It's January 9th and the Holiday's are over, you may or may not have your decorations put away, or they may be down but not back in storage, or you're a warrior and it's all down and the house is "naked" again lol.
If you're anything like me, after Christmas you're ready for warmer weather and outdoor bbq's and all the things that make you feel good! Because there's really nothing better than the warm sun on your face!
Are you thinking of booking your summer vacation? Even if you're not staying with us in 2021 -I'd love to help you in your vacation journey. So here's some tips.
Research the area you are going to! With so much going on right now there are places that are safer than others, and there are also some places that are stricter about their Covid policies than others. So, figure out what kind of vacation you want. Then start the research. Join some of their local vacation groups on FaceBook - if it's a tourist site, there will be multiple pages! Ask questions in the group and enjoy the hunt!
Like Gulf Shores, there are many different locations within a beach town that will appeal to different types of people. For instance, West Beach (where we are) is much quieter and has less high rises than East Beach and Orange Beach. You may not be within walking distance to multiple restaurants, but you will have a couple within walking distance, or you're just prepared to drive to your dining choice each night.
If you're more worried about Covid you may want to research a private home or low density condo complexes. Like ours, a low density complex will likely allow you to not have a common elevator, common doors, or even a common area. Even before Covid, we loved the convenience of walking straight up to our condo. The convenience of not dealing with a high rise with kids is amazing!
Look into booking direct! This will save you from the VRBO, AirBnB, Bookings .com fees that large sites offer! Most of those FaceBook groups you went to to research will have owners that book direct to save you on those fee. Owners are also charged fees with those sites, so they are more than happy to save some money too! Also, be sure to look them up on those booking sites to view their reviews!
Be Ready to BOOK!!! Know ahead of time what dates work for your family or group and have solid dates for back up as well! We allow bookings 12 month in advance, that means that we will book June 2022 on June 1st, 2021. We have been mostly booked for June 2021 since last summer! So, once you find the perfect place, be ready to pull the trigger, because once you check with everyone and by the time you hear back it may be gone.
I hope this helps, and if you are coming to Gulf Shore, we sure hope you'll consider one of our beautiful condos with Three 20s Condos, LLC!