2024 July Newsletter
Candalada
EXPLORING THE NORTH END Of Virginia Beach
Embassy Suites Poolside, Virginia Beach
My son mentioned we travel far away to see other beaches yet he had never been to Virginia Beach. I told him many of the beaches he has seen are considered to be the best in the world. He still insisted that he needed to see it for himself. I took him in May of 2023 and I recently revisited for an adults only getaway on the North End.
My trip with Issa was an economical mid-week one night trip. My trip with the ladies came at a premium rate and was a weekend getaway. Before getting lost in comparisons let me define what is considered the North End and what makes it different from the rest of VA Beach.
The North End is the neighborhood at the north end of the beaches on the Atlantic Ocean right before the coastline turns west into the Chesapeake Bay. It’s about 3 miles long and two blocks wide, so no matter where you are, you’re less than two blocks from the beach.
The hotels just after the boardwalk ends and before the houses start is where the Cavalier is housed. The boardwalk built in 1888 has a history of being rebuilt and expanding over the years. The Cavalier has a vast history including former military occupation and hosting musical legends. The hotel is recessed from the beach and recently they have expanded their resort to include the newly constructed Embassy Suites by Hilton (a family and dog friendly hotel) and the Marriott (a sexy date night) hotel.
Although, I was interested in the Marriott, I stayed at the Embassy Suites. The Marriott did not have rooms to comfortably accommodate 4 adults. We wanted more than two beds.
PlanNING
Planning started in my phone. Below are a few screenshots. The cross outs represent things that we decided not to do or couldn’t make it to. There are more details in the full length notes but I don’t want to bore you to tears before you can get to the pictures.
who all is going?
I haven’t done a girl’s trip since before 2010. Why? The top answer is the questions. I hate answering a ton of questions as a coordinator. The second reason is, not everyone gets along well. Finding the perfect merger of personalities is a skill that I have abandoned to spend almost every moment with my son.
Last, June after taking my first, “thank goodness school is over trip”, with another mom who happened to be a teacher, we had so much fun. The only question she had was how much? The easy peasyness of our trip inspired me to revisit girl tripping again.
This year my aunt and I have really elevated our relationship and I find great joy in spending as much time as possible with her. Besides being, “the life of the party” she has sound experience in many things and I feel safer and smarter when she is with me. She always encourages me to do the right thing. She is thorough when reading signs and dedicated to reading the rules and regulations on websites and I love that.
After working side by side on several projects it was discovered that an associate of mine was a much better match for a friend. We share a love for fashion, and she is extremely responsible. This era of my life (the 40’s) I have focused on learning not only from those older than me, but my peers as well. I am so proud of her. We spend our days exchanging things we have learned, problem solving and laughing.
I determined these profiles were a perfect combination and l right! We laughed from the second we got together until the final drop off.
THE BEE and the Biscuit
The breakfast stop on the way to the beach took us through the forest to get there. My aunt played MacArthur Park (Someone left my cake out in the rain) by Donna Summer, the extended version. It reminded me of my mommy. The soundtrack combined with the forest view is now a memory that will stay with me for some time. The song ended as we pulled up. There was valet parking, which was convenient.
There was lots of garden space, the interior was inviting. Seating was only available on the patio. Famished we took the availability.
The food was good. Everyone finished scraped their plates. I think my burrito could have had a little more spice. A wasp was circling our table and the ongoing joke became that the name should be “The Bee and the Wasp”. The review was the biscuit was dry and dense. After this stop it was only 25 minutes to get to the ocean front.
The Embassy Suites
The great part:
The room was a huge corner unit.
The patio was long with access from the living room and the bedroom.
The evening reception is a great way to start the evening. Two free drinks per day, hummus, crackers, veggies and cheese were served.
The WTF part:
Called in advance to confirm cash payment was ok.
Upon check-in my card was authorized a 50 percent deposit despite the call.
After we went to the beach the safe was running an error code. This made us suspicious however, nothing was removed and the engineer helped us reset the code.
After a full cash payment at check-out. The hotel still charged/processed the deposit after check-out and it took 4 days for the refund to be visible in my checking account.
My suggestion is to use a credit card with a large limit for all hotel reservations. Then pay your credit card bill shortly after departure. Hotels are ruthless with processing cards. No matter who you speak to on the phone, whatever card you provide will get charged. Large authorizations and withdrawals to your debit card can cause a snowball of issues.
Night 1: ORION’s ROOF
Orion’s Roof is located just across the cul de sac in the Marriott. Just walking to the locations builds excitement. The lobby at the Marriott is beautiful and the host is waiting with a smile as soon as you come out of the elevator.
Our table had the view of both land and sea, we had the joy of people watching and adjusting to the atmosphere. Further in the back of the restaurant tables have a full ocean view and it is a very romantic space. Especially around sunset while the colors of the sky are changing.
Orion’s did not have much for vegans. Just one sushi option. I was impressed by the presentation and flavor of my sushi. The marinated tomato looked like salmon and my server assured me it was not.
THE cavalier
We took the shuttle to the Cavalier. We did have a missed opportunity to visit the Hunt Room. When I asked, “Where is the live music?”, I was directed to the lawn. I really wanted to see the jazz performer, whom I later found out was located, downstairs. Unfortunately, I read the hotel activities schedule quickly before leaving the room.
The question I needed to ask is, “Where is the Hunt Room?” not, “Where is the live music?” since multiple performances were taking place at once. It was chilly which took away from the lawn experience. After about an hour, we opted to walk back to our room and took some much needed rest.
DAY 2: POOL time and Local fooD
Day one was much chillier than one would expect for July. On Day 2 there was a high of 85 and we were excited to seize the day. My aunt and I were up early for breakfast (7:30am).
We quickly learned I was in love with oatmeal and aunty loved the waffles. The omelette station had a mixed reviews because the taste relied heavily on the cook which changed frequently.
The Pool AM
The direct access to the beach was great. It was easy for me to pop on the beach to take pics, wash my feet and go back to the pool. The pool is right next to the hotels taco bar and the aroma of tacos fills the air.
HONEST PASTURE
The intent was to try the vegan french toast. They stopped serving it at 12PM and I arrived too late from having fun in the pool. I grabbed a cupcake, smores cookie and lavender lemonade for tasting and decided to head to Desmond’s Grill, the Guyanese Vegan place I discovered on my trip with Issa.
Desmond’s Grill
I had to warn my family and friends that although the food is very good at Desmond’s Grill they are constantly running out of things and the wait is long. Everyone liked the food but as suspected, the service really gave us anxiety. After 2 hours we were ready to go and on the brink of missing the beginning of hotels evening reception.
They were out of rasta pasta, the supplementary meal (curry eggplant) took 30 min to prepare. My meal was fine. My aunt didn’t get the type of channa she wanted (curry) and the owner did bring her some after she mentioned it. The gotcha for me was not having sweet potatoes for my to go order! Thinking on my feet, I asked for the banana pudding dessert instead and tried to remain calm.
The best thing that came from this lengthy dining experience was the owner giving a nightlife recommendation. We wanted somewhere safe and cultural. She suggested Phoenix Lounge which was owned by her Trinidadian friend.
THE BEACH / POOL PM
The golden hour was upon us. After the reception we headed to the beach to hear the waves, relax and take pics. Everyone was so friendly. We took pics for couples and said hello to all the toddlers. We laid out on towels from the pool and ditched any heavy packing of coolers, chairs from home and umbrellas.
On the way in we attempted to enjoy the indoor pool however, after sunset it was cold. Especially because the fans were on right above the pool. In my opinion, the missing piece to this hotel is a jacuzzi. We ran to our room for luxurious hot showers and to get ready for the evening.
THe PHOENIX lounge
A blast! I have not seen so many happy dancing Black Men in a long time. I learned that I need to brush up on many new Afrobeat and reggae dances. There were people of various ages and I loved that. Almost everyone was dancing. Once we found a table, we were sitting ducks but it was fun to be around all that joy. What a great capstone. It was a sneaker fashion show for sure. I saw Jordans in there that are not released yet and some throwbacks I have not seen in a while. Most ladies wore cute flats and a select few were on stilts, I mean in heels.
MARYLOUs: SOul DINING EXPERIENCE
I take my exit meal just as serious as my welcome meal. I went a little out of the way to stop in Richmond and get the ladies review on the newest Black-owned brunch spot in town. Marylous. The building is nice with various sitting areas and two levels. It is well decorated and you can feel the effort that was put into designing it. The biggests issue is the awning in front of the main entrance it doesn’t say the Marylous. This is something they are working on. In the meantime everyone who hasn’t been there before is pulling on closed doors and walking around back for assistance.
My aunt thought her catfish was too salty and the other ladies liked their meals. I was unfortunately reduced to french fries and peach tea because the vegan meal I ordered never came out. I wasn’t notified they were out of it until food was coming out for the table. That was disappointing but it led to my discovery of Gold Lion Cafe.
STEPS LEADING TO THE ROOFTOP
THE ROOFTOP
SALMON SALAD
CATFISH MACARONI AND COLLARDS
SHRIMP AND CRAB ALFREDO
We came in during happy hour. Everyone bought the green smoothie. Raving reviews. I grabbed mango rice, a pizza samosa and curry samosa to-go. Delish! I promise to take some pics next time.
Thank you for reading.
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