GUlF ShOrEs!! HELP!!

[happymom2one]

Hello! Boy, its been awhile since I have been on this board, since everytime I get on here I dream of Disneyworld. Well, we have decided to do a BUDGET friendly vacation! so, we have picked Gulf SHores! Now comes the questions....

1. I have been checking VRBO, but are there any budget friendly locations/spots anyone could suggest? I am looking for around Sept 26th? I would like under $100 a night.

2. Dolphin Cruises? any recommendations?

3. Where are the great places to eat?


4. Whats the weather at the end of Sept? Will we be able to go in the Ocean??

Sorry for all the questions, just have so many questions. Thanks for all the answers!!

 

[ilovejack02]

I can answer at least a few cpl of questions , kinda ; ) . Can you swim, the answer is yes ! Still very warm that time of year.

Do you have to stay on beach or is off ok. The Gulf Shores state park is really nice and has cabins inland on a lake and a hotel on the beach.

The bay is nice to stay on too. We havent done dolphin tours as we usually rent a boat for 4 hours and play on the bay side , pull up to the little islands and let the kids swim.

Check prices for Orange Beach too... its all the same area, just a little further down.

Lambert's is very popular restaurant, I have not been , but folks seem to like it.

As far as everything else, Im not a big fan of the tourist places. Places are usually kinda blah. My kids do love to go to The Hangout , and we always go so they can play , but not because the food is just to die for.

 

[ilovejack02]

Don't just check VRBO, Brett Robinson is a big reality company there. Sometimes these companies offer incentives , like free dolphin cruises , free golf, movie rentals , free beach chairs. At least they do in at several companies we have used in Fort Walton/DEstin area. I know Brett has free night specials for sure.

Brett Robinson has alot at the Phoenix resorts, there are a TON of them. My personal fav is Phoenix X.

 

[mrssmith06]

Not sure I can be of any help, since I'm not a big fan of Gulf Shores. I don't seem to find great places to eat or any fabulous things to do there. Orange Beach may be a little better, but I prefer the Ft.Walton/Destin, FL area... it's my favorite place, I'm actually going there in a couple of weeks!

But some of my friends that like going to Gulf Shores seem to enjoy places like Bahama Bob's, The hangout & Sea-N-Suds.

 

[ilovejack02]

Not sure I can be of any help, since I'm not a big fan of Gulf Shores. I don't seem to find great places to eat or any fabulous things to do there. Orange Beach may be a little better, but I prefer the Ft.Walton/Destin, FL area... it's my favorite place, I'm actually going there in a couple of weeks!

But some of my friends that like going to Gulf Shores seem to enjoy places like Bahama Bob's, The hangout & Sea-N-Suds.

I am also a big fan of Destin area , beach is prettier I think also better food selection too . Got home from Orange Beach Sunday , my friends treated so I wasn't going to say no lol. Flora Bama was TONS of fun ; ). Gulf Shores is really fine, Destin area tends to be a bit more upscale, nicer shopping, nicer restaurants, which also brings a bit higher prices.

Foley, Alabama, which you will drive through to get to Gulf Shores has an awesome outlet mall. Bigger than Silver Sands in Destin and has just as good shops, if not better. I almost died when I saw Le Crueset had opened there.

 

[horseshowmom]

I am also a big fan of Destin area , beach is prettier I think also better food selection too . Got home from Orange Beach Sunday , my friends treated so I wasn't going to say no lol. Flora Bama was TONS of fun ; ). Gulf Shores is really fine, Destin area tends to be a bit more upscale, nicer shopping, nicer restaurants, which also brings a bit higher prices.

Foley, Alabama, which you will drive through to get to Gulf Shores has an awesome outlet mall. Bigger than Silver Sands in Destin and has just as good shops, if not better. I almost died when I saw Le Crueset had opened there.

Agreed. the outlet mall at Foley is much, much better in our opinion. My daughter buys a ton of stuff there but usually just a few things in Destin. I have to also agree that staying in Destin is my favorite, but Gulf Shores is great too.

We really liked LuLu's. While we didn't eat at the Lambert's in Foley, my son-in-law and daughter have eaten at the one in Missouri and really liked it.

 

[taylor3297]

The state park hotel has been gone since the last hurricane. Also, since the state park was on fire for over a week at the end of June beginning of July, not sure I would stay there.

We stay at Paradis Isle every year. It is not fancy but it serves it purpose. Your choices are a small one bedroom, large one bedroom, or a 2 bedroom. It is across the street from the beach, but it is easy to get to the beach, since it is located at a light and a public beach access.

As where to eat, we like Bahama Bobs, the newer Tacky Jacks in Orange beach near the wharf, and the Crab Trap over in Perdido.

If you want more information just send me a PM. I will be more than willing to help you.

Oh yes it will be warm enough to swim.

 

[dixie lolly]

We go to beach every summer and used to only go to Orange beach. My aunt lives there and owns a store there so we could visit as well as have beach time. But lately we have been going to destin area. It seems like we find better room rates and there is much more to do in destin. We actually found a room during peak summer there for 300 a week which was amazing! The room was nothing overly fancy but was nice and had all we needed! I will be glad to answer any questions you have about any of the beach towns.
Also we like to eat at the original oyster house in gulf shores and at tacky jacks in orange beach. The crab trap in perdido is much better than the one in destin. in destin fudpuckers is a must it is great for kids and adults too!
Hope this helped and let me know if you have questions!

 

[happymom2one]

@I love jack, yes my husband wants to walk out the door and be on the beach since he never has been on the beach really. Been by one but never stayed and always just put his feet in the water... If it was me, i probably would stay off the main drag. I will check the Brett Robinson, never heard of that one. Thanks for the information.

@ Taylor, I definitely will be PM you in the morning. Thanks for your help, just have to think of my questions.

 

[happymom2one]

Thanks for all the replies! We were tossing the idea of going to Destin, but this time we are going to go to Gulf Shores, because it is closer for us. We are in St. Louis, and only plan on being down there for a quick 3 nights...Again, thanks for all the information on the food places....

Are there any other suggestions or things I am not thinking of? I hate to say it but it was easier to plan Disney than this quick trip..

 

[rnorwo1]

We just got back from Orange Beach also, I prefer it to Gulf Shores even though it's just a couple of minutes away... it's much less crowded and less neon signs and such.

We stayed at the Caribe resort which was a little pricey but we were able to get a 4th night free. The resort was fabulous, the kids loved it, but there are lots of places much cheaper. Your DH will not be able to just walk out on the beach anywhere if you get a condo, there's actually quite a hike at most places, but he can see the beach immediately when he wakes up! You can rent a house and be much closer, but that would be way more than $100 a night. All of the Phoenix's are nice, and prices have dropped from the more expensive summer rates, so you may be able to get a 1 BR close to $150 a night. But Brett Robinson manages dozens of properties, so maybe they have something cheaper.

As far as places to eat, we always go to Lamberts each year... the food is good but nothing outstanding (think a nicer Cracker Barrel), but it's fun b/c they throw the rolls at you (and they are wonderful rolls), pass the food around family style with all you can eat sides, the servers play practical jokes with the kids, etc. Nice experience, but get there very early or expect an extremely long wait. LuLu's (Jimmy Buffet's sister, I believe) is another fun place to go. The food is really good there, it's on the water so you can walk around and look at the boats and dream, there is a huge sand area that the kids can play in while waiting for the table/food, very fun place.

We usually eat in the room for breakfast and lunch, and go out for dinner. Last week we got $2 restaurant.com gift certificates and tried West Beach Grill, which was good and inexpensive and Happy Harbor Oyster Bay, which was, um, interesting. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, the prices were reasonable, but it had a sort of Deliverance feel about it. It may have not been so scary if there were more people there, but there was only one additional table and they left before we finished. We will not be back there again!

Pensacola is about a 30 minute drive from Orange Beach, and it has the Naval Museum there that is free, we always enjoy that. The outlet mall is great, and if you sign up before you go you can get a coupon emailed to you that is good at most of the stores there. Other than that, there is a zoo that I have never been to, and putt-putt and go-kart type places. My kids just want to hang out on the beach and at the pools, so we don't spend the money on that sort of stuff anymore.

We did do a dolphin cruise last year, but I can't remember the name of it. We just got a coupon out of the book that you'll see when you get there, they are everywhere. We did see dolphins and that was fun, but it was alot of waiting around until we did. We won't do that again, I just didn't think it was worth the money.

Happy planning, hope you have a great trip!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit around that area six years ago. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit in the area three years ago. It's three years again and we already are on Tropical Storm Emily. September is prime time for hurricanes.

 

[BkrsLoveDis!]

Try fort Morgan too - just west of GS. Beaches less crowded, short drive to stuff in GS/orange beach. GS plantation is one of our faves. This is our every other year vaca when we don't do wdw!

 

[ilovejack02]

Try fort Morgan too - just west of GS. Beaches less crowded, short drive to stuff in GS/orange beach. GS plantation is one of our faves. This is our every other year vaca when we don't do wdw!

Fort Morgan is def less crowded , we have also stayed at the Plantation and would stay there again.

 

[ErinC]

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit around that area six years ago. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit in the area three years ago. It's three years again and we already are on Tropical Storm Emily. September is prime time for hurricanes.

It was Katrina and Ivan. Hurricane season lasts 5-6 months, so unless you plan on avoiding a vacation here from June -November, don't worry about it right now. There is no way to plan around something like that. Just because we had a hurricane three years ago, doesn't mean we are getting one again this year.

Anyway, on to being helpful... Come to Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, Baldwin county needs your money! Truthfully, I personally prefer Orange Beach over Gulf Shores, but you reallly don't know when you've left one and moved on to another. There are plenty of good places to eat, LULU's (go early) or midday and be prepared for a wait. Tacky Jacks has a new location across the canal from Lulu's , we really like it. We also like Wolf Bay Lodge at Zeke's marina. If you like fried oysters, get them here, they are the best. I also like their scallops. The outlet mall is the best around. For all Disney freaks like myself, there is a "temporary" Disney store located close to Gap. It's kind of strange, they have leftover Disneyland merchandise and various other disney items. It's not like our old Disney outlet, but if you are disney starved, you might get a little fix here.

I would check Brett Robinson, or Myers Realty they both do a lot of rentals, but VRBO is good place to look as well.

The naval museum in Pensacola is great and your can't beat the price (free)! Otherwise, just enjoy hanging out and enjoying the beach and pool at your rental. Schools in this area start in the next week, so September should be a slower time and probably will be less money. Good luck!

 

[happymom2one]

Wow, all the great help. Now to the sorting out! Thanks so much! I really cant wait for this quick vacation! Now I need to hope for no Hurricanes. I wasn't even thinking about that..

 

[LaDonna]

we stayed in Orange beach 4th of July week and enjoyed it very much, that is when I guess they were having some fires, and we saw/smelled a lil smoke, but it was not bothersome........We were looking at doing a very very budget trip, I emailed several people on VRBO asking if they'd take XXX amount for that week and ended up with this place after taxes and cleaning for & $850(I'm betting since it is low season you could get it in Sept. even cheaper since their regular going rate for that month is $100 a night anyway) http://www.vrbo.com/296429 Now we normally stay in larger nicer places when going to the beach, my parents end up paying most of the bill, but they weren't going with us this trip and so I was on a search For the price is can't be beat! Small kitchen and 1 bed upstairs and futon and downstairs their is a sleaper sofa, though it wasn't the most comfortable i think I'd have just assumed taking my blowup bed for that space......their are 3 pools! and even a snack shack that was very convenient covered parking....we were very happy for what we paid......

and I second Lulu's, such a fun atmosphere Also ate at Cosmos and thought it was very good

 

[CRPDISFANS]

Some tips from me, just got back from 10 days and normally are there 2-4 times per year:

If you like it quiet look at West Beach in Gulf Shores, the further down you go only houses.

Several nice complexes right across from beach with beach access and some have boardwalks to take you across the dues, Bel Sole and Mustique (both quite nice) and Sea Oats little older are all in less crowded areas, many houses available as well through Meyer Realty, Brett Robinson and Gulf Shores Realty. The companies were all offering incentives when we were there last week, but have never rented because we have property (non-rental).

Outlets in Foley - if you have AAA card, go to customer service and get free coupon booklet, if not might be worth your $ to get one. It is a Tanger outlet so check website.

Restaurant.com has several gift certificates for local places. Pappa Roccos pizza if you get the $25 you only have to have a bill of $35. Also have Oysters there. We also buy certificates for Orange Beach as only 10-20 minutes away that time of year. Not had a bad experience at any of the places they have on there, but have not visited all of them. Alabama schools will have started back by September so you are going to find it much less crowded than last week for us. Get them when they are 80% off for best deal.

A "hole in the wall" we always frequent for take out and eat in is Bahama Bob's on West Beach.

Not a fan of Landry's - long wait, ok food and expensive for what you get. Cracker Barrel in selection options nut more $. Cute environment though if not too busy. They throw the rolls at you.

Local seafood place - buy and cook yourself - Blaylocks on Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores is always good.

Pensacola Naval Air Station - Home of the Blue Angels - they offer free practice shows so check out their website. The museum is great regardless and free.

If you like a small town vibe with neat shops, check out Fairhope - on Mobile Bay and one of our faves.

Fort Morgan - historic fort on mouth of mobile bay. Worth the drive out and Tacky Jack's is close by and a good restaurant choice going that direction.

Also in mobile has USS Alabama battleship if you are interested in a day trip.

Let me know if you have questions, like a second home for me.

 

[happymom2one]

Some tips from me, just got back from 10 days and normally are there 2-4 times per year:

If you like it quiet look at West Beach in Gulf Shores, the further down you go only houses.

Several nice complexes right across from beach with beach access and some have boardwalks to take you across the dues, Bel Sole and Mustique (both quite nice) and Sea Oats little older are all in less crowded areas, many houses available as well through Meyer Realty, Brett Robinson and Gulf Shores Realty. The companies were all offering incentives when we were there last week, but have never rented because we have property (non-rental).

Outlets in Foley - if you have AAA card, go to customer service and get free coupon booklet, if not might be worth your $ to get one. It is a Tanger outlet so check website.

Restaurant.com has several gift certificates for local places. Pappa Roccos pizza if you get the $25 you only have to have a bill of $35. Also have Oysters there. We also buy certificates for Orange Beach as only 10-20 minutes away that time of year. Not had a bad experience at any of the places they have on there, but have not visited all of them. Alabama schools will have started back by September so you are going to find it much less crowded than last week for us. Get them when they are 80% off for best deal.

A "hole in the wall" we always frequent for take out and eat in is Bahama Bob's on West Beach.

Not a fan of Landry's - long wait, ok food and expensive for what you get. Cracker Barrel in selection options nut more $. Cute environment though if not too busy. They throw the rolls at you.

Local seafood place - buy and cook yourself - Blaylocks on Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores is always good.

Pensacola Naval Air Station - Home of the Blue Angels - they offer free practice shows so check out their website. The museum is great regardless and free.

If you like a small town vibe with neat shops, check out Fairhope - on Mobile Bay and one of our faves.

Fort Morgan - historic fort on mouth of mobile bay. Worth the drive out and Tacky Jack's is close by and a good restaurant choice going that direction.

Also in mobile has USS Alabama battleship if you are interested in a day trip.

Let me know if you have questions, like a second home for me.

Wow! Thanks so much... I am confused about the AAA card! Where would I get that? How much? Again thanks..

 

[CRPDISFANS]

AAA card = the AAA (AAA Insurance) roadside assistance program that you pay yearly for. We have also used the card to get the room discounts at WDW hotels on room only reservations and at different attractions for ticket discounts. Had a blow out once and they came a changed my tire, locked my keys in my car and they come unlock, etc.

I got the coupon book last time and saves around $45 at stores on things I was going to be purchasing.