Trip Report - March/April 2025

[Noreen411]

We have Nothing Bundt Cakes in our area. If you sign up with them you get a free bundtlet on your bday. We've tried them, but I think they use the cream cheese icing and I'm not a fan unfortunately.
We have stayed in Staybridge Suites several times on road trips and mostly they've been nice. A few could've been better.
We eat at Longhorn in Colorado. And recently tried the one in Kissimmee near WDW. Consistently very good. Sorry to hear you were ignored, that is rude! We would've left too and we have in the past for that kind of treatment.
Lulu's looked fun!!

Hi. I googled and see that there is a Nothing Bundt Cakes in Paramus, NJ (maybe 30 minutes away from us); that’s also the town where one of our favorite local restaurants, Biagio’s, is. Maybe we’ll have to take a quick detour and try the local Nothing Bundt Cakes soon.

Staybridge was a decent hotel. We prefer a bit of room to spread out rather than a standard hotel room when we can find it.

The first time we tried Longhorn I think in either North or South Carolina on one of our drives home, it was great. We’ve now gone to a few different ones. The food is pretty consistent but we’ve found the service hit or miss. This one in AL was the worst service yet where we were completely ignored.

Lulu’s totally made up for how we were ignored in Longhorn.

 

[Noreen411]

Following along for another great trip report!

Thank you

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 3/17/25
We both went to the hotel gym about 6. We purposely look for hotels with 24 hour gyms. This gym was a bit larger than some of the other hotel gyms we’ve used. They didn’t have gym towels readily available so we stopped at the front desk to get a few.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 3/17/25 Continued
We did our normal morning routine a bit out of order today and went to the hotel breakfast right after our workout, stopping to wash our hands from touching all the gym equipment.

There was a very nice setup with hot and cold items, both soda and juice machines, and I loved the waffle maker. We were there right around when they opened so they were still putting a few things out. These included breakfasts in a hotel isn’t a deal breaker if they don’t have it, but it’s really nice when they do.










My breakfast was the cute waffles I made in the waffle maker. My syrup is on the side; I prefer to dip into condiments and don’t like my food covered/soggy. Another little food quirk of mine.


Scott’s breakfast plate with a few items from the various areas.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 3/17/25
After breakfast we went to our room to shower and get dressed. On our way out we stopped at the front desk to let them know the drain in the shower was very slow and could someone take a look at it/fix it.

Since this was an extra day in Alabama as our original plan didn’t have us arriving until later tonight, we started out driving to Mobile Alabama and went to the USS Alabama Battleship.

We had a lot of fun exploring.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 3/17/25 Continued
We drove to Big Daddy’s Grill for lunch. This was also recommended to us. When we got there it looked like a dive and we almost didn’t go in.


We took a chance and went in and are really glad we did. The place was very cute and welcoming. You could sit outside along the water or inside. We ate inside not being a fan of eating outside with bugs and stuff. The waitress was great at explaining things on the menu. We learned about a new fish called Triple Tail, which was the special fish of the day. The waitress described it as a light flaky white fish.


We shared our food as we like to do.

They had the blue crab claws here that Scott wanted to try at Lulu’s and the waitress suggested the kids order of it so we can try it but it won’t be too much. It came with hush puppies. These were very tasty. So were the hush puppies.


We also ordered the Make Your Own basket with fried shrimp and grilled triple tail. This came with fries and hush puppies, and we told them to hold the Cole slaw. We were really impressed with the Triple Tail; it was delicious.



We shared the fried apple pie dessert which was OK. It kind of reminded me of the Apple Pies you used to get at McDonald’s in the little cardboard sleeve.


Guess this really shows that you can’t judge a book by its cover. We almost skipped Big Daddy’s Grill but are really glad we decided to give it a try. My only complaint is that the seats are hard.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 3/17/25
We spoke to the realtor confirming our plans for tomorrow.

We drove around a bit exploring some different areas.

We drove to Gulf State Park Beach. We enjoy walking along the beach and spent some time here walking along the water. There were a lot of groups with photographers doing family type pictures.





Later we drove to Lulu’s to go to their arcade and play some games


For dinner we planned to go to De Soto, another restaurant that was recommended to us, but when we got there we weren’t really in the mood for it. We also weren’t super hungry after our big lunch.

We decided to head back to Lulu’s and sat at the bar.


Scott had a Martini and I had a Pirate Princess


We shared the Pa Menna burger with the sauce on the side; this was very good. Scott also wanted to try the Gouda grits which he liked; I thought they were a weird consistency, but I think it’s just the consistency of grits.


We didn’t have dessert as we were too full. We really enjoyed Lulu’s

Back at the hotel, we watched a movie, Suicide Squad, before going to bed.

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 3/18/25
We went to the gym about 7 this morning and a few other people showed up while we were there so it filled up.

We had the hotel breakfast.
My plate. I didn’t like the texture of the eggs so didn’t eat them, but peanut butter and jelly on an English muffin with some fruit on the side was a very good breakfast.



Scott’s plate


After breakfast we showered and got dressed.

We met the realtor and spent most of the day with her. She showed us 8 different houses in different neighborhoods. None of the houses were really what we are looking for but it was great to see what’s out there.

Later we drove to Orange Beach and wandered around a bit including stopping in a few souvinir shops.


That evening for dinner we went to Big Fish restaurant which was recommended by the realtor.


We sat at the bar as we like to do. Everyone was super friendly. The guy next to me gave us some recommendations for other restaurants and others beaches to explore.

Scott had a Bourbon and I had a Glamortini.


For appetizers we had the sautéed crab claws.


We also had the ginger glazed shrimp skewers; this was good but a bit spicy for me


We shared the bronzed triple tail with mashed potatoes and spinach for an entree. This was delicious. Two pictures to show the different angles.




For dessert we had the Honey Cake which the realtor told us we had to have. It wasn’t described on the menu but the bartender said it’s an Eastern European dish, thin layers with cream cheese icing, cherry, graham cracker, and I forgot what else. Whatever else was in it, it was great.


We enjoyed our meal at Big Fish. My only complaint once again is the hard seats.

We have been very impressed so far with how nice everyone has been. We’ve also been impressed with the restaurants.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 3/19/25
We both went to the gym about 6 this morning. We were the only ones there.
We had breakfast at the hotel but I must have forgotten to take pictures today.
We showered and got dressed to head out

We started out going to Fairhope, Alabama and stopped at the Coffee Loft which was recommended by the bartender from Lulu’s. It was definitely a quirky but interesting looking place.


I had an Iced Caramel Macchiato. This was a great macchiato and rivaled Starbucks which is my usual go-to. Scott had a cappuccino but wasn’t crazy about his beverage.


We saw the cutest billboard when we were leaving Gulf Shores - for an orthodontist and the shark has braces. Now that I’m doing Invisalign I notice things like this.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 3/19/25 Continued
We drove to the Fairhope Municipal Pier and walked the pier



We walked along a trail near the pier, along the water, over little bridges. It was so peaceful.





Of course we stopped to swing on the swings.



We played on the see saw


Found another swing to sit on


It was so nice just strolling along, stopping to swing, enjoying the great weather, and just being together.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 3/19/25 Continued
We stopped at Publix for a few items and dropped them back at the hotel.

We drove to the Beach in Gulf Shores and walked along the water as well as spent some time just sitting on the beach.


We headed to Foley and walked around the Center of Town



We went to the Foley Train museum but they were already closed for the day.


We saw a cute looking candy store so had to investigate


We ended up just getting a piece of fudge. I forgot what kind of fudge it was. We each tried a little bit, and the rest of it came to Florida, then back to NJ with us.




When we got back in the car, a man came over to the car and knocked on the window. We are both from NY (even though we live in NJ now) and originally thought he was a bum who was either going to beg for money or try to rob us. Imagine our surprise when he said something like “You guys are lost, this is Alabama, did you take a wrong turn on the NJ Turnpike?” He was super friendly joking around and just walking along enjoying the day. You really can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 3/19/25 Continued
We had dinner that night at Local and Company, which was also recommended by the realtor.


We sat at the bar as well like to do. The bartender was super friendly, picked up on my NY accent right away. He mentioned he spent some time in Brooklyn, NY (where I grew up) and we reminisced about this fast food place called Roll N Roaster. That brought back memories; I haven’t had Roll N Roaster in years. He said he loved living in Alabama.

I had an Old Fashioned and Scott had a Martini


We started with the appetizer Fungi pizza and added sausage (the bartender’s suggestion). It was a great suggestion, this was very good.


We also had the fish taco from the bar menu. Another solid choice.


For an entree we had the duck breast dinner. I’m not usually a fan of duck, but I wasn’t that hungry after the appetizers. The duck was surprisingly good.


We met the restaurant owner, who is originally from NJ, had a few restaurants in the city (NY city) and moved to Alabama a few years ago and loves it here.

For dessert we had the Apple Bread pudding. This was OK but not our favorite bread pudding.


We enjoyed our meal and the interaction with the bartender, owner, and other guests at Local & Company. The seats here weren’t comfortable either. I’ve been saying to Scott I may have to order a little seat cushion to bring with me in the future. We haven’t had a bad meal yet in Alabama.

 

[BellaBaby]

Your meals look really good. And nice places to walk too!
So how does that work with the realtor? They don't mind taking you around even though you're not looking to buy right then?
Just wondering, as DH and I would like to do this in the future as well.

 

[Noreen411]

Your meals look really good. And nice places to walk too!
So how does that work with the realtor? They don't mind taking you around even though you're not looking to buy right then?
Just wondering, as DH and I would like to do this in the future as well.

Hi. The realtors have been fine with it; we’ve been very upfront about our plans and let them know we’re narrowing down where we want to move to so it’s not just the house, but the whole town and State we have to decide on. We’re also planning to make the move hopefully in a year or two; I’m guessing if we weren’t planning to move for another 10 years they may not want to spend as much time with us. I think it’s about building the relationship and once we decide where we want to go, we know who we’re calling. We’ve kept in touch with the realtors letting them know our thoughts as we’re going along.

 

[Noreen411]

Thursday 3/20/25
We went to the gym about 5:45 and were the only ones there.

We had breakfast at the hotel.
My plate: had to have my favorite little waffles from the waffle maker


Scott’s plate:


Then we showered and got dressed.

There is a laundry room at the hotel (right near the gym) so we decided to do some laundry. Once we get to the timeshare in Florida, we do laundry often since it’s right in the villa.

We drove over to OWA to see what was there


There are all sorts of restaurants, stores, various attractions, a water park, etc.



We stopped to get Scott some Starbucks. The woman was new and in training, super friendly, but it took a very long time for him to get his cappuccino.



It was cold so we were walking around freezing. We wandered a bit but didn’t stay too long, it may be more of an afternoon and/or evening place with the various bars and restaurants.

We stopped at Publix again for a few items we needed.

Even though it was cold out, we went to Shell Beach. It’s really nice just wandering along the water’s edge.



We were getting a little hungry and decided to go for lunch. We went to Lambert’s Cafe; home of the throwed rolls.

The billboard is upside down, cut idea since it makes you look



We put our names on the list and were told it would be maybe 20 minutes. We wandered around outside, they have a little gift shop.

 

[Noreen411]

Thursday 3/20/25 Continued
We received a text that our table was ready and headed inside.



The soda we ordered came in huge cups


The cutest thing is that they actually throw soft pillowy rolls at you. The guy that throws the rolls must have amazing aim since he would throw some of them pretty far and people always caught them.



These rolls were delicious


People working there also come around offering you various things to eat. A lady came by and offered us fried okra, something we’ve never had. We didn’t have plates yet so she put it on a napkin for us. It was surprisingly good.


Different people came around offering other things that we declined like macaroni and tomato, potato and onion, and some other stuff.

Scott ordered fried chicken and you get to choose sides so he chose macaroni and cheese as well as cornbread. His food was decent. He even pulled a little chicken off the bone for me to try (another food quirk, I don’t like food on a bone or anything that resembled what it looked like when alive).


I ordered the roast beef which came with mashed potatoes, but I also had corn and fries as my sides. I was looking at the peaches and the waiter heard me mention it so brought those as well. Unfortunately, my food wasn’t very good. The French fries were good.




The best food was the rolls. I asked the guy who throws them if I could take a picture and he was nice enough to pose for me.


I’m glad we gave it a try, but it’s more of a touristy gimmick type place. We wouldn’t go back, other than maybe getting those rolls to go.

Scott had me laughing later when he referred to the throwed rolls as “flying biscuits”

We headed back to the hotel and got the bulk of the packing done. We didn’t really “unpack” but still had stuff to organize and get packed up,

 

[Noreen411]

Thursday 3/20/25 Continued
Later that night we went back to Lulu’s since we’ve really enjoyed our time there.


I had a Storm Warning drink and Scott started off drinking Coke while he decided what he was in the mood to drink.


Pretty soon he decided on Bourbon; he usually either goes with a Martini or Bourbon so it’s a quick decision. Unlike me where I’m always reading the cocktail menu and trying new drinks. My drink doesn’t look as nice here since I already mixed it.


We shared the grilled shrimp quesadilla appetizer. We weren’t that hungry but wanted something. At first we thought it sounded a bit off to have shrimp in a quesadilla, but it was very good.


We hung out enjoying the atmosphere, drinks, food, and the people.

We enjoyed our time in Alabama.