While most Bed and Breakfast’s cater to couples and single adults, the Spring Lake Inn is a wonderful departure from the norm. Only a block from the beach this Inn focuses on families and fun. Recently my husband and I had an opportunity to stay at the Bed and Breakfast with our 5 ½ month old son and we were pleasantly surprised at its comfort and coziness. Each one of their rooms is unique, bright, inviting and roomy enough for parents, kids, all their essentials and then some. While most hotel rooms feel confined and cramped for a family of four, these rooms feel more like home with soft, comfortable beds, sitting areas that house fold out couches, rollaway beds that are tucked away in the closets and plenty of storage space to hide everyone’s gear.
When thinking about the New Jersey Shore, towns such as Point Pleasant and Belmar come to mind, with noise, crowded beaches and a party atmosphere. But Spring Lake is the best kept secret. It is a small family focused beach town located a few miles off the Garden State Parkway, reminiscent of the movie Pleasantville with large sprawling homes, immaculately maintained lawns, a quaint un-commercialized downtown, and very little traffic.
The innkeepers, Donna and Mary Celine were friendly, accommodating and filled with a wealth of information about the area. They were very happy to provide whatever service we needed – from a basket full of menus to peruse of local restaurants, to beach chairs, towels, boogie boards and beach toys for an afternoon outing; as well as homemade lemonade and hand prepared peanut butter treats in the afternoon. I am sure any child would love to have a few of those after a busy day in the sun!
On our first morning at the Inn, the smell of bacon cooking waffled its way up to our room and had my husband jumping out of bed to get downstairs to enjoy a gourmet breakfast of banana pancakes, homemade bread, a cheese omelet, orange juice and rich, flavorful coffee. The spacious dining room also made for a relaxing start to our day with ten seating areas, allowing each family to sit amongst themselves without having to share space with other guests.
Over the next two days we loved strolling the two mile boardwalk, which overlooked the ocean and sandy beach, as well as meandering our way through the neighborhoods, towards the downtown area for lunch and window shopping. It provided a great opportunity to catch up on our lives and connect with one another without having interruptions such as work to get to, and cell phones that required answering.
As far as activities for the kids, Spring Lake not only has the ocean for swimming and water sports, but there is a lake that is stocked for fishing, a few parks scattered along its shore and a playground nearby, providing the perfect outlet for children to play all day and fall fast asleep at night. But if you find yourselves visiting on a rainy day, the Inn has a library that houses overstuffed couches for reading, several tables and chairs for playing board games, and a big screen TV for watching movies. And as the owners of the Inn, Andy and Barbara Seaman have two small children themselves, they are experts in the best places to take children for fun and enjoyment.
Plus, with several Zagat’s rated restaurants nearby such as the Black Trumpet, Island Palm Grill and Whispers, parents can enjoy a fabulous dinner out before heading back to the Inn at night. However, check with the restaurant beforehand to see if they are a B.Y.O.B. as most restaurants in Spring Lake do not have their liquor license.
We had an outstanding dinner one evening at Union Landing, located a few miles away in Brielle. We dined in a rustic, nautical feeling dining room, overlooking the Yacht Club on the Manasquan River. Booster chairs are available for kids and infant car seats, allowing our son to sit at the table and experience dinner with us. While feeding him a bottle, I sipped on a glass of white wine, and perused the many tempting items listed on the menu. If you love seafood this is the place to go. Our mouths were watering over the appetizers. Having a hard time deciding on just one or two, we finally agreed upon cherry stone clams and crab wontons. The wontons were lightly fried, not greasy and the insides were succulent and gooey. I ordered pan seared sea scallops for my main course and fell in love with the tasty mustard sauce that it was served in. My husband chose the Pecan Crusted Mahi Mahi in honey chive butter and we finished off our dinner with the large brownie sundae.
After eating dinner, and arriving back at the Inn for the evening, an entry table is set up in the lobby area with wine glasses and bottle openers for your use. Once settling your children into bed for the night, you can slip downstairs to lounge on the expansive Victorian Porch, sip on a cocktail and spend quality time with your partner.
I totally recommend Spring Lake and the Spring Lake Inn for a quick weekend getaway, or a week long beach vacation to reconnect with family. Both will be enjoyed by everyone and remembered for years to come. www.SpringLakeInn.com
©2007 Tracey T. Serebin
Tracey Serebin is a family dynamics and communication specialist. She has a coaching practice in Northern New Jersey, A Child’s Voice, working with kids, parents and families. Tracey conducts motivational seminars around the country and writes family travel articles about reconnecting with family. www.TraceySerebin.com
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