Wanted: An Old-fashioned Beach Vacation

By Kara Chalmers
Published: October 13, 2007
Last Updated On: March 11, 2011

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Beaches

Surfing

Daytona Beach

Piers

Hotels

Wanted: An old-fashioned beach vacation with modern comforts

As I stood by the lifeguard tower, I caught my breath and squeezed salt water from my hair. I had just completed my first-ever surfing lesson, even managing to stand up - for about one second before "wiping out."

I had also managed to earn a few bumps and bruises. The bumps were across my stomach - a rash that surfers (I call myself a surfer now) get from lying facedown on the board. The bruises were from the handful of times I stumbled off the board and bounced off the sandy bottom. That was before I allowed my instructor (who is also my fiancée), Nate, to tow me into deeper water.

The experience was thrilling; deep down I had known it would be, but I was still scared at first. Scared of the powerful waves crashing against the shoreline and churning up the sand, making the water a golden-green, and scared of breaking or losing the surfboard, which, while it cost only $16 to rent, required a $200 deposit.

Daytona Beach, with its historic pier, bandshell, beachfront boardwalk, amusement rides, cotton candy and skee ball, represents the classic beach destination. Yet it also offers an array of contemporary conveniences, proving you don't have to give up modern comforts to partake in a true, old-fashioned beach vacation.

When we had first arrived in Daytona Beach, I had stared out at the Atlantic Ocean from the sliding glass doors of our 14th-floor hotel room at the Plaza Resort & Spa. The expansive beach stretched for miles in both directions. And the waves. Watching the waves would provide hours of entertainment in itself. There were all kinds – choppy waves, barrel waves, perfect waves. The sound of them put me to sleep at night.

After my lesson, I wondered why I had been so nervous. Surfing was nothing but fun. The waves, while they looked intimidating at first, were in truth rather beginner-friendly. The water felt cool and refreshing and there was a soft, sandy bottom. No rocks or even seaweed. And the lifeguard, judging by the many false alarms, seemed all too ready to run in after anyone who showed even the smallest sign of struggling.

Nate rode some waves of his own after I paddled back to shore, savoring an activity he has missed since we moved from California to Sarasota on the tranquil Gulf of Mexico. I took the opportunity to reflect on our stay in Daytona Beach, to try to understand what it is that makes it so distinct from other Florida vacation spots.

One obvious answer is that here, for a few dollars, people can drive and park on the wide, hard-packed sand beach. A row of wooden pilings stretching from the lifeguard stand to the Plaza Resort's seawall marks the beginning of the section of the beach allowing vehicles. From where I was toweling off, I could see a brown Volkswagen van with a cherry-red surfboard strapped to its roof ramble towards me. The license plate read, "LONG BRDR." The driver: an older man with a bright white beard and a straw hat.

As the van turned to leave the beach, I noticed another car, this one parked. It was a brand-new silver Mercedes convertible. Music was blaring and three twenty-somethings were sitting on its trunk, sipping drinks. It was an interesting juxtaposition, the old surfer van and the new, fully loaded car. It was a pairing I had noticed in other manifestations throughout the weekend. Daytona Beach, with its historic pier, bandshell, beachfront boardwalk, amusement rides, cotton candy and skee ball, represents the classic beach destination. Yet it also offers an array of contemporary conveniences, proving you don't have to give up modern comforts to partake in a true, old-fashioned beach vacation.

Our weekend in Daytona Beach had started a few days before with just such modern comforts – dinner at Sapporo, an authentic Japanese steak house with a floating sushi bar. There, Nate and I went a little crazy sampling the different sushi rolls with names like "Kentucky" (it included fried chicken and mayonnaise) and "California Blue Crab" that floated by our booth on little boats. More than a half-dozen plates, all of which had held different types of rolls, all of which were delicious, covered our table by the end of our meal.

From Sapporo, we walked the few blocks to Ocean Walk Shoppes, a four-floor, open-air shopping and dining complex that has a movie theater as well as some nightspots. The multi-colored Ocean Walk definitely falls on the "contemporary" side of the Daytona Beach scale, with its Starbucks Coffee, Harley-Davidson store and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

At Ocean Walk's Mai Tai Bar, the theme is Hawaiian and the music is live. The servers wore bright Hawaiian shirts and beaded necklaces and offered tropical drinks garnished with purple orchids. That night, the patrons lucky enough to get seats reclined on rattan, floral-print couches, watching surfing videos on television. Outside, tiki torches illuminated the historic bandshell, built during the Depression and located right next door.

The next morning, I explored our newly renovated historic hotel, built after a fire destroyed the original Clarendon Hotel in 1909. At more than 100 years old, the Plaza Resort is one of Florida's oldest. But talk about those modern comforts: It features elegant ballrooms overlooking the ocean, an Olympic-sized pool and pool deck (also overlooking the ocean), a spa, restaurants, a poolside café, lounges and even a nightclub called 600 North, considered one of the best nightspots in town.

That afternoon, we partook in services at the hotel's Ocean Waters Spa, billed as the only full-service, European-style spa in central Florida. Nate enjoyed a "gentleman's" facial, a first for him. I luxuriated in a one-hour "oxygenating" facial, which features an oxygen-rich mask for rejuvenating skin, an exfoliating scrub and moisturizer. We experienced our first couple's massage, during which two masseuses kneaded the knots from our backs simultaneously. Afterward, we relaxed in the spa's "Utopia Room," where, in fluffy robes and slippers, we munched on all types of cheeses and fruits and sipped champagne.

At 7:45 that night, we caught our ride to Caribbean Jack's, a large, riverfront restaurant on mainland Daytona Beach that offers al fresco dining and live music with a Jimmy Buffett flair. The restaurant provides free van service to and from most hotels.

According to our driver, server and the general manager, the restaurant's new chef from Italy made a killer tiramisu. We tried to keep that in mind as we feasted on sesame-seared tuna, Alaskan snow crab legs and crab-stuffed grouper. We sampled the Caribbean Martini, a peach-, coconut- and banana-flavored concoction, and indulged in the Caribbean Volcano, a flaming tropical drink big enough for two.

Even after all that, we managed to leave room for dessert. Needless to say, the tiramisu lived up to everyone's expectations, and we left satisfied. So satisfied that we needed another long walk along the beach.

The next morning we set out freshly sunscreened to explore the pier. The area around the Main Street Pier, as it's formally called, is filled with open-air arcades and bars, souvenir shops and even a go-kart track. My jaw dropped when I watched a man ride a contraption that hoisted him up by a belt to the top of a tower and then let go, letting him soar back and forth high above the boardwalk.

We rode the pier's gondola, a two-seater ski lift type of ride that carried us to the end of the pier and back, high enough above the wooden planks that we got a good view of Daytona Beach. Under us, anglers cast lines into the Atlantic and surfers gathered. Apparently, the pier is the place to surf.

At midday, we finally hit the beach for my much-anticipated surfing lesson. We chose a nearby, nearly empty, stretch beach instead of the pier, since I was a beginner. And we drove on the beach, not because we had to (we were right in front of our hotel) but because it was so novel. It also made it a lot easier to lug our towels and the ungainly surfboard to the shore.

Our weekend in Daytona Beach was full of firsts. Besides our first beach drive, my first surfing lesson and my fiancée's first facial, it was my first visit. What I found was a place with a young vibe, an old beach town feel and a lot of fun things to do.

And, since we were able to return the surfboard intact, we will definitely be back.

For more information on booking a room at the Plaza Resort & Spa and other beachfront accommodations in Daytona Beach, visit www.OceansResorts.com or call Oceans Resorts at 800-874-7420.