So after our miscalculation, we finally ended up in Gulf Shores! The first thing the kids asked was to get the hotel room so they can go swimming! Bad news kids, we dont have a room. Now there were rooms available a few streets off the beach but we made it this far so at this point we were getting a place on the beach. We stopped a the tourist center and got flyers for properties. So we made a left onto the beach road and I drove into each property while Tara called places. After getting rejected at a few places, we struck gold. One guy said they had a cancellation so they have a 3 bedroom condo for rent for 5 days. The price was not great but it was available. I also tried getting a few places on on VRBO.com and similar sites but those sites are not designed well for finding places right away.
Exhausted, we took the place which included parking in a garage, and a heated indoor outdoor pool. No free breakfast but it did have a full kitchen and a balcony over the beach.
Gulf Blue Vacations, Inc. Seawind 801
The parking garage was steep but there were plenty of spots. The main problem was the elevators. The elevator comes down to the ground floor probably about every five to ten minutes and you usually have to wait 3 to 4 rounds so it is a 20-30 minute wait. Plus there are always a couple obnoxious people who try to cut while you are waiting to get on with your luggage rack. After the initial carting of the luggage, we tried taking the stairs up the 8 flights as much as we could to save time and get some exercise.
That was really the only complaint. The pool was great which as mentioned was an indoor/outdoor pool. There was also a separate kiddy pool with fountain that was quite large and shallow although freezing that Tanya and Jamal enjoyed but I refused to step in due to the temperature. The hot tub was nice and warm and I stayed there quite a bit.
As for the room, it was immaculate. It was a luxury condo. Tanya and Jamal loved there room because it had bunk bends. The master bedroom was spacious with its own huge bathroom. Hibah also had a great room. The kitchen was spacious and had everything we needed plus more. In addition, the balcony railings were tall enough to feel safe letting the kids stay on the balcony to eat alone or watch the view. All the furniture was newish and all the towels, sheets were very clean. We loved the room. Despite the hotel being packed, we never heard loud noises.
Our only other small complaint was that although people in the condo had special bands to use the pool, security did not enforce it and outside people were often times at the pool and occassionally were rowdy. Nothing out of control however. Overall a great place although it was pricy but we were just looking for everything.
In terms of the proximity to things, Gulf Shores doesnt have everything in one spot. Generally speaking, our hotel was as centrally located as you can be, but most places require a couple mile drive. We obviously had great access to the beach, which was our main goal plus there were a few restaurants and tourist shops within walking distance.