# Virginia Beach hurricane damage?



## suenmike32 (Oct 13, 2018)

I realize that the V.B. area may have been at the tail-end of Hurricane Michael. But does anyone know how they fared? Staying at Beach Quarters next week and thought I'd check. We were washed out of Myrtle Beach two weeks ago (for the second time) due to hurricanes. I understand that Ocean Watch is still operating at only 30% capacity. Hopefully B.Q. only received rain. Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks


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## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2018)

My good friends who live in Va Beach texted me this after Michael went through: “Well, we got a ton of leaves and lots of small branches everywhere, but did not lose power or anything else. Very lucky, indeed!”

So I think you’ll probably be ok.

Dave


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## suenmike32 (Oct 13, 2018)

Thanks Dave


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## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2018)

I’d double-check with the resort, just in case. 

Dave


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## pedro47 (Oct 13, 2018)

To the OP, you can read how hard Virginia, VA Beach & OBX was hit via. The Virginian Pilot newspaper & The Roanoke local newspaper. 
Trees are down and some places still do not have electricity as of this morning. A tornado touch down in James City County causing 1.8 million dollars in damages. 
Please also read via the internet  WAVY TV & WTKR TV News television stations reports on Hurricane Michael.


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## Bernie8245 (Oct 13, 2018)

We just checked into Beach Quarters today and everything appears normal.


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## Steve Fatula (Oct 13, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> To the OP, you can read how hard Virginia, VA Beach & OBX was hit via. The Virginian Pilot newspaper & The Roanoke local newspaper.
> Trees are down and some places still do not have electricity as of this morning. A tornado touch down in James City County causing 1.8 million dollars in damages.
> Please also read via the internet  WAVY TV & WTKR TV News television stations reports on Hurricane Michael.



Here in Williamsburg, just got power back where I am.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 14, 2018)

Thanks to all that posted. Gonna give resort a call in a day or so. Don't check in till 10/20.


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## Steve Fatula (Oct 14, 2018)

I would call to make sure! Tried to go to Cold Stone, no ice cream, all melted days ago.


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## RNCollins (Oct 15, 2018)

*Hurrcaine Florence Update*
*A Place At The Beach III, Atlantic Beach, NC*

*Posted on their website*
*A Place At The Beach III
October 11, 2018*

*“APATB’s office is currently open and operating under the limited hours of 8am-6pm. The restoration process is in full force and we hope to be back fully operational soon. All affected weeks prior to week 44 may call the resort directly or VRI corporate to exchange into any available week in 2018 or any available week up to week 17 in 2019. We thank everyone for their continued support as we work diligently to return A Place at the Beach back to the best resort on the Crystal Coast!”*


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## suenmike32 (Oct 15, 2018)

Kind of amazing....I've tried to call for 3-4 days all hours of the day....and got a busy signal. Finally called Turtle Cay..(across the street & an associate to BQ) and ended up speaking to Diamond's home office in Florida. They contacted BQ by email (while I was on hold) and HQ was advised that BQ's phones were out of order, but assured me that the resort was open with all amenities.
To be quite honest....I'm going to trust "Bernie" in post #6. He's there...and says its OK.
Hard to imagine a resorts phone line down and there HQ didn't know about it.


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## pedro47 (Oct 15, 2018)

There are still very small areas in Hampton, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach without electricity.
As beening  reported by the three (3) local major networks (WAVY NBC channel 10, CBS WTKR channel 3, and ABC WVEC channel 13).


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## Steve Fatula (Oct 15, 2018)

Yep, supposedly 98% are back with power, but that leaves 2% not fixed yet. Just watched the news here.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 16, 2018)

Not really expecting much. It's just something to do and a last resort after being washed out of Ocean Watch last month. Weather will only be in the 60's and I'll be recovering from a cataract op. Sort of an exploratory trip to avoid cabin fever here in upstate NY. We have had tons of rain in in Sept/October. Not our typical autumn.


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## RLS50 (Oct 16, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> Not really expecting much. It's just something to do and a last resort after being washed out of Ocean Watch last month. Weather will only be in the 60's and I'll be recovering from a cataract op. Sort of an exploratory trip to avoid cabin fever here in upstate NY. We have had tons of rain in in Sept/October. Not our typical autumn.


I would be very interested in your assessment of Beach Quarters after your stay, especially as a MOW owner.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 17, 2018)

I will be happy to post. 
I hope I'm not getting a bad vibe.....as to your interest.
Do you know something I don't?
I know we traded a lovely 2 BR for something considerably smaller ...with a "dorm mini fridge"...but in reality it was take that...or just lose the week (again). We traded on the last day we could with II. Virtually everything was booked (unless we wanted to fly west).


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## Bernie8245 (Oct 17, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> I will be happy to post.
> I hope I'm not getting a bad vibe.....as to your interest.
> Do you know something I don't?
> I know we traded a lovely 2 BR for something considerably smaller ...with a "dorm mini fridge"...but in reality it was take that...or just lose the week (again). We traded on the last day we could with II. Virtually everything was booked (unless we wanted to fly west).


Like I said earlier, there is no noticeable damage from the storm. However, we have stayed at MOW before and Beach Quarters does not come close to being the same quality as MOW. We are right on the beach and the boardwalk. We leave here Saturday and check into Ocean Beach Club which is on the other end of the boardwalk on 34th Street.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 17, 2018)

Bernie, just a quick question. Although this may seem silly...do they have wheeled luggage racks?
I'm going to be there 3 days after cataract surgery and am not supposed to lift anything particularly heavy.
Just curious if I should bring a small luggage carrier.
Thanks
Mike


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## pedro47 (Oct 17, 2018)

Would you say Beach Quarters is better than a Holiday Inn Hotel?  I know the major selling point  is, it is directly on the beach with oceanfront views..


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## silentg (Oct 17, 2018)

Hope your cataract surgery goes well. I had mine in August, no complications and I can see so much better.
Silentg


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## RLS50 (Oct 17, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> I will be happy to post.
> I hope I'm not getting a bad vibe.....as to your interest.
> Do you know something I don't?
> I know we traded a lovely 2 BR for something considerably smaller ...with a "dorm mini fridge"...but in reality it was take that...or just lose the week (again). We traded on the last day we could with II. Virtually everything was booked (unless we wanted to fly west).


Sorry, wasn't trying to imply anything negative per se.

There is no real apples to apples comparison between anything in Virginia Beach and the Marriott resorts on Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach.  Mainly because all the Virginia Beach accommodations (timeshares and hotels) are basically located on small postage stamp properties.  There are no multi acre parcels of land like at Oceanwatch in Myrtle Beach, or Grande Ocean in HHI, etc.   So Virginia Beach is a very different experience and has to be judged relative to what else is in Virginia Beach.  Even the Marriott hotel properties in Virginia Beach are on small city block parcels of land.

Having said that our family enjoys Virginia Beach very much and we own at some of the Diamond properties there.  We used to own at MOW, which is a fantastic property, but Virginia Beach cuts our drive time in half and saves us over 5 hours each way, so we end up going to Virginia Beach far more often.   Our personal favorite property is Oceanaire, followed by Ocean Beach Club (they are part of the same complex).  But if coming into Virginia Beach thru II, and you want guaranteed oceanfront, Beach Quarters is probably the best location to request.   And Beach Quarters shares amenities with Turtle Cay across the street which is a nice perk.   Turtle Cay is also nice but is across the street from the ocean, not oceanfront.

Beach Quarters seems to have had a rough 2018.  There was water damage to about half the rooms early in the year that needed repairs and those repairs affected availability of some units even into July.  So a number of owners were understandably upset when their rooming assignments were impacted even during their summer vacation.   Then Diamond recently opened the 7th floor pool bar to the public, also upsetting some owners, who preferred it to remain private.  On the other hand Diamond has recently started a series of projects aimed at refurbishing the resort, but that process might take another couple of years to really be completed.

Beach Quarters is in a nice location, every unit is oceanfront, and it's near some good restaurant and dining options.   However I think in order to realize the true potential of the place Diamond probably needs to successfully complete a full remodel.   And just for reference Beach Quarters is one of the Diamond properties we are owners at.


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## pedro47 (Oct 17, 2018)

To RL550, thanks I have learn a lot from your post. I agree VA Bach, is very different resort area from Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

I may have to try Beach Quarters maybe next fall. Again, thanks RL550


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## Bernie8245 (Oct 17, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> Bernie, just a quick question. Although this may seem silly...do they have wheeled luggage racks?
> I'm going to be there 3 days after cataract surgery and am not supposed to lift anything particularly heavy.
> Just curious if I should bring a small luggage carrier.
> Thanks
> Mike


 They do have wheeled luggage racks. I agree with RLS50 that Beach Quarters is in a nice location. Several years ago we were here over Memorial Day and watched a Miranda Lambert concert from our balcony. Our unit needs some work done. The closet door in the bedroom sticks and is hard to open. There is a hole in the wall in the bathroom. The refrigerator is not level and the freezer door is hard to open and close because it is rubbing against the wall.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 18, 2018)

Thanks again guys. We're optimistic and are going in for just a bit of R&R and to check out VB.
RL is right. at 77 the drives to Ocean Pointe, HHI or Myrtle were starting to wear on me. VB is about 8-9 hours...so we're looking forward to it. 
Already got 4 calls for presentations.....my fears are they will throw a net over us as a last ditch effort to take one. Ha


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## pedro47 (Oct 18, 2018)

suenmike32, DRI sales presentation are very a hard sale. Do not attend. We are headed to MOW & Surfwatch in three (3) weeks. You are correct driving is no fun after you turn a young seventy plus in age.


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## RLS50 (Oct 18, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> Thanks again guys. We're optimistic and are going in for just a bit of R&R and to check out VB.
> RL is right. at 77 the drives to Ocean Pointe, HHI or Myrtle were starting to wear on me. VB is about 8-9 hours...so we're looking forward to it.
> Already got 4 calls for presentations.....my fears are they will throw a net over us as a last ditch effort to take one. Ha


It's been said that the Virginia Beach boardwalk remodel and build up over the last 20+ years was inspired by the San Diego boardwalk.   Hotels and restaurants with oceanfront views and dining on a concrete boardwalk with stores and shopping on the first street in off the boardwalk.  

Waterman's Surfside Grille right next door to Beach Quarters is a good restaurant.  Also if interested there are some nice waterfront dining locations at the Inlet (3 minutes away) and back down Shore Drive (about 12 minutes) from Beach Quarters.   And if it's open, you could try Ocean Eddie's located right on the pier.   It's very rustic but the food and cocktails are usually quite good, and if it's warm enough you could sit outside and be almost on the ocean.

And I definitely recommend to avoid the sales presentations.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 18, 2018)

RL, That's great info. Although we try to have a meal or two in.....I don't think that that's going to happen with the stovetop/minifridge. We'll take a look at all those that you suggested
Thanks again.


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## donnaval (Oct 18, 2018)

I was at Beach Quarters a  couple of weeks ago.  The unit itself is a serious step-down quality-wise from a Marriott but the location and view make up for it to me!  I've always had a full size refrigerator in the mini kitchen but it is definitely a challenge to do any semi-serious cooking due to lack of workspace, limited equipment and the narrowness of the kitchen area.  I love walking the boardwalk, which is 3 miles long.  At Beach Quarters you are nearly at the start (or finish depending on your perspective lol) so you can do the whole thing if you're up to it, or there are distance markers all along the boardwalk so you can know how much you've walked.  There are benches all along the boardwalk so you always have a place to take a rest.  The parking garage is very tight so be sure to give the turns as wide of a swing as possible.  If you find the garage tough to deal with you can park behind the Howard Johnson across the street which I think is an overflow for Turtle Cay - a lot of folks with really big vehicles choose to park there.  There are luggage carts sometimes in the garage but sometimes you have to go hunting for them.  The internet was horrible in my unit, I could almost never get connected and calls to both the internet provider and front desk got no results.  Oh, and if you're interested in doing a seafood buffet, the Captain George's on Laskin Road offers $5 off the regular price on Sundays from noon until 4.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 27, 2018)

Back from VB 2 days early. I'll post a review when time permits. Unfortunately, dear wife came down with a wicked cold and with the crapola weather we just decided to come home. The town is a virtual ghost town and as I said it was only in the high 40's low 50's with a 15-25 mph wind. Beach and boardwalk were deserted. Really very little to do.


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## Steve Fatula (Oct 27, 2018)

It was a cold week indeed. Though we were in Williamsburg, we got some free passes to Busch Gardens and it was 70 that one day. Got to ride roller coasters for the first time in 10 or more years! Ah, what a sight, me and a 20 year old!


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## RLS50 (Oct 27, 2018)

suenmike32 said:


> Back from VB 2 days early. I'll post a review when time permits. Unfortunately, dear wife came down with a wicked cold and with the crapola weather we just decided to come home. The town is a virtual ghost town and as I said it was only in the high 40's low 50's with a 15-25 mph wind. Beach and boardwalk were deserted. Really very little to do.


Really sorry you had such poor weather combined with your wife getting sick.   In my opinion 2018 has been the weirdest and worst year weather wise for the East Coast I can remember.  So much heavy rain for such extended periods.  Whether one traveled to their favorite resort, or even just stayed home planning for an outdoor gathering, so many weeks and weekends were total washouts.  And all that water led to a virtual explosion in the mosquito populations.


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## pedro47 (Oct 27, 2018)

There is a very nice Aquarium located in Va Beach. I would never compare Va Bach Boardwalk to San Diego Boardwalk. I liked Ocean City Maryland Boardwalk much better than Va Bach Boardwalk.


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## amycurl (Oct 27, 2018)

I didn't find the DRI sales presentation at VB to be hard to say no to; one of the easier ones, in fact. What we did do was take advantage of the "Trip of a Lifetime" package that they offered...we got to have a private time at the aquarium with an open bar and unlimited apps, and then a multi-course plated meal in front of the shark tank; a great cruise of the Hampton harbor, again on a boat with unlimited drinks, anything we wanted from the snack bar, then a nice boxed lunch. It was incredibly reasonably priced, and, again, it was easy to say no to the sales pitch at the end. Since we were there in early March, and it was particularly windy and cool most of the week, it was nice to have a planned activity package for such a good price. And we got to know folks staying at the other DRI resorts as well. We were at Ocean Beach Club, in a conjoined one bedroom + studio--one was either an exchange/AC and the other a getaway.


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## RLS50 (Oct 27, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> There is a very nice Aquarium located in Va Beach. I would never compare Va Bach Boardwalk to San Diego Boardwalk. I liked Ocean City Maryland Boardwalk much better than Va Bach Boardwalk.


I wouldn't compare Virginia Beach to San Diego either.   What I said was that the Virginia Beach boardwalk was supposedly "modeled" or "influenced" by the layout and design of the Mission Beach boardwalk in San Diego.   I've been to both 3+ mile concrete boardwalks and see the similarities with the focus on oceanfront restaurants and accommodations vs a boardwalk full of T-Shirt and tchotchke shops.

And as someone who grew up going to the Ocean City, MD boardwalk every year, I would never compare the Ocean City boardwalk to the Virginia Beach boardwalk either.  They are different from each other and each have their own Pros and Cons.   We were recently at the OC, MD boardwalk.   It's a great boardwalk to walk or bike on, and at night it's full of the shops and sites I loved growing up.   But for entertainment there aren't really any upscale restaurants, certainly no real outdoor restaurant seating, and no real live music to speak of.  

Meanwhile on the VB Boardwalk there are easily close to a dozen great spots for outside dining and often times quality live music bands or singers that are quite good.  As an adult I think I actually might prefer the VB boardwalk because of higher quality outdoor eating and drinking establishments and the live music entertainment.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 28, 2018)

Just a couple quick responses:
RLS: You were spot on with 3 of the restaurants that you recommended. Outstanding Italian at Zia Marie,
Dynamite ribs at FireBrew and perfectly cooked filet mignon at Rudees. You made our dining experiences
complete. We went to 2 others (recommended by locals) and they weren't worth the effort. (Shoulda stuck with you)!
Amycurl: I'm glad you had an outstanding experience with your deal. It seemed too good to be true and given a 3+ hour presentation in Sedona that nearly ended very very badly...we passed.
Pedro: VB Boardwalk is actually quite nice, very wide, great beach but we just couldn't fight mother nature.
They were putting holiday lites up on the beach the full length of the boardwalk and I bet it will be very nice. I just can't imagine being there in Nov/Dec.


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## DRIless (Oct 28, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> To the OP, you can read how hard Virginia, VA Beach & OBX was hit via. The Virginian Pilot newspaper & The Roanoke local newspaper.
> Trees are down and some places still do not have electricity as of this morning. A tornado touch down in James City County causing 1.8 million dollars in damages.
> Please also read via the internet  WAVY TV & WTKR TV News television stations reports on Hurricane Michael.





Steve Fatula said:


> Here in Williamsburg, just got power back where I am.



Virginia Beach oceanfront is mostly concrete, few trees.  Up the Peninsula it was a different story as indicated above.  I lost many 100+ year old trees and am still cleaning up today because of Hurricane Michael which had surprising strength after passing through FL, GA, SC, NC to get to VA.  Was w/o power for only a day but depending on priorities ... I had a relative down the street out for close to a week.


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## suenmike32 (Oct 30, 2018)

BTW, I  failed to mention that Marriott is building a luxury oceanfront hotel in conjunction with another Cavalier Hotel at the north end end of Atlantic Ave. I'm going to guess around 70th St. It is in the process but doesn't look as though it will be open for a year or more.


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