My husband, sister and I went on vacation with our three girls ages 2, 4 and 6. We stayed in Mike's house in the back unit and had A Wonderful Time! We were there for a week in February 2010 when back home in Baltimore, we missed out on 3 feet of snow - ha! What luck. Mike's place was perfect for us. We used the kitchen every day and saved lots of money on take-out food. We did go out a few times and I liked the Brother Tuckers on Atlantic (6 short blocks north of the house). I didn't like Flanagans, however. The price of the meal was incredibly cheap - we even had a few drinks and I was surprised at how cheap it was but it was cheezy and chainy. The Brothers restaurant was much cooler with fresh, local food and a crazy assortment of beers. We took our kids to Butterfly world - it was OK but expensive. I'd do it again but I would have printed the coupon for sure. If you go, spring for the $1 to feed the larakeet birds, it was fun and made for the best photos of the day. We really liked Flamingo World because it's more of an animal sanctuary and not a zoo. It had a nice feel to it and the peacocks roam freely. Our kids loved playing in this big old tree that looked like it was made of a million vines. Another find for us was the public pool (on 18th st I think) - it's heated and it's $1 per adult and $.50 for kids. Another day-trip was to see "the Girls" Strawberry patch. It looks like a tiny store but out back it's a giant hydroponic strawberry farm. We had a blast there - you can pick your own vegetables as well.
Tips for Mike's - I almost forgot my favorite thing: The Fenced Yard - our kids roamed freely and I could keep an eye on them easily. The walk to the beach was quick - probably as fast as if you rented an expensive condo and had to wait for the elevator. Mike says that you don't need a car and I would agree if it were only adults, the bus stops right around the corner but with kids, it was necessary. If I were to change anything about his place I would remove the TVs. They are HUGE and in every room and bedroom (and take up a lot of space). I'm not a TV-lover, maybe you can tell!? Anyway, it was a great vacation for us and I would recommend Mike's place to anyone but especially someone with a family - the fenced yard was great. I didn't see any other houses this close to the beach with a real yard. Cheers, Juliana