The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Awesome places to stay on the beach in Alabama/Florida
Are there any that anyone could recommend? I'd like something on the beach, a Bed and Breakfast preferable, but I know places like Destin have some pretty pimped out hotels right on the sand, so those are fine as well.
I don't think I wanna spend more than 150 a night, and that would be pushing it. We've found some nice looking places for around 100 a night or so, and found a really nice place in Pensacola. New World Inn.
Any recommendations would be okay.
I'm up for going to Texas as well, but I dunno if there are actually any nice beaches there or not.
South Padre Island (Texas) has nice fine-sand beaches, but it's pretty far from Alabama/Florida. It's practically in Mexico. Most of the development (big hotels and resorts) is at the southern end, but you may find cheaper rates a mile or 2 further north. April is probably going to be off-season rates (windy, good for flying kites or kite-boarding).
Hahah, yeah, that's just a wee bit too far south. :P
Sheep on
0
amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
edited March 2010
Just south of Mobile, Alabama around the Gulf Bay there's a lot of good places to stay if you're just looking for sand and seafood that are relatively cheap. Any google search of that area should provide a lot of good rates.
If you want to break into Florida, you can stay in Defuniak Springs which would put you about 20 minutes from the Pensacola beaches but get you a nice villa at about a third of the cost of an ocean view rate.
Actually going into Pensacola is going to add up, and honestly Pensacola isn't as nice as it once was. After they cleaned up Destin and made it a little more family friendly about a decade ago the tourism really picked up there, so the hotel rates are going to be higher. Your best bet is somewhere like Ft. Walton or Niceville, Florida.
You'll probably be able to at least get a bayside room with a view, and you'll be right by the strip that links Destin, Panama City, Ft. Walton, and Niceville all in one central area.
As for recommendations of actual places, I'm not sure, after the last hurricane came through, which was a little while back, they've done a LOT of rebuilding there so I am not sure what's still standing and what isn't.
I'd use something like priceline or hotels.com and type in those specific cities to see what's got the best rate closest to what you want to do.
As for attractions, there's obviously the clubs and bars. In my opinion Mobile has some of the best seafood for some reason, but I may be bias as I grew up right outside of Mobile so it's what I'm used to. It's all good and really fresh though.
Navarre Beach, around Pensacola, has a great pier for fishing though and it's cheap. There's a lot of sightseeing around that area as well.
Around Destin on the strip there's a great outlet mall that's HUGE and has a lot of good deals on popular brands if you're down for some shopping.
Depending on where you are, in relation to the strip especially, there's a toll bridge if my memory serves. It's cheap, but if you're doing a lot of back and forth it can tack on about ~15 bucks a day in expenses. You might want to see if they offer a week pass if you're going to be around it.
Finally, and I can vouch for this, be careful in the ocean around Pensacola. There's a lot of two things swimming in that water. Sharks and Jellyfish. I'm not saying you won't be safe, but if you do the research incidents do happen there a decent amount. In addition to this, depending on when you go and what the weather conditions are like, watch the tide. The undertow is pretty rough.
Just FYI when I left 2 years ago the Navarre pier was still out of service and wrecked from Ivan.
Also, Destin and Pensacola are MUCH nicer than Fort Walton Beach. I'd avoid Fort Walton like the plague if you want to have a good time.
Here's how I always thought of it (after living in Navarre for about 13 years and doing college in Pensacola):
Destin is really nice but is the more "touristy" area. Lots of condos and nicer hotels, nice beach, but a bit more crowded. However, there's the Gulfarium, water park, shopping, good food, and water-related activities galore out there. It's also a bit more expensive than the other areas.
Pensacola is more like your home town but the beaches can also get really crowded. A LOT of people come down for spring and school breaks as well as the kids from all the local schools. Expect it to be crowded no matter where you go. If you stay on Pensacola beach itself there's a lot of bars and food places and hotels; I actually like the bars there. Places like Captain Fun's have music shows all the time that are a lot of fun. (Rumor Mill was one of my favorite cover bands that tours around the Gulf Coast and stops there often.) There's also a lot of bar/restaurants... that also bring drinks to you on the beach. Or they did. Good times. You'll also be right next to Pensacola city itself which is your basic small city/town. Theatres, more shopping, more food, there may be something going on at the Civic Center. There's a nice (but a bit pricey) fondue place there called the Melting Pot.
I know absolutely nothing about hotels in the area since I never had to stay at one... except when my now-husband was on leave from Iraw and we stayed in town at the Marriot. (I was living at home for college.)
Navarre itself is ridiculously small and honestly, there's jack to do but the beach. The bright side is that beach tends to be much quieter and it's much nicer in my opinion. To actually get out and do anything proper in Navarre/Gulf Breeze though, you have to drive to Pensacola/Ft. Walton/Destin. And the only hotels there are two right next to the beach: A Best Western and Comfort Inn, IRRC.
I guess the other thing I'd mention is transport: do you have your own vehicle you're taking? There's not anything really public-transport like in the area. There are cabs, but they get really pricey since things are spaced out, especially if you're staying in one city and want to get to another. There's a small bus system that runs through parts of Pensacola but no where else. The whole Pensacola to Destin stretch is less than 2 hours driving time so you could do things in all three but you'd probably want a car for that.
I can also dredge up any other info on most of that area if you have specific questions. I think the only area I'm not well versed in is the hotels. :P
And have fun! I could never ever live there again but it's really pretty in it's own right and they are seriously some of the best beaches on the gulf coast. Even when they're crowded in the spring/summer season it's way less so than in major cities, they're ridiculously clean, and the sand is like super fine white sugar.
radroadkill on
0
amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
I didn't know that about Navarre. That's a bummer. Also, I didn't know Fort Walton had gone so far down hill. I mean it's a small place and all, but I usually found something fun to do there.
I didn't know that about Navarre. That's a bummer. Also, I didn't know Fort Walton had gone so far down hill. I mean it's a small place and all, but I usually found something fun to do there.
<threadjack />
Well, FWB is okay. There's theaters and a bowling place and a mall and stores but honestly the "culture" of the area is in Pcola and Destin. FWB is not nearly as pretty as P-cola and Destin; it's dirtier, smaller, and there's less to do and there's not much in the way of beaches. You drive to one of the other three for that.
radroadkill on
0
Raneadospolice apologistyou shouldn't have been there, obviouslyRegistered Userregular
edited March 2010
Clearwater, Fl has some nice beaches, close to everything, pretty cheap for what you get
Posts
If you want to break into Florida, you can stay in Defuniak Springs which would put you about 20 minutes from the Pensacola beaches but get you a nice villa at about a third of the cost of an ocean view rate.
Actually going into Pensacola is going to add up, and honestly Pensacola isn't as nice as it once was. After they cleaned up Destin and made it a little more family friendly about a decade ago the tourism really picked up there, so the hotel rates are going to be higher. Your best bet is somewhere like Ft. Walton or Niceville, Florida.
You'll probably be able to at least get a bayside room with a view, and you'll be right by the strip that links Destin, Panama City, Ft. Walton, and Niceville all in one central area.
As for recommendations of actual places, I'm not sure, after the last hurricane came through, which was a little while back, they've done a LOT of rebuilding there so I am not sure what's still standing and what isn't.
I'd use something like priceline or hotels.com and type in those specific cities to see what's got the best rate closest to what you want to do.
As for attractions, there's obviously the clubs and bars. In my opinion Mobile has some of the best seafood for some reason, but I may be bias as I grew up right outside of Mobile so it's what I'm used to. It's all good and really fresh though.
Navarre Beach, around Pensacola, has a great pier for fishing though and it's cheap. There's a lot of sightseeing around that area as well.
Around Destin on the strip there's a great outlet mall that's HUGE and has a lot of good deals on popular brands if you're down for some shopping.
Depending on where you are, in relation to the strip especially, there's a toll bridge if my memory serves. It's cheap, but if you're doing a lot of back and forth it can tack on about ~15 bucks a day in expenses. You might want to see if they offer a week pass if you're going to be around it.
Finally, and I can vouch for this, be careful in the ocean around Pensacola. There's a lot of two things swimming in that water. Sharks and Jellyfish. I'm not saying you won't be safe, but if you do the research incidents do happen there a decent amount. In addition to this, depending on when you go and what the weather conditions are like, watch the tide. The undertow is pretty rough.
Also, Destin and Pensacola are MUCH nicer than Fort Walton Beach. I'd avoid Fort Walton like the plague if you want to have a good time.
Here's how I always thought of it (after living in Navarre for about 13 years and doing college in Pensacola):
Destin is really nice but is the more "touristy" area. Lots of condos and nicer hotels, nice beach, but a bit more crowded. However, there's the Gulfarium, water park, shopping, good food, and water-related activities galore out there. It's also a bit more expensive than the other areas.
Pensacola is more like your home town but the beaches can also get really crowded. A LOT of people come down for spring and school breaks as well as the kids from all the local schools. Expect it to be crowded no matter where you go. If you stay on Pensacola beach itself there's a lot of bars and food places and hotels; I actually like the bars there. Places like Captain Fun's have music shows all the time that are a lot of fun. (Rumor Mill was one of my favorite cover bands that tours around the Gulf Coast and stops there often.) There's also a lot of bar/restaurants... that also bring drinks to you on the beach. Or they did. Good times. You'll also be right next to Pensacola city itself which is your basic small city/town. Theatres, more shopping, more food, there may be something going on at the Civic Center. There's a nice (but a bit pricey) fondue place there called the Melting Pot.
I know absolutely nothing about hotels in the area since I never had to stay at one... except when my now-husband was on leave from Iraw and we stayed in town at the Marriot. (I was living at home for college.)
Navarre itself is ridiculously small and honestly, there's jack to do but the beach. The bright side is that beach tends to be much quieter and it's much nicer in my opinion. To actually get out and do anything proper in Navarre/Gulf Breeze though, you have to drive to Pensacola/Ft. Walton/Destin. And the only hotels there are two right next to the beach: A Best Western and Comfort Inn, IRRC.
I guess the other thing I'd mention is transport: do you have your own vehicle you're taking? There's not anything really public-transport like in the area. There are cabs, but they get really pricey since things are spaced out, especially if you're staying in one city and want to get to another. There's a small bus system that runs through parts of Pensacola but no where else. The whole Pensacola to Destin stretch is less than 2 hours driving time so you could do things in all three but you'd probably want a car for that.
I can also dredge up any other info on most of that area if you have specific questions. I think the only area I'm not well versed in is the hotels. :P
And have fun! I could never ever live there again but it's really pretty in it's own right and they are seriously some of the best beaches on the gulf coast. Even when they're crowded in the spring/summer season it's way less so than in major cities, they're ridiculously clean, and the sand is like super fine white sugar.
I didn't know that about Navarre. That's a bummer. Also, I didn't know Fort Walton had gone so far down hill. I mean it's a small place and all, but I usually found something fun to do there.
<threadjack />
Well, FWB is okay. There's theaters and a bowling place and a mall and stores but honestly the "culture" of the area is in Pcola and Destin. FWB is not nearly as pretty as P-cola and Destin; it's dirtier, smaller, and there's less to do and there's not much in the way of beaches. You drive to one of the other three for that.