Kid friendly vacations – Page 2 – Sunset Properties Blog

February 21, 2013

A Runner’s Paradise…Sunset Properties

NOTE: We have a guest Blogger for this post, Road Runner Girl, Mindy, joined us with her family and wrote a blog for us of her adventures. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!!

This weekend we headed to the beach for a mini-vacation. You would think since we live on the Gulf Coast that we would visit the beach more often. But sadly we do not. I was super excited about getting in some rest and relaxation with my wonderful family!

We were staying at The Dunes Condos in Fort Morgan, AL. These condos are a part of Sunset Properties and are fabulous!

So after my long run, we headed south. It takes us a little over an hour to get there but it’s paradise once we are there! Before we made it to our destination we stopped to walk on the beach. Unfortunately it was super super windy (I’m talking 25 mph winds) and it was hard to enjoy the beach as much as we would have liked. It was also cold…and the wind made it colder. But we didn’t let the chill spoil our fun too bad. We still walked around, took some pictures, and collected some seashells.

The red and purple flags were flying. A red flag means the surf is dangerous and to swim with caution. A purple flag means there is dangerous marine life in the water. Hmmm…I was kinda glad it was too cold to swim. I didn’t want my boys going into the water with these flags flying!

After we had enough of the wind and cold we climbed back into the warm car and headed to Sunset Properties! Everyone was so excited!

Sunset Properties has several properties to choose from. They have two condominiums that overlook the Gulf of Mexico…The Dunes and The Indies. What’s really awesome about these condos is they have a gulf view from your room…and the front part of the building has a view of Mobile Bay. Sunset Properties also has a property located on a marina…Navy Cove…so you can park your boat and stay in luxury! They also have beach houses available that can sleep from 9 to 19 people. So you can find any type of beach front accommodations that you are looking for at Sunset Properties!

The Dunes building looks very “beachy!” It is a pinkish or coral color.

We were staying in a one bedroom condo that sleeps 6. It had two bathrooms. It had a fully equipped kitchen. There was even a washer and dryer! Perfect for my two boys and me and my hubby!

The condo was decorated soooo nice! It had a touch of home with a beachy feel. LOVE!!! As soon as we opened the door we were greeted by this cute display in the foyer. The boys loved the chair with the fish on top of each corner!

I absolutely LOVED the red couch in the living room area! I told Andy we needed a red couch!

The boys were so excited about getting to sleep in bunk beds. Of course we had a fight over who would sleep in the top bunk. A quick game of pick a number from 1-10 solved it…and Hayden won. The best part…each bunk had it’s own TV equipped with DVD players and game jacks! The boys stayed in bed the entire time we were inside the condo!!!

The master bedroom was gorgeous! And I LOVED the king size bed! Andy and I have a queen size bed at home so it was a luxury to us! And we enjoyed watching a movie in bed on the large TV.

Another favorite of the boys was the private balcony! It was a little cold to stay out there for long but the boys loved going out there and being able to see the gorgeous view of the beach and the pool below.

Most importantly the condo was super clean. The sheets and towels looked brand new. The floors didn’t leave dirty marks on my socks when I walked around (hey that’s important to me lol). Even the balcony door was spotless…no fingerprints or smudges anywhere! The kitchen counters, sink, stove, and refrigerator were spotless. I truly felt at home!

So what did we do on our beach vacation? That night we headed into Gulf Shores for some dinner. The boys wanted pizza so we ate at Papa’s Pizza. It was really good and we had a blast playing “I Spy” with the boys while we enjoyed our dinner. After dinner we headed back to the condo and the boys watched a movie in bed and so did me and Andy! Perfect relaxation!

After a wonderful night of rest (that bed was so comfy) I got dressed for a quick recovery run! I was a little sore from Saturday’s 12 miles but I couldn’t resist running along the beach! The scenery was breathtaking along the road! And the road was perfect for running! There isn’t a whole lot of traffic and there is a wide enough space on the side of the road for runners or cyclists.

You can see our condo behind me!

The condo is set back about 300 yards from the Gulf of Mexico so there is a nice little road to walk (or in the peak season you can ride their golf cart limousine) to get to the private beach. Well forget walking…I ran it! You can see The Indies condo building behind me and all the beach houses all around me. The Dunes community is so gorgeous!

Then of course I took my route out onto the actual sand. I’ve never run on the sand before…it is really hard lol! If it had been warmer I would have definitely run barefoot! It was awesome hearing the waves as I ran!

I ended up only running a mile…but it was the perfect recovery run. And I couldn’t have asked for a better place to run!!!

There are also several trails I saw along Fort Morgan Road. Next time I would like to check those out!

After my run we headed to explore Fort Morgan. Yes there is an actual Fort about 1.5 miles down the road from the condo! The boys had a blast exploring the fort and learning some history of our area!

Overall, our stay at Sunset Properties was amazing! We will definitely stay here again! And as a runner this is the perfect place to stay! You can run on the road, on trails, and on the beach!

I would love to bring some of my Sole2Soul Sisters here for a “run retreat!” It would be so much fun to relax and run in a different place!

If you are ever looking for somewhere to visit and stay on the Alabama Gulf Coast then definitely check out Sunset Properties! I know they will have what you are looking for! I highly recommend them!

In addition to their website, be sure to check out Sunset Properties on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+!

Disclaimer: I received a free night’s stay through Sunset Properties. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!

Mindy

December 13, 2012

What Not To Bring To Fort Morgan

One of the most common questions we receive is what should I bring to my beach vacation? We put a list of what we provide in your confirmation letter but for those of you planning ahead let me give you a more detailed list of what NOT to bring.

LINENS – We provide linens! Professionally laundered sheets and towels are provided for each property we rent. We also provide a kitchen towel and cloth for your kitchen use. What you will need is BEACH TOWELS. While we typically have several sitting around that were left by guests. We cannot provide them for everyone!

COOKWARE, POTS, PANS, SILVERWARE! All of these are provided! You should have everything you need to make wonderful meals for you and your families. If you need something special like a crock pot, you definitely need to bring that along.

HAIR DYE – For some reason coming to the beach brings out a need for change in our guests! We see this change most often in hair color. I’m not sure why but dying your hair on a beach vacation is an extremely common thing! Not only does this often ruin linens that you have to pay for, it also is basically a waste at the beach. Between the sun, chlorine, and salt water that’s enough to ruin the best hair do.

INSTANT TAN – Ok Guys, you are coming to the beach to play in the sun! I completely get protecting your skin with sunscreen! This is a good thing and we totally support it! There is no need to bring instant tan and apply it while you are at the beach. Almost everyone is here to get a tan, so you are all in the same boat together. So pale people on the beach is the norm. Please don’t bring your instant tan and ruin our linens with it!!!!

YOUR TOOLS – We have a full maintenance staff fully equipped to handle everything from a major leak to a battery change. All you have to do is call us and let us know. We will have someone there as soon as possible to fix it.

YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS – If you check in and you find a cleaning issue of some sort all you have to do is again is call us. We will have a housekeeper in to solve any problem you may run across. We pride ourselves in our housekeeping and never want a guest to feel that they came into a dirty condo. So always call us!

WORK – In this day and age with all of the technology we have it easy for someone to bring their work to the beach with them. We suggest that you never take work on vacation with you. Vacation is for getting away and leaving work behind, relax, get some sun, and have fun. Really take a break even for a few days for the office. Everything can wait or can be assigned to someone else.

PROBLEMS / DRAMA – It is hard to relax if you bring your problems with you. It is good to deal with drama and problems before you come to the beach or leave them behind for a little bit. Being at the beach with the calmness of the water and warm breezes it tends to give people a new perspective on all things in their life so leave those problems and drama behind for a while. Come back with a new view on life.

I am of the opinion that you should leave your phone and laptop behind as well! This is a little extreme for most people but keep in mind service is limited in this area and technology only lets people find you on vacation!

We hope you can make it down to to the beach with packing a little as possible and have as much fun as possible while you are here. If you have any questions on what to bring or what not to bring. We are happy to help! Let us know what you think. What do you have to bring and what should be left behind????

December 6, 2012

Christmas At The Beach!

I am crazy about Christmas. My tree is already up at home and I am really enjoying decorating our office slowly. Our very beachy area has one fun event after another for locals and visitors to the Gulf! A list of some of my favorites is below.

COASTAL CHRISTMAS EVENTS
AS OF DECEMBER 5, 2012
To get the whole scoop on Coastal Christmas, please visit www.alabamacoastalchristmas.com

Nov 12 – Dec 12	Santa’s Helper \| Toy Drive
Nov 27	2012 Christmas Tree Lighting at The Wharf
Nov 29	Christmas Market by Delta Kappa Gamma @ Lester’s in Orange Beach
Nov 29	Gulf Shores Christmas Open House
Nov 30 – Dec 2	Junior USTA Tournament
Nov 30	Holiday Open House
Nov 30	Taste of the Islands
Dec 1	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 1	Christmas Angel Breakfast
Dec 1	Pics With Santa
Dec 1	Dinner Party
Dec 1	Gulf Shores Christmas Parade & Beach Celebration
Dec 2 – Dec 10	Nativity Open House
Dec 2	Chris-myth Busters
Dec 2	Children’s Christmas Musical- GSUMC
Dec 2	Handel’s Messiah
Dec 7	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 7	Edward Jones Holiday Open House
Dec 7	“Light Up the Arts” on the Coast
Dec 8	Santa Drop at the Flora-Bama
Dec 8	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 8	5K Jingle Bell Run
Dec 8	Cookie Extravaganza
Dec 8	Merry Market at The Wharf
Dec 8	Billy Claus Arrival at LuLu’s
Dec 8	Wharf Christmas Open House
Dec 8	Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade
Dec 9	Christmas Concert at GSUMC
Dec 11	Santa Claus at the Orange Beach Public Library
Dec 12	Friends of the Library Christmas Open House
Dec 13	Chamber Holiday Open House
Dec 14	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 15	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 15	Breakfast with Santa
Dec 15	Santa’s Sleigh Pet Portraits BARC! Fundraiser
Dec 16	CLC Kids Program
Dec 21	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 22	Sail with Santa on Wild Hearts
Dec 25	Christmas Potluck
Dec 29	Flora-Bama Make it to the Line Run/Walk
Dec 31 – Jan 1	Flora-Bama New Years Eve Bash
Dec 31	Noon Year’s Eve
Jan 1	Flora-Bama Polar Bear Dip
Jan 1	Hangout/Kiwanis/Gulf Shores Polar Bear Dip

November 8, 2012

Alabama’s Gulf Coast: Where Kids Drive Home the Fun!

This is this first in a series of Blog Posts from and article by Annette Thompson of Sweet Home Alabama site. She has some fantastic ideas for family friendly vacations across the Gulf Coast!

Some of the best family memories are made on a beach vacation. Ditching your regular routine and setting out for Alabama’s 32 miles of sandy seashore welcomes a bit of magic into your lives. The special times aren’t simply limited to the beaches though. The entire coastal region – the wetlands, rivers, and bays – is a rich playground full of a variety of adventures.

Youngsters will not only like to play in the surf, but they also will soak up the culture of the coast. So plan your trip with a healthy mix of downtime combined with several outings to explore the watery ecosystem and the region’s role in American history. And don’t leave out a few squeal-producing activities.

Surf’s Up!

Until your teens or tots sink their toes in the sand, you haven’t really arrived at the beach. So make haste down AL Highway 59 (Gulf Shores Parkway) to land’s edge where you can slather on the sunscreen and catch a wave. All of the major resorts in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach maintain beach services with lounge chairs and umbrellas (typically about $25 per day), and some even rent kayaks or catamarans (typically about $50 an hour).

Look beyond the high-rises to discover less-crowded strands, where you’ll feel as if the entire beach belongs to your family. At these tranquil spots, you’ll need to bring your own blankets, chairs and umbrellas for comfort (don’t forget a cooler with cold drinks, snacks and wet cloths to wash hands and faces). One of the best sites along AL Highway 182 is Gulf State Park (20115 AL Highway 135; 251–948–7275 map). The 3.5 miles of sugary sands separate Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The park features the second-longest fishing pier (1,540 feet) anywhere along the Gulf of Mexico. (Kids younger than 16 don’t need fishing licenses, but adults do. They can be purchased right on the pier.)

Start planning now for your next beach getaway! We hope to see you soon.