Virginia Beach's Boardwalk runs three miles, from 2nd to 40th Street, and oceanfront hotels line its whole length. The most famous name in town isn't one of them: the 1927 Cavalier sits on a hill across Atlantic Avenue. For most trips, book Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Oceanfront at 36th Street. It stands directly on the Boardwalk, every room has a balcony, and it's the top-rated hotel on this list.
Booking for live prices · Review for our take
| Hotel | Rating | From/night | Area | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Oceanfront | Superb | ~$116 | 36th St, on the Boardwalk | Best overall · a balcony in every room, free breakfast | Review ↓ |
| Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort | Excellent | ~$204 | 42nd St, Cavalier Resort | Best for a full resort · ocean views from every room, indoor pool | Review ↓ |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort | Excellent | ~$201 | 41st St, Cavalier Resort | Best for families · suites with a living area, cooked breakfast | Review ↓ |
| Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront | Very good | ~$131 | 30th St, on the Boardwalk | Best for a night out · rooftop infinity pool and Sky Bar | Review ↓ |
| Hampton Inn Virginia Beach-Oceanfront North | Excellent | ~$111 | 31st St, on the Boardwalk | Best for value · balconies, indoor pool, free breakfast | Review ↓ |
| Hyatt House Virginia Beach / Oceanfront | Excellent | ~$111 | 27th St, on the Boardwalk | Best for long stays · full kitchens, every room oceanfront | Review ↓ |
| SpringHill Suites by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront | Excellent | ~$137 | 9th St, on the Boardwalk | Best for suite space · kitchenettes, balconies, hot breakfast | Review ↓ |
Those are entry rates for an off-peak weeknight, before tax, including the resort fee where Booking.com adds one. July runs about three times higher. All seven stand on the ocean side of Atlantic Avenue. The beachfront resorts hub applies the same test from New England to the Caribbean.
Which Virginia Beach oceanfront hotel should you book?
For most trips, book Hyatt Place. It's directly on the Boardwalk at 36th Street, all 140 rooms have a private balcony, and breakfast is included. Check Hyatt Place availability early – its oceanfront rooms climb past $400 a night in July.
Want a full resort? Book the Marriott at 42nd Street. Traveling with kids who need a separate room? Embassy Suites next door. For a rooftop pool and a bar scene, the Hilton. Staying a week and cooking? Hyatt House.
| Your trip | Book | Where | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most trips, a balcony on the boards | Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Oceanfront | 36th St | The cheapest rooms face the city |
| A full resort, every room facing the sea | Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort | 42nd St | Two blocks past the Boardwalk, plus a resort fee |
| Kids and a separate living area | Embassy Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront | 41st St | Two blocks past the Boardwalk, plus a resort fee |
| A rooftop pool and a night out | Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront | 30th St | City-view rooms at the entry rate |
| Breakfast included, a lower bill | Hampton Inn Oceanfront North | 31st St | A plain hotel, not a resort |
| A week with a real kitchen | Hyatt House Virginia Beach Oceanfront | 27th St | Check-in is 21+ |
| Suites at the south end | SpringHill Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront | 9th St | The longest walk to Neptune's Park |
Still deciding? See Hyatt Place rates – a balcony, breakfast and the Boardwalk outside the door.
The entry rate often buys the city side. At Hyatt Place and the Hilton, the cheapest room on Booking.com is a "City View," and at Embassy Suites it's a plain studio. Book a category with "Oceanfront" in its name.
On the Boardwalk, 2nd to 40th Street
The Boardwalk is 28 feet wide, according to Visit Virginia Beach, with summer music stages at 7th, 17th, 24th and 31st Streets. These five hotels front it directly.
Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Oceanfront
The all-rounder. Hyatt Place stands at 3601 Atlantic Avenue, directly on the Boardwalk. It's a 13-story building, and every one of its 140 rooms has a private balcony, according to Hyatt.
There's a seasonal outdoor pool. Breakfast is included, and Booking.com shows pets are allowed.
It's also the highest-rated hotel on this list. Book this one if you want a balcony over the Boardwalk at a midrange rate. Check Hyatt Place rates.
Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront
The evening hotel. The Hilton sits at 3001 Atlantic Avenue beside Neptune's Park. Its draw is the Sky Bar, with a rooftop infinity pool.
Expedia lists 289 rooms, and Catch 31 is the restaurant downstairs. The entry rate on Booking.com buys a City View room. Pay up for "Beachfront" in the name if the view is the point.
Book this one if you want the rooftop pool with Neptune's Park next door. Check Hilton rates.
Hampton Inn Virginia Beach-Oceanfront North
The value pick on the boards. The Hampton Inn stands at 31st Street, where the King Neptune statue is. Rooms have private balconies, according to Booking.com.
There's an indoor pool and an oceanfront restaurant, Zaas. Breakfast is free, and Booking.com shows pets are allowed. Hilton charges for parking.
Book this one if you want the middle of the Boardwalk without paying resort prices. Check Hampton Inn rates.
Hyatt House Virginia Beach Oceanfront
The apartment-style stay. Hyatt House stands on the Boardwalk at 27th Street, and every room has an oceanfront view, per its Booking.com listing. The studios and suites have full kitchens.
Expedia lists 156 rooms and a free breakfast buffet. There's an indoor pool and an oceanfront bar. The minimum check-in age is 21, per Hyatt.
Book this one if you're staying a week and want to cook. Check Hyatt House rates.
SpringHill Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront
The south-end suites. SpringHill stands at 901 Atlantic Avenue, beside the Boardwalk. Every suite has an ocean view, a private balcony and a kitchenette, per Booking.com.
There's an indoor pool with a hot tub, a seasonal outdoor pool and a hot breakfast buffet. Expedia counts 168 suites.
Book this one if you want suite space at the southern end of the boards. Check SpringHill Suites rates.
Past 40th Street: the Cavalier Resort
North of the Boardwalk's end, the Cavalier Resort has rebuilt its oceanfront. The old Cavalier Oceanfront hotel and Beach Club came down in 2015. Two new hotels now stand on that stretch of sand.
Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort
The big resort. The Marriott opened in June 2020 at 4201 Atlantic Avenue, a 305-room tower in the Cavalier Resort's second phase. Every room category on Booking.com has an ocean view.
There's an indoor pool and an outdoor pool, and the hotel has more than one restaurant and bar. Booking.com's price includes a nightly resort fee.
The Boardwalk ends two blocks south. Book this one if you want the full-resort version of Virginia Beach. Check Marriott rates.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort
The family resort. Embassy Suites opened in February 2023, the third hotel in the Cavalier Resort. Hilton describes it as sitting on the resort's semi-private beach, two blocks from the Boardwalk.
Its 157 suites have separate living and dining areas. There are indoor and outdoor pools and a spa. Breakfast is cooked to order, and there's an evening reception. Pets are allowed for a fee.
The cheapest category is a King Studio Suite. Booking.com adds a nightly resort fee, and Hilton charges for parking. Book this one if the kids need their own room and you want a resort pool deck. Check Embassy Suites rates.
Is the Historic Cavalier on the beach?
No. The seven-story Cavalier, finished in 1927, stands on a hill on the inland side of Atlantic Avenue. After a renovation it reopened in March 2018 as The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, Autograph Collection.
Its beach is a guests-only Beach Club across the road, opened in 2018 with an infinity pool and cabanas. You walk over to the sand rather than out onto it. If that's the trade you want, check the Historic Cavalier's rates.
More oceanfront hotels on the sand
Virginia Beach has dozens of oceanfront hotels. These five pass the same test and suit a specific trip.
- Courtyard Virginia Beach Oceanfront/North 37th Street. Right on the Boardwalk at the north end, according to Expedia. It was remodeled in 2024 and has a seasonal outdoor pool with a pool bar. Check Courtyard North rates.
- Courtyard Virginia Beach Oceanfront/South, 25th Street. A separate hotel with a near-identical name. Every room has a balcony, and the indoor pool looks out at the ocean. Check Courtyard South rates.
- Hilton Vacation Club Oceanaire Virginia Beach, 34th Street. Ocean views in every room, studios (some with kitchenettes), and indoor and outdoor pools. Booking.com adds a nightly resort charge. Check Oceanaire rates.
- Boardwalk Resort and Villas, 16th Street. Suites with balconies and an indoor pool, a block from the fishing pier. Check Boardwalk Resort rates.
- Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront, 57th Street. On the beach about a mile north of the Boardwalk, with indoor and outdoor pools and pet-friendly rooms. Check Wyndham rates.
Which oceanfront hotels have an indoor pool?
Most of the big ones. The Marriott, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hyatt House, SpringHill Suites, Courtyard South, Boardwalk Resort and Wyndham all list one. Hyatt Place has a seasonal outdoor pool only.
The Hilton's showpiece is outdoors, on the roof. Courtyard North lists a seasonal outdoor pool.
Bringing a dog to the Oceanfront
Plan around the city's summer rules. From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, dogs aren't allowed on the sand or in the water in the Resort Area, between Rudee Loop and 42nd Street. Leashed dogs can use the Boardwalk from 06:00 to 19:00.
North of 42nd Street, dogs can go on the beach before 10:00 and after 18:00, per the city. Hyatt Place, Embassy Suites and the Hampton Inn allow pets on Booking.com. Hyatt House and Wyndham take them on request.
Virginia Beach or Ocean City?
Both are high-rise oceanfront strips with a boardwalk, and in both the cheapest room often faces the town. Ocean City's Boardwalk is built around arcades and Trimper's Rides, open since 1893. Virginia Beach's is 28 feet wide, with music stages and Neptune's Park along it.
If you're weighing the two, Ocean City's beachfront hotels runs the same test up the coast.
How to choose your stretch
On the Boardwalk: book Hyatt Place for the balcony, the Hilton for the rooftop, or Hyatt House for a kitchen.
A resort past the boards: the Marriott or Embassy Suites, on the Cavalier Resort's stretch of sand. Check Marriott availability for a full resort, or lock in Hyatt Place before summer rates set in.
When to go
June and July are peak, and Google search interest for Virginia Beach oceanfront hotels bottoms out from October to December. The price swing is steep. Hyatt Place's rooms open around $120 on a November weeknight and run near $400 for a July one.
Wikipedia's climate summary puts the hot, humid season from late May through late September, so May and September give you beach weather at lower demand. Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November, so check the cancellation terms on late-summer bookings.
For more of this coast, the Virginia guide starts here. The Outer Banks run the same Atlantic trip on North Carolina's barrier islands, and Myrtle Beach runs a much bigger high-rise strip further south.
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Images: SchuminWeb / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
