Hi! I am planning a trip to Gulf Shores in late Aug. Wouldl like help finding a nice condo to stay in. Pictures on the internet can be deceiving! The Beach Club & Spa look nice but it looks like it is 30 min. outside of Gulf Shores. Any information will be appreciated!

4-5 years ago, before big hurricanes, we stayed on Orange Beach at Phoenix V. Condo's were oceean front - our's had full ocean view. Beach was beautiful - as good as Beaches of South Walton in FL. The condo was a very roomy 3 BR w/ large enough kitchen open to large living area with nice size balcony. It has washer/dryer in the unit and I think all tile floors. Don't remember any carpet. Furnishings were nice enough - some wicker. It was not decorated festive or colorful by any means, just simple but pleasing enough.

I was along w/ a church youth group so didn't choose the place to stay. I prefer not to stay in condos but in many places and situations such as mine at the time, it's unavoidable.

It's not the kind of place overrun w/ church groups. Ours was a large group but blended in nicely. Other guest didn't seem to mind having a big youth group show up. It seemed to liven up the place yet didn't overcrowd.

P.S. There were not onsite stores,places to eat, etc. You had to go elsewhere.

Hi,
I've been to the GS areas many times but have not been back since the last hurricane they were hit by. From what I've been told by friends, though, the area looks good and has recovered nicely.

I've always rented condos there (actually in Orange Beach) and have been very pleased. I've used Picard Realty and know some of the others there are Meyers, Ft. Morgan Realty, or Brett-Robinson. Those are the ones I can think of right now. My suggestion is that you google something like "gulf shores vacation rentls" and you'll find a lot of links to rental websites for that area.

I have been pleased with any condo I've rented there and have rented them without actually seeing pictures of the condo itself. I know that the rental companies have hundreds of units and I just call and request what I'm looking for (1 bd/1 bath, beachfront, etc). I also always rent one with washer and dryer in the actual unit, rather than coin operated ones in the building somewhere. Condos are usually owned by individual owners so the decorations vary from place to place, but so far, all the ones I've been in have been clean, well maintained, and comfortable. I've also found the rental companies do a good job of telling you if the units are gulf front, side view, etc. and if the place has a pool. Since you are going in late Aug., you should get lucky and not have terrible crowds since so many kids will be back in school. Have a great trip!

Hi, bebe_el! The Beach Club is our favorite spot to stay on the Alabama coast, however it is a ways from Gulf Shores and the "action," if that is of interest to you. Not much in the way of restaurants nearby, and it's about a 15 to 20 minute drive back to Gulf Shores. Good luck with your planing!

We were very happy with our Phoenix V condo thru Brett-Robinson.

Yet another vote for Phoenix V Condos. We just stayed there in April and this was our first condo experience. We LOVED it. We had a one bedroom, non-smoking unit and it was beautifully decorated and immaculate.

We were also pleasantly surprised to find tennis courts, raquetball courts, workout room, indoor pool (as well as outdoor), and hot tubs. From what I could tell, all rooms were oceanfront balconies.

Staff was very friendly and efficient.

Another place we considered was the Caribe Resort. We checked it out and is another possibility for when we go back, although it will be a hard decision because we really were happy with the phoenix properties.

Here is the site that we booked through:

http://www.brett-robinson.com/rental/rental.php

Thank you all so much!! This will help in my planning. I prefer not to stay in a room that looks like someone threw-up a rainbow so I'll be sure to ask this along with a request for an ocean view when making reservations. This is my first time at this wedsite and I will be using it for all trips I plan in the future. Thanks again!

meyerre.com
you can actually see the inside of the condos
we were in Orange Beach a few weeks ago. There is still a lot of construction in the area, but that is true for most beach places these days.

bebe_el, do come back to the forum and post a trip report after your travels. It really helps other travelers to the area, and it lets everyone know what you decided to do and if you enjoyed their suggestions. Have a great trip!

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