Gulf Coast Beach Trip (young family)

You can’t go wrong with most of the condos in OBA, but with the young kids, I would go to Portofino Island Resort in Pensacola Beach. There’s easy access to the beach, have a bay side play area for kids, and the have a ton of kids/family friendly activities to keep your children entertained. You really don’t have to leave the resort because they have good pool side food along with a high end restaurant and bar on site. Just my two cents

Along Santa Rosa Beach there are dune lakes that are fed, and flow out into the gulf. The lake side is a perfect spot for young children to play. We were setup on Eastern lake in Seagrove today, this is after the kids went back for a nap.



You can see how it’s fed…sorry I don’t have a pic of the really shallow part perfect for toddlers.



You’re going to have to search for places, there are all flavors. We’re in a 3 story place on the lake, but you’ll likely want a condo or the like if it’s just y’all. Near Eastern lake is pretty easy, western lake only has Grayton…and trucks are allowed on the beach.

We live in BSL, and it’s nice…Bay Tiwn Inn would be the place to stay there.

As mentioned already, Portofino is great.
Look into The Beach club in Fort Morgan, AL. Lot's of kid activities onsite.

We've stayed the Dest West Resort before and it's a good property. If you are on the bay said(thats where the lazy river is), you can walk across a sky bridge over to the beach side and it's not a far walk.

Check out Dauphin Island. It’s primarily single family homes as opposed to condos. The water on the bay side is calm, and-on the west end-you’re only a couple of blocks from the gulf. Not a lot of touristy things to do, but that appeals to us.

Thanks everyone, going to look for spots at all of these recommendations with the wife and let you know what we pick.

The Beach Club
Ft Morgan, Al

We stayed at Eden in late May last year and really liked it. You are spot on about it not being a crowded area as well.

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You’re going to have to search for places, there are all flavors. We’re in a 3 story place on the lake

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That's exactly what we are looking for currently for a few couples and kids aged 3-10. Mind sending a link to where you're staying, or anything you'd recommend that you've stayed at? When you have time of course.

All of the beaches along the gulf coast are family friendly. With kids that age, I’d be looking for places to stay that offer 2 things - a pool and a short walk to the beach. Some kids hate the sand and surf, and you’ll end up spending more time at the pool. Some kids love the beach, and being a short walk makes a huge difference for lunch, nap breaks, the toddler meltdowns, bathroom, etc. if your kids have never been to the beach, you won’t know their preference until you get there.

On the short walk, keep in mind the size of the condo if condo is the direction you go. I’ve stayed at ones with terrible elevator situations, so while the building is a short walk, you add 15-30 minutes just dealing with busy elevators.