This spring break we decided to stay in Watersound on the 30a. We wanted a respite from the crowds and an opportunity to try something new. We also wanted to enjoy some of our favorite spots and savor the sunshine. We rented from St. Joe and really enjoyed all of the amenities they offered. Our house was beautiful and had just been redecorated and had brand new Viking appliances. We had a deck for enjoying afternoon snacks and we were also a quick walk to the beach.
We loved the Beach Club that is an amenity only available to those renting from St. Joe. They have great poolside service, a ton of umbrellas and shady cabanas, and they offer beach chairs and beach service too. You can order lunch and drinks poolside which makes for an easy and enjoyable afternoon. We loved the shrimp, the crab cakes and the shrimp tacos too! Our favorite cocktail was the Sunny Day Lemonade, a mixture of St. Germaine, Tito’s and lemonade, garnished with lemon and strawberry slices! Yum!
There were also other amenities not to be missed! With our stay we were able to take out two kayaks or canoes per day at the WaterColor Boathouse. We used a canoe on our last day and taking a ride on the lake was a picturesque way to end our trip. The lilypads and lotus flowers were super pretty too. On Friday night we loved the beach bonfire complete with s’mores and live music. It was the perfect end to a beautiful week.
We rented bikes from 30a Salt Air and loved them. They delivered them to our house and we were able to ride to Alys beach each morning for coffee and tea at Fonville Press. The early morning air is really refreshing and watching the sun rise over the lake was beautiful!
There were our favorite stops to pop into. We always love the everything pasta salad at Modica, we grab the pimento cheese from Cowgirl Kitchen to make insane omelets, and the shrimp and the pineapple mojitos at Great Southern are always our favorites. The kids love grabbing dinner at Cowgirl Kitchen in Rosemary when they show outdoor movies too. They also enjoy a stop at the Sugar Shack! A tony dinner with a fancy glass of the Justin cab is always a welcomed treat!
We love to shop around too! Our favorite is always Perspicacity for Jack Rogers, straw totes and swanky hippie garb. Harper loves Duckies, Gigi’s, Snap Tween and Gigi’s Tween for obvious reasons. I can get behind the gear they are offering too! Our favorite, the Art of Simple, now has an expanded beauty and bath section! I got super posh bath bombs to enjoy in the soaker tub at our house! Deja Vu is brimming with cute picks for spring! We loves the tie dye ruffle shorts and the dresses with multi colored tassels.
There were a lot of new things going on too! As far a restaurants go, there are some fun things to report! In Seaside, Bud and Alley’s Pizza Bar has opened up a by the slice window, offering pizzas and salads to go! Raw and Juicy has expanded to a retail store and now offers a huge selection of the cutest turkish towels and raw coconuts too! In Seacrest they have added an additional George’s Donuts location and will soon be opening another Pizza by the Sea location. In between, they opened a 30a Popstop, which has yummy gourmet pops. Also, at Alys beach they have opened Neat, a bottle shop and wine tasting room. Perfect for grabbing a champagne split for sunset on the beach or enjoying a French 75 while waiting on your table at George’s.
We tried the Hub, which is an outdoor food venue near WaterSound. I loved a lot of things about this place. Others not so much. This place is pretty cool, offering over six types of cuisine, similar to food truck style. We liked the margarita pizza and veggie burger options. We loved that they were playing classic movies on the big screen. The night we went, Swiss Family Robinson was showing. What I didn’t adore was the fact that this place is super stroller crowded and kids were running amok. I also did not love the fact that a fountain soda was six dollars. What!!?!! All in all, go early, order your kids water and head to an activity in Alys, like a concert or movie, later in the evening.
The morning we left we tried the Perfect Pig, which was highly recommended. The interior is super cute and I suggest you get there early. I had a mimosa and a veggie omelet with Gruyere. It was a yummy and charming breakfast spot. Another spot we stopped in was Havana Beach at the Pearl in Rosemary Beach. This spot is pretty cool, there are insane videos from Havana and the cocktail menu is ultra chic. I tried the Bramble and am heading back this summer to enjoy libations on the rooftop bar!
There were some shopping updates worth mentioning too! We went to the 30avenue, which is relatively new. I was really excited about the Outpost, which is a boutique and wine bar. Harper was thrilled because she was able to score some macarons from Sucre. I was happy because i got the cutest summer clutch from Banago. We also got some yummy blood orange balsamic and grapefruit olive oil at 30a Olive Oil. We scoped out the upscale finds at Willow and Mercer and we are hoping to take a class next time around at Otium, a boutique/juice bar/fitness studio.
We also stopped by the farmer’s market at Seaside on our way out of town. My husband headed over to Amavida to grab some coffee to take back. He loves to add a little cinnamon and honey to his and we loved the honey from the 30a Honey Hutch that we grabbed. We grabbed a coconut, posed with the mermaids and headed home refreshed and relaxed!
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