I recently went to visit a friend in Long Branch, New Jersey. It was my first time visiting this beach town, and I had a blast.

I stayed at Wave Resort, a luxury, oceanfront boutique hotel in the center of town across from the pier. My room had a balcony and breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The first day I arrived, my friend visited me at the hotel spa, and we enjoyed a day of pampering. We both got massages — she got the classic massage and I got the Wave massage, which consisted of a hot mud application to release tense muscles. We left there feeling like jelly; it was so relaxing. That evening we took a ride to nearby Asbury Park, where we walked the boardwalk, did some shopping and enjoyed live music. There were bars and restaurants everywhere, so we did some hopping around.

The next day we enjoyed the pool at the hotel, overlooking the ocean. There was a swim-up bar, food and drink service, and a DJ. We had so much fun soaking up the sun. After a lovely afternoon nap, we decided to stay close by and had dinner at Branch Cantina, a Mexican restaurant inside the hotel. They had the best variety of margaritas. I had the spicy cucumber, and my friend had the spicy pineapple; both were amazing. We shared shishito peppers, empanadas, crispy pork belly tacos, and rice and beans for dinner. It was some of the best Mexican food I have ever had.

We had a lovely weekend relaxing in this beautiful, entertaining beach town.

— Alaina Cagliostro, director of sales