bradshawgirl

Hey, guys! Planning on a beach vacation, 1-2 weeks, with a 10-month-old in May/June of 2008. I have never been to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area, and I'm excited to go. Any ideas on which condo to rent? There are, like, a MILLION. I'm looking at vrbo.com and homeaway.com, and there are lots of choices.

Any recommendations for a young, small family? We are looking for a fairly uncrowded beach, good proximity to local attractions/restaurants, and decent amenities (a pool/hot tub on the property would be nice). We want something beachfront (no lugging hubby and baby across the highway). Those in the know - what would be your top pick for us?

Thanks!

DownSouth

We've stayed for years at Seachase in Orange Beach but not since Hurricane Ivan. It has everything that you're looking for but will not be cheap. Remember in the Panhandle of Florida, high season starts Memorial Day weekend.

You may also want to check out condos at Perdido Key, Florida, a little further down but a nice laid-back area. This area was hit hard by Ivan but has rebuilt some very nice rental units. Do a google search for a realty agent in the area who can suggest specific properties.

nolefan1

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach was hit hard by Ivan. I agree with the other poster regarding Perdido...it is very family friendly and not as crowded. We always book through Meyer Real Estate. They manage condos all over that area. The ones we have stayed in have always been gorgeous.

bradshawgirl

Down South - Seachase or Seascape? I can't find a Seachase. Maybe Ivan squashed it? There are lots of things that start with "Sea," but no Seachase.

bradshawgirl

FYI - Condos we have been looking at include: Royal Palms and Seacrest. Both show that they are up and running and have vacancies. Do either ring a bell with anyone?

bradshawgirl

Seachase - found it. Sorry. I was looking in Gulf Shores instead of Orange Beach. Thanks for the suggestion!

ksmom

We've been vacationing in the Gulf Shores area for years. My family likes the uncrowded area of Fort Morgan. Beautiful beaches without all of the people. It's about a 10-15 minute drive into Gulf Shores but we don't go in often. We've always rented a house through vrbo.com but other family has stayed at the Beach Club as well as Gulf Shores Plantation.

bradshawgirl

ksmom -

Are there activities/restaurants in Fort Morgan? I've seen some nice places for rent there, but I don't know what else is close. Shopping? Dining? Stuff to do?

Thanks!

Grcxx3

We stayed a couple of times at Gulf Shores Plantation with our kids and loved it. But our kids were a bit older, so don't know how it would be for a 10-month old.

Lee4

I stayed in a rental house on Ft. Morgan last summer (07) for one week with 7 adults and 2 toddlers. We loved it b/c the beaches are not crowded at all--it often felt that we had it to ourselves. There are no condos where our rental was, so that helped. It was great with the kids since we just walked out the door and down to the water, and we could leave all of our beach gear out every night.

Ft. Morgan is a drive back into Gulf Shores (depending on how far down on Ft. Morgan you are), and we did have to go back in for groceries, shopping, and eating out. We discovered a seafood market on the highway to Ft. Morgan (I think it's 180), so we often bought fresh seafood there and cooked it at our house. They also will cook it for you, and we did that a few times too and just brought it back to the house. It was better than any restaurant we ate at. I have heard that there are a few places to eat out on Ft. Morgan but we didn't try any.

If we go back this summer, we're leaning towards Ft. Morgan again. I hope we can plan a bit better as far as when to get groceries and things like that. That is one big pain about that area--everybody checks in and out on Saturdays or Sundays, so the grocery stores and Walmart are SO crowded and the roads are really congested. The main place for shopping is the outlet mall in Foley, which is a little drive from Ft. Morgan. It probably shouldn't take more than 30 minutes or so to get there but with the heavy traffc, it usually takes longer to get there or back.

nolefan1

We have stayed at Fort Morgan and a friend of mine owns two homes that they rent there. It doesn't have many activities such as water parks and shopping. You would need to drive into Gulf Shores/Orange Beach for that. It isn't a far drive...It was about 5 miles to Gluf Shores from were we were. We stayed at the Beach Club resort (I think that is what its called.) It was very nice, and it had a really good restaurant and spa at the facility.

If you plan on going to Jimmy Buffet's sisters restaurant, LuLu's, call ahead and go early. The wait can be hours...but it is fun and they have a big bar and a toddler play ground and of course a gift shop that you can where you can kill time.