For the betrothed in the Greater Philadelphia area, many opt to celebrate bachelor and bachelorette parties in Atlantic City, the seaside New Jersey city bouncing back from past troubles with the recent openings (in former casino/hotels) of Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

As an aside, Ocean Resort made recent headlines for its offer of complimentary guestrooms for Hurricane Florence evacuees.

While my recent visit for a bachelorette didn’t bring me to either of the new resorts, it did bring me to an AC mainstay, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. All of the festivities were held there, with dinner at Izakaya and dancing and drinks at Premier Nightclub. Earlier in the day, some of the group enjoyed a day by the pool. Borgata offered a one-stop venue for any and all of the bride-to-be’s desired diversions!

When I saw a guestroom at Borgata, I was wishing I’d opted to overnight there, but a friend and I instead were staying at Harrah’s. I’d been to Harrah’s before for another bachelorette and remembered being happier with my guestroom on my previous visit. Aside from a sticky mystery stain on the carpet, I found the outlets inconveniently placed and all the furniture and amenities in need of a refresh.

However, check-in and check-out are a breeze with self-service kiosks, especially as Atlantic City in the summer is a busy place for hotels. We skipped the long lines and were checked in in less than five minutes. And we were happy with the on-site amenities, grabbing breakfast and snacks easily, especially some late-night slices of pizza after all that dancing!

— Kimberly Krol, editor in chief