Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront

This 10-story tourist hotel on the beach has a pleasant lobby with bright, tropical decor. Hues range from marine-blue to turquoise, with red and orange accents, with the festive, polka-dot carpeting as the focal point. A few clusters of comfy furniture are tucked into corners next to the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, and glass panels with bamboo-like silhouettes separate the registration area from the breakfast room. The covered terrace overlooking the busy boardwalk and beach offers prime seating for breakfast, or just to people-watch. This hotel has a friendly and cheerful vibe, and it stays very busy during peak season. It’s common to see guests relaxing on their balconies, especially after a day on the beach.

Located on the beach in the heart of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, the Holiday Inn Express occupies and enviable piece of real estate. It’s surrounded by tons of dining, shopping, and entertainment options, all within an easy walk of the hotel. A few of the area's attractions are within walking distance, too, but most require a short car ride. 

• Two-minute walk to the Naval Aviation Monument Park
• Seven-minute walk to Neptune’s Park
• Six-minute drive to the Virginia Beach Convention Center
• Six-minute drive to the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier
• Nine-minute drive to the Virginia Aquarium and Ocean Breeze Waterpark
• 26-minute drive to Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater 
• 30-minute drive to the Norfolk and its airport
• 60-minute drive to Busch Gardens 
• 75-minute drive to Colonial Williamsburg

The guest rooms received a partial renovation in early 2016 that added new carpet, drapes, and upholstered furniture. The resulting decor has a tropical feel, with orange accent walls, teal and orange drapes, aqua armchairs and ottomans (or sofas), and teal patterned carpet. The duvets are bright white, and the matching wood furniture is reddish-brown, and includes headboards and roomy desks with office chairs. The color combination gives units a warm and cheery glow, enhanced by natural light from the sliding doors leading to narrow balconies facing the beach. The rooms are generally tidy and comfortably spacious. Standard rooms come in King and Double-Queen options that include mini-fridges, microwaves, Keurig coffeemakers, 32-inch flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Suites add sleeper sofas in separate seating areas. Bathrooms contain standard beige tile framing the shower/tub combos, but there's good lighting and wide, granite vanities. Rooms are relatively quiet, given their location in the heart of the busy boardwalk. 

Perhaps the best -- and most popular -- feature at this hotel is its outdoor covered terrace that overlooks the beach, where a free hot breakfast is served. The which includes a pancake machine, eggs, and breakfast meats. There's no full-service restaurant, but for snacks and drinks during the day, there's a minimart on-site. 

No outdoor pool here is a drawback, but there's an indoor heated pool housed in a glass-enclosed space. However, there's barley a patio, and only a handful of loungers. The fitness center isn't very well-equipped, but it has Life Fitness equipment that includes two treadmills, an elliptical, a stationary bicycle, and free weights. 

Other amenities include a business center with multiple computers and a printer, one meeting space that can host up to 40 people, valet dry cleaning and laundry services, a guest laundry room, and free Wi-Fi throughout and weekday newspapers. There's also an ATM in the lobby. On-site parking is free, but limited to one space per room.