BEACH NEWS
Coolest spot in New Jersey
OH, DADDY, THIS JUST MAY BE THE place for all you shore hipsters who are too cool for Atlantic City. The fairly new but still chic Daddy O hotel opened late last year on Jersey's Long Beach Island and is open for its first summer season.
The boutique hotel is about a block from the beach and features 22 rooms with modern decor and a rooftop sun deck with teak furniture and ocean views. Each room has flat-screen TV, wireless Internet connections, fine linens -- including faux mink pillows -- and rain showers in the marble baths. The wall coverings are embedded with sparkling Murano glass, and the headboards and nightstands are custom built in lacquer mahogany with mirrored stainless steel accents.
Daddy O also boasts a restaurant and bar with outdoor dining. A glass-enclosed wine cellar links the hotel lobby to the restaurant.
"The whole point of a vacation is to get away from the fast pace and relax. So our concept is a marriage of the past and present. The past representing simpler times, and the present incorporating modern-day tastes, influences and luxuries," says Marty Grims, the hotel's proprietor.
Daddy O is located at 4401 Long Beach Blvd. For information, call 609-494-1300 or go to daddyohotel.com.
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[MICHELLE DEAL-ZIMMERMAN]
BEACH BET
ATLANTIC CITY
SPORTS IN THE SAND
Check out some of the Northeast's finest volleyball players today as they hit the beach to serve, dig and spike their way to victory at the Great American Volleyball Smartwater Sand Sensational in Atlantic City. The all-day beach volleyball tournament features teams of various skill levels competing for first-place, alongside the Atlantic Ocean.
The GAV Smartwater Sand Sensational will be held today from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the beach at Mississippi Avenue in Atlantic City, N.J. Spectator admission to the tournament is free. Information: 609-343-6326 or greatamericanvolleyball.com.
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[MATTHEW VENSEL]
WHAT TO DO
FIVE THNGS TO DO IN OCEAN CITY
1. ROLL A TUNA / / Catch the 20th annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament at the Ocean City Fishing Center with vendors, food, music, weigh-ins and more
2. BRAKE FOR ART / / Artists set up their easels throughout the downtown for Paint Out. Today's event features an exhibit and sale of the works at Sunset Park
3. FEEL THE FLAME / / Bonfires and storytelling happen Thursdays at 9 p.m. at North Division Street Beach
4. BUY A NEW BIKINI / / Sea Quest at 76th Street carries a super-sized selection of beach swimwear
5. VISIT TRIMPER RIDES / / The owners of the famous arcade launched a Web site last week seeking help from fans to fight its tax bill. Go to savetrimpers.com.
WHAT YOU THINK
OUR WEEKLY POLL
This week's question: What's your favorite beach food? To vote, go to baltimoresun.com / baybeach Results from last week's poll. How many days of summer do you usually spend at the beach?
1-4 days : 32 percent
More than 14 days: 28 percent
8-14 days: 16 percent
None: 16 percent
5-7 days: 8 percent