This should be fun. This resort is in my hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia. This resort gives you beachfront access and I look forward to staying on the beach.
Video by Interval International
Day One Travel & Arrival at Diamond Resorts Beach Quarters Resort
Virginia Beach is one of the safest beach towns in the country. The only time when it has had problems has been on a college beach week. Most of the year, including summer, the beach has a very low rate of crime or issues. This is not true with many beach communities. I say this as a local, and someone who has lived in the area for most of my life.
I am mentioning this because it is something you do not often think about with vacations but should. I remember in the 1970s when traveling with my Grand Parents my grandfather would always go and get traveler’s checks. These were in the days before credit card use. The big draw for traveler’s checks was the added security. The money you put on traveler’s checks was insured. So, if your checks were stolen, you could get the money replaced in a few hours. One of the reasons was the amount of theft that does happen in many tourist areas.
In tourist areas, you have a lot of hospitality jobs, and businesses. In addition, you also have a good deal of theft and non-violent crime. Often crimes of opportunity. People often relax their attention when they travel. This means they leave things on the beach, near the pool, or in unlocked cars more than they would do at home. Fast hands can then take advantage. When you travel, take some time to pay attention and take a few extra steps to be safe.
Yes, traveler’s checks are still available, but because of credit and debit cards, almost no one uses them. There are still other steps you can take before you travel.
Make a copy of your credit card numbers. I like to email my credit card numbers to myself without the expiration date or the verification number on the card. I do this so if I lose my wallet or the cards themselves, I can quickly call the issuing bank and cancel the card. Just make sure to also document the phone number on the back of your card as well. That is the best number to report the lost or stolen card to.
Do your research where you are going. Even when you are going to a pretty safe vacation town like Virginia Beach, get to know the location of where you are staying ahead of time, and use Google Maps or Google Earth to look around first and get to know the lay of the land.
When you are leaving anything in your room or even on the beach, take steps to secure your personal items. Always lock your car doors, keep items out of plain sight, and secure any property you can. In tourist towns, most stolen items are those of opportunity. You leave something out in the open like a wallet tucked into a shoe and it might not be there when you return.
One thing I like the idea of and use as a frequent traveler is a lockable security bag. These are cut-resistant bags that have small strong locks intended to attach to furniture in hotel rooms, or in your car, to secure your personal items. The idea is not to make things theft-proof but to slow down or prevent crime by making your items a hard target.
Now if you look at towns to visit, Virginia Beach has a great safety track record. Other than a few times when massive amounts of fraternities decided to all stay in a single week, there have not been many issues at the beach. It is one of the calmer beach communities you will find. The oceanfront itself here is pretty built up, with major hotels all up and down the boardwalk area. The entire boardwalk is well-maintained and monitored. Some places I go when I travel there are sections of the beach that are much more run down than anywhere in Virginia Beach. The oceanfront here has enough large hotels and resorts that the infrastructure is also well maintained. This means you do not have a section of the main part of the beach that feels sketchy. Most other beach towns seem to have at least one run-down area.
Both the boardwalk and the beach road here are clean and safe. Which makes them nice to walk. You can walk either to restaurants or local shops without issues or concerns. That just feels nice.
I drove to the resort, which for me was like a 20-minute drive. That counts as the best mini vacation, yet that was not a stay vacation commute. The resort is right on the beach with the boardwalk. You also see a number of rental bikes from the indoor pool area. That is because riding a bike here is a pleasure. While we do get hot weeks in July and August, the early summer, Spring, and fall months are great.
For beach weather, you likely want to come from April -June, skip July and August if you do not like the heat. Then enjoy September as your last beach month if you want to make sure you can get in the water. If you love the beach for the scenery, restaurants, and pace of life. The entire fall is nearly dreamlike. In October, most years you get perfect weather for the first few weeks. Great weather to ride a bike, take long walks on the beach, and so on. Also, as late as October Busch Gardens and other attractions in the area are still open and ready for guests.
In the winter, the beach does get cold at times mostly Jan and Feb, but there is Christmas town at Busch Gardens, and the holiday lights in Williamsburg. Most years there is also a drive-through light show in Virginia Beach. All of those are amazing Holiday things that draw large happy crowds.
Villa Amenities
- Balcony/Porch
- Blender
- Cable TV
- Coffee Maker
- Dishwasher
- Ice Maker
- In-Room Safe
- Microwave
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Stove/Range
Then the resort itself offers all of these options.
Resort Amenities
- Free WiFi
- Outdoor Pools
- Fitness Center
Recent Reviews
Stayed in a studio king suite Great location on the beach! loved the views from the balcony. The front desk staff was really helpful & nice! Liked the outdoor pool that goes to 6ft with nice views on each side of the hotel. Didn’t get to try the indoor pool but looked nice as well! The room was stocked with complimentary supplies such as dish soap, sponge, paper towels, dish drying rack, laundry detergent pack, face wipes, soap face bar/ shampoo, tissues, juice pitcher, salt & pepper, cutting board, dish towels, silverware + few dishes, coasters, little table for 2 with placemats, full-sized mirror hanging up, laundry basket with 2 pool towels, broom & dust pan. & the usual iron & board, ice bucket, microwave, toaster, coffee maker with coffee grinds sugar & filters, hair dryer. The desk across from check-in has coupon books, a VA beach guide, & you even get a little card a paper of certain places you can get money off for staying at Beach Quarters provided free to you (food places, activities) Free Wi-Fi. The building was a little outdated & needs touch-ups of walling & ceiling atop of shower in the room I stayed in. The front of the hotel to get to the room door is outdoors but covered halfway so no one can fall, was nice seeing views of the city side outside your room. The parking garage is a little small going up or down the levels is a little tricky but for a small area & free parking, you can’t complain about the Ice machine, & soda machines on every floor and snack machine downstairs. The gym had really nice machines! Treadmill facing the water and an outdoor area with chairs through the fitness room & also a lounging area inside with a couch. The hot tub was closed due to covid most likely :/ the sauna was opened for use though. Stations with a disinfectant wipe off every elevator. If you need something extra, you can text to have it delivered like sheets, towels, etc. they don’t do daily housekeeping due to covid but that wasn’t a problem for us. Outlets on the lamps by the bed were convenient. Overall was a great stay with no problems. I will definitely stay here again.
Perfect location, and a lovely suite with a kitchenette and a wide balcony with a full ocean view. All spaces were very clean and comfortable. Helpful and friendly staff. Will be going back often.
Perfect location, beachfront property with full ocean view in every single unit. Parking is in the building, which is very convenient. We come here almost every year in the past 25 years during the 4th of July week.
We had a fabulous stay here! Very clean! The staff was great. They went above and beyond. Great location. Easy access to the beach.
It was an excellent price and I can see how great and convenient it would be in summer. The front desk was great. It could be modernized with decor. The other guys that told me about diners and hotspots were great too just forgot what you call them. I will be back plus it’s close to highways, just a lot of one-ways, so keep eye on the road while in the area.
Great view, an awesome bed, a great restaurant, and super cold beers. Friendly staff. The stage below with live music. Great time.
Day Two Beach & Boardwalk
I started the day with breakfast at Sunnyside Cafe and Restaurant which is just across the street from the resort. The early morning temperatures were, so I ate out on the patio. I enjoyed an omelet and some pancakes. It was a big breakfast but I do not eat breakfast much when I am at home, so eating a nice breakfast on vacation seems like a treat. The food here is good and the staff is friendly. This is a busy place in season, but the hosts must have heard my big restaurant staff tips. They estimate the wait for the table at 20 minutes but had me sit for about 4 minutes. I used to train hosts to do that because people love it when you exceed their expectations for a table. Also, when you are standing and waiting, time seems to stop, and waits seem longer.
Next, I headed back to the resort and then to the beach. The beach at Virginia Beach is fairly wide because they replenish the sand in sections every few years. This helps it recover from North Eastern storms or hurricanes. The boardwalk is also wide, which allows for bikes and people to share the space and enjoy the boardwalk together.
As part of our Active Transportation Network, the City of Virginia Beach has over 169 miles of paved bike and pedestrian transportation routes that are classified within the Active Transportation Plan as follows: Shared Use Paths. Protected Bike Lanes. Sidepaths.
The Virginia Beach Boardwalk was built with cyclists in mind. With separate biking and walking paths, cyclists can ride their beach cruisers along the coast without having to dodge pedestrians or cars.
At 3 miles in length, The Virginia Beach Boardwalk is a 28-foot wide marvel that stretches from 2nd to 40th Street. This path connects you to all the best the beach has to offer.
Day Three Leaving the Beach
When you are in Virginia Beach, you are close to many interesting places to visit and enjoy. Within about 2 hours, you can be in Colonial Williamsburg, Bush Gardens, Historic Jamestown, tour the Yorktown Battlefields, or out enjoying some of the best fishing in the world.
Since I am from this area, you would think that I have been there done that. But I do love so many of the local activities that it is great to be able to get out for a day from my work and go and see some of my favorite spots.
If you love theme parks, then consider a day trip to Williamsburg and Bush Gardens. Open from Spring through fall, then also open for special sessions as Christmas town during the Holiday season. This is a great amusement park for the whole family. Bush Gardens is themed after European countries and organized into a giant circle. This way you can journey from one land to the next and visit themed rides, games, food, shows and more than you travel around the park.
I can’t count how many times I have been. As a local, I have held a season pass for about 10 years of my life. Doing so, I would go at least 4-5 times a year during those years. Then most other years I have gone at least once a year. There was a period when my stepfather’s company had a corporate pass and that would get me and 3 friends into the park, and also came with concert tickets and great seats. So, for those years I would not only go to the park, I would also see bands live at the park. Even if you are not a diehard fan of a group, being a 3rd-row center is still remarkable.
This is one of the best theme parks in the country and the European theme works well and gives you access to some amazing rides and fun. Also, do not miss the shows here they are top-notch.
If you want a great vacation in Virginia Beach, this is a wonderful resort to stay at. Just make sure to book through Tzort.
