Gulf Shores or Orange Beach Alabama? Where to stay?
 

We're planning to drive to the Gulf Coast from Atlanta for a 4 night stay in late August. We want to stay in a condo for 2 adults, with a good sized pool, hot tub, and a nice ocean view balcony to sit and sip coffee in the AM or wine in the PM.

We want to swim and sun, but also enjoy shopping and dining out. We don't want to be far from available commercial areas for the above reasons.

I haven't been to the Gulf Coast in years--help with some suggestions for condos, please. We don't play golf, and want to keep the rate under $140/ day.

Neither. Destin, FL is the best place in that area. It is also a little closer to Atlanta. The beaches are prettier there, and there are more shopping and dining options. Try www.abbottresorts.com for condo rentals.

Destin is nice...if you don't mind sitting in traffic for an hour or two.

Royal Palms is nice in Gulf Shores. Right next to a state park, so there is a mile or two of undeveloped beach.

In Orange Beach there is Four Winds, a ton of Phoenix properties and others. OB has more commercial areas than Gulf Shores, but the towns are right next to each other so it makes little difference.

The big rental companies are Meyer, Kaiser and Brett Robinson. All have web sites. Just google them.

Email me if you need more specific info.

I think the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area sounds like just what you're looking for. Let's cover shopping first--the Riveria Center Outlet Mall is in Foley, which is a small town about 15-20 minutes from GS/OB. It's very large and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

To find a great place to stay, I've gone to google.com in the past and just typed in "Gulf Shores/Orange Beach vacation rentals." This pulls up lots of websites that you can then go through to find a rental unit. You might also check Southern Living Magazine in the middle section. They usually have advertisements from rental agencies in those areas and websites should be listed.

I prefer Orange Beach, myself, b/c I think it's a little less crowded than Gulf Shores. Depending on what time in August you go, you may get there after the kids have returned to school. If so, the beaches will start to clear out a little more. Have a great trip!

I've stayed in Orange Beach for the past four years during Memorial Day. Always at a Pheonix property. Check www.brett-robinson.com. Always been a great experience.