Maximize Your Ocean City Vacation Rental Experience

A week in Ocean City goes better when a few things are settled before you cross the bridge. Where you're staying, what the house already has, and where you'll eat the first night.

Here's what we'd tell a friend coming down for the first time.

Plan the week before you get here

Make a rough plan, not a schedule. Pick a beach day or two, a boardwalk night, maybe a morning on the bay in a kayak. Leave the rest open. Summer weekends get busy, so anything that needs a reservation, like a surf lesson or a fishing charter, is worth booking ahead.

Talk to the owner before you arrive. Ask how check-in works, whether beach tags are included, where to park and where they'd eat. When you book with us, those questions come straight to the family that owns the home, and we answer them ourselves.

Places worth finding

Plenty of good stops sit a block or two off the boardwalk. Asbury Avenue downtown has the shops and the coffee, and it fills up for the Spring and Fall Block Parties. Hooked on Breakfast or a coffee from Ocean City Coffee Company makes an easy start to a day.

For something quieter, Corson's Inlet State Park at the south end of the island has walking trails and open beach. The Ocean City Historical Museum on Simpson Avenue is a good rainy-day stop. Somers Point and Cape May are close enough for an afternoon. Our local spots page has the full list.

What to look for in the house

Start with the kitchen if you plan to cook. A gas range with a griddle, a dishwasher and some counter space make a week of breakfasts a lot easier. Then outdoor space: a porch or a deck, a grill, and an outdoor shower for coming off the beach.

Check the practical things too. Air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a washer and dryer, parking, and whether sheets and towels come with the house. Each of our property pages lists the beds and what's there, and anything it doesn't answer, you can ask us.