Best of the Shore
Avalon
The town may still be one of the quaintest Shore gems, but its cute little homes have been all but replaced by huge multimillion-dollar properties. Which means if you summer here, chances are you’re a longtimer or a high roller. Despite the boom, your seaside spread still comes with a sizable chunk of land, making Avalon real estate that much more desirable. While old touches remain — the same family bakeries putting out steaming trays of sticky buns before the sun rises, boys sitting on the same paint-chipped lifeguard stands where their fathers sat before them — the ritz factor is steadily inching up.
Best of Avalon
Cozy Dinner: Café Loren. Since it’s BYOB, stop first at Fred’s (two storefronts down) for a bottle of wine to complement the Continental cuisine (2288 Dune Drive; 609-967-8228).
Pedicure: Donna at Michele’s Salon. The woman, say regulars, is obsessed with making rough feet smooth again (2345 Dune Drive; 609-967-4291).
Party scene: Windrift Motel. Laws preventing drinking on the dunes have brought the crowd onto the upstairs deck, but haven’t killed the music and revelry. Beer is cheap, so the place can get packed (80th Street and the beach; 609-368-5175).
Sandwich: Isabel’s. Try the chicken, provolone, roasted red pepper and honey mustard combo (2285 Dune Drive; 609-967-5776).
Early breakfast: Fishin’ Pier Grille. So good, so cute (right on the pier), and it opens bright and early, if you want to get a jump on the day (32nd Street and the Boardwalk; 609-967-8144).
Steak: Sea Grill. The day’s best cuts are listed on a blackboard in front of the open kitchen; tell the chef your fancy, then sit down and wait for your sizzler to be served (225 21st Street; 609-967-5511).
Personal Best: “Tortilla Flats [2450 Dune Drive; 609-967-5658]. It’s a small place with a long line, so we normally get takeout. They run excellent specials every night. One thing not to be missed is the fried Jersey tomatoes with pesto and crabmeat.” —Dave Coskey, president, Comcast-Spectacor marketing
Bed & Beach
Average 2004 home price: $1,166,928
AVERAGE 1999 HOME PRICE: $345,817 Recent listing: A five-bedroom, four-bath new home on a beach block, $1,795,000.
Cost to rent a three-bedroom beach-block house: About $4,400 a month.
Where to stay: The Golden Inn, where the pool is two steps from the bar and the bar is two steps from the beach (oceanfront at 78th Street, 609-368-5155; goldeninn.com).
On the beach: Very clean, but erosion has left some beaches lacking in width. Surfing is only allowed at 30th Street. Beach tags ($10 weekly; $5 daily) are required, and are interchangeable with Stone Harbor’s.
