ourselves as the place was closed on Monday nights. The restaurants at the Hilton next door, Catch 31and Salacia are an easy walk. Don't miss the outdoor bar area with fire pits- rather neat in a Kon-Tiki kind of way.
We did avail ourselves of the free breakfast in the morning. Coffee. Check. Cereal. Check. Bagels. Check. Various juices. Check. Pre-packaged omelets. Urk. Fruit swimming in sugar syrup.....do not do it...unpleasant results might follow. When the breakfast is included in the price of your room, it might seem curmudgeonly to complain about the quality. If the breakfast is included it should be decent and shouldn't make you ill....
Pool and Fitness
The pool was a small indoor one with a slightly irregular shape. We might have used it except for the presence of a large family (in every sense of the word) who wedged themselves in and didn't leave for hours, only to repeat it all again the following morning.
The fitness room was on the second floor. More of a booth than an extensive fitness room, it still managed to include the requisite machines. An added benefit is that both fitness room and pool are open 24 hours.
Business Canter
In an era of increasing charges whic ostensibly compensate for lower room rates, free internet is a nice benefit. I think there's also free internet in the rooms, but I don't often travel with my own computer, so the trip down to the first floor wasn't onerous. Like the pool and fitness room, the business center is open around the clock- another advantage more hotels should think about offering.
Service
This is a limited-service property, so don't go getting notions about pillow menus and other fripperies. For what it is, this isn't a bad little hotel at all. The staff I encountered were friendly enough, but it's a straightforward sort of place.
Cost
In season (read summer), the value can evaporate faster than your sunblock, but I only paid $149.00 for our room here (the upgrade was complimentary). Considering that this included breakfast for three people, I'd say that this was an exceptional value. The Hilton next door wanted almost $300.00 and didn't have any accessible rooms available. Don't expect bargains during the summer or on weekends, but at most times, this hotel is a decent bargain- especially so when considering that it is in an attractive area of the "strip" of hotels in Virginia Beach.
Hampton Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront North
3107 Atlantic Avenue (at 32nd Street)
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Tel. 757-428-7233
Fax 757-491-1936
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 688
Trusted by: 444 members
About Me:
With Barbara in Miami, 2004
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