DIAMOND BEACH — When Diamond Beach was built back in the late 1980s, Wildwood Crest was mostly sand and sky.
A few streets of homes, clustered around little canals and docklands, displayed the once-popular taste for Spanish-revival architecture, but over the years most of that had broken and been replaced with boring, ordinary house materials; regular roofs instead of pretty tiled roofs, for example.
The fancy wrought iron had rusted on the dramatic curved stairs and decorative balconies, and people were putting vinyl siding over the stucco. In winter, the streetlights lit a path to what looked like the end of the known world, south toward the vast commercial docks of Cape May Harbor.
And then, suddenly, a whole resort bloomed right at the southernmost tip of the island containing the Wildwoods.
Palm trees swayed over the semi-private beach — beginning a years-long argument about both the doomed palms and the very notion of a “private” beach.
Little clubs and tiki bars popped up, surrounding in-ground pools only steps from the sand, triggering another major concern for the region’s old-timers: who puts a pool right next to the ocean?
Diamond Beach was the answer. It wasn’t copying any beachfront community in the county, or the state. Diamond Beach was copying the resorts of the Caribbean.
The difference was, they were not opening another themed hotel along the wide sands of Wildwood, relying on novelty for curb appeal. The late 1980s were a great era for the concept of the Condo-Tel, where people could own a unit in a property that behaved exactly like an all-inclusive resort.
Units such as #509 in La Quinta Towers offered an enticing reality. Closer to the beach than the little townhouses that line Raleigh Avenue, La Quinta Towers at 300 E. Raleigh Ave. offers every imaginable perk of living in a resort hotel without the check-out.
This unit was completed in 1988, which is about midway through the construction of the vast complex, and sits way up high on the fifth floor where the views are the most stunning.
Two bedrooms and two bathrooms open from a long great room ending in a balcony. The layout is as simple as it is effective: every room has a view, and the views are jaw-dropping.
La Quinta Towers is built to connect two wings, forming a zig-zag shape joined by the elevator tower. Unit 509 is located at the corner of the southern tower, looking over the nature preserve and the ocean beyond.
Considering just how many Spanish-themed complexes are now scattered across Diamond Beach, it’s a miracle to find one with views of the ocean and not, say, a parking lot or the neighbors.
The interior of the unit has not changed much since 1988, although the resort itself has been altered many times to keep up with an ever-changing definition of luxury through the years.
The door opens to a tiled hall with a little utility/laundry/mud room waiting right at the entrance, because merely taking the elevator will not clean sandy boots after a wilderness trek.
The next spot is the kitchen, a starkly simple horseshoe with one low side, allowing light and views to pour over the countertop, which can easily serve as a breakfast bar.
It cannot be overstated just how innovative this all seemed back in 1988, when gleaming formica replaced the need for some dinky cafe table and tiny chairs, creating a space of modern lines and easy cleaning.
The open space just beyond this could hold a larger dining table, or not, just as one chooses. For a retired couple with no children at home, this arrangement could mean more space for hobbies, or just a completely uncluttered space. It was shocking at the time, an effect lost on most of us today who have seen this many times since.
The living area is located closest to the sliding glass doors at the very front of the room. The doors open to a long balcony that leads to another pair of sliding glass doors off the primary bedroom, located at the very front of the unit, overlooking the same nature preserve and ocean views.
This room is large but simple: two closets and an ensuite bathroom are located along the back, interior wall. The bathroom is surprisingly large with a shower and tub, and the original vanity still intact.
The second bedroom is smaller but still large enough for twin beds. It could be a home office or den, as the window that lights it also looks over the entrance to the unit, and the “Street”: the system of balconies that connect all the units to staircases leading down to all the amenities below.
These amenities are quite impressive: the stunning in-ground pool and hot tubs surrounded by wide patios lined with deck chairs; the covered entrance making a cab ride home a uniquely coddled, yet elegant, experience; two dedicated parking spaces under cover so the resident can keep one car for groceries, antiquing and practical concerns while still keeping a cute little roadster to go cruise the strip up north in Wildwood (proper, Doo-Wop Wildwood) just a few minutes away.
Residents can join the Diamond Beach Club and make the most of those scandalous palm trees and the bars and music venues that one can only hope are even more scandalous.
Just within walking distance, there are so many varied adventures to choose, between beach and birds, bars and the boardwalk; but just beyond the front door is the secret bat-cave entrance to Cape May, where the harbor has seen quite a lot of development since 1988 and now hosts fishing tournaments, yachts, international guests and more fine dining than one could sample in an entire season.
