Atlantic City- hotels, restaurants and things to do

So DH and I are going to try to get down to A/C for 1 or 2 nights around Sept 29-31. I have only been once for a bachlorette party- stayed at the Trop ( hated my room !) , ate at the Cuban restaurant( loved it!) but didn't get the chance to explore much more than that


For a romantic/fun weekend getaway- where would you stay, eat and what would you do??

Re: Atlantic City- hotels, restaurants and things to do

My wife and I hit up AC every 3 to 6 months so have done most of the fun stuff their is to do.

Where to stay:
I find that all of the Casino hotels are acceptable although over priced (esp on the weekends). The best rooms are at the Borgata, Water Club (hotel connected to Borgata), Harrahs, Caesars, and the Taj.

There's a lot of debate on where to stay in terms of the Boardwalk vs. the Marina (Borgata and Harrahs). I think it really depends on what you want out of the trip. If you are primarily doing stuff at the Marina then stay there. However, if you want a more "complete" experience (the beach, Boardwalk, outlets, etc) then stay on the Boardwalk properties. If want the best pool "resort" feel stay in Harrah's since they have a temp controled 80 degree "bio dome" pool that's nice by day and is a night club at night.

What to eat:
The best in fine dining tend to be the celebrity chef places although I find the food is good but the ambiance sometimes could use work. I find that people walk into these places right off the beach instead of decked out for dinner. Our favorites (in no particular order): Cuba Libre (the Cuban Place you ate at), Buddhakan (Caesars Pier), Mia (Caeasars), Bobby Flay's Grill (forgot the name, but it's his place in the Borgata with the same menu as his NYC and vegas places), Mina's Seafood (Borgata). Melting Pot by the Walk is nice but it is a chain. Two places off the beaten path to consider are: Los Amigos (mexican place accross from the outlets). I haven't been in a while but it's pretty good still from what I hear. Back Bay Ale House in Gardner's Basin has a homely feel and good seafood.

What to do:
Aside from the obvious you can consider catching a concert, show or comedy club. www.atlanticcitynj.com has a nice event calendar that tells you what's going on the weekend you will be there. For the big names you need to book early. For example I think Adele is there the weekend you are going and she is sold out. There's a company called Atlantic City Cruises that has a skyline boat cruise that's nice. It's great if you go during fireworks but it's nice other times as well. They leave out of Gardener's Basin so you could pair a visit to the back bay ale house with that trip. Other fun things to do are a cooking class at the Viking School in Harrahs (wife and I usually check that out). Borgata and Water Club supposedly have the best spa so if you want to do some sort of couples massage they have that. (We just did one at the Qua baths in Caesars and it was nice). There's shopping in the Quarter in the trop and the Pier by Caesars but the best deals are in the Walk outlets. If you're a shopper allocate some time for that.

Getting around:
I find getting around esp from the Marina to the Boardwalk to be a PITA. There's the Jitney but it's a little inconvenient at times (although cheap). Harrahs and it's sister properties (caesars, showboat, and ballys) have a shuttle but it's infrequent and unpredictable. You can cab it but it's like 15 bucks each time from the boardwalk to the marina. If you drive you get one free transfer from one casino to another. If you valet you can check your car in and out. Getting around the boarwalk itself is not too bad since it's a nice walk.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask more questions....

Re: Atlantic City- hotels, restaurants and things to do

We just stayed at Caesar's, the room was nice.

Re: Atlantic City- hotels, restaurants and things to do

We just got back from AC yesterday. We stayed at the Water Club. We loved it there. We took the Jitney to get to the Boardwalk. We found it very convenient. We ate at the Old Homestead. It was delicious.