On the eastern side of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia's famed Eastern Shore runs 70 miles from Maryland in the north to the tip of Delmarva Peninsula in the south. The area is rich in history and beauty, which was noted by even the earliest European visitors. In 1608, Captain John Smith, who is credited with establishing the first English settlement in the New World, wrote, "Heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man's habitation." To experience the wealth of history Virginia has to offer, consider staying in one of these Eastern Shore hotels.
You'll find the Sunset Beach Resort on the southern tip of Delmarva Peninsula just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which makes it one of the easiest hotels to reach from mainland Virginia. The resort offers a choice of suites or standard hotel rooms. In addition to all the standard amenities found in the hotel rooms, the suites have sitting rooms, Jacuzzi tubs and small kitchenettes. For dinner, guests can dine at the resort's restaurant. Its two specialties are crab cakes and the Famous Eastern Shore Chowder, which is based on a style of chowder cooked on Virginia's Eastern Shore. After dinner, enjoy a drink, some live entertainment and the sunset over Chesapeake Bay from the Pelican Pub. It's right on the shoreline.
Sunset Beach Resort
32246 Lankford Hwy.
Cape Charles, VA 23310
757-331-1776
sunsetbeachresortva.com
There are plenty of things to do at the Kiptopeke Inn Cape Charles. As a guest, you can walk to Kiptopeke State Park for a day of fishing or lounging on the beach. Want a break from beach life? Golf at courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus---they're less than 5 miles away. Hotel amenities include a complimentary continental breakfast, a heated pool and high-speed Internet. Pets are allowed for an additional fee.
Kiptopeke Inn Cape Charles
29106 Lankford Hwy.
Cape Charles, VA 23310
877-747-8713
magnusonhotels.com
The Charlotte Hotel is an eight-room family-owned hotel in a small harbor town with direct access to Chesapeake Bay. The rooms look more like something you'd expect in a bed-and-breakfast than in a standard hotel---they're small. But your room isn't the reason you visit. You visit to see the owner's art and to eat at the restaurant. Charlotte Heath, the owner, exhibits her famous watercolors, which have been displayed across the country from New York to Oregon, next door in her gallery. The restaurant serves dishes made from locally produced ingredients, so the menu changes often, but it always includes a meat, fish, fowl and a vegetarian selection. Everything in the restaurant, even the ice cream, is homemade by award-winning chef Ted Cathey.
The Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant
7 North St.
Onancock, VA 23417
757-787-7400
thecharlottehotel.com
