Help! Need a family friendly condo...

Our family is trying to decide between Gulf Shores and Panama City. We have a 19 month old and would like to stay somewhere family-friendly (no partiers, semi-quiet, you know the deal). I have never been to Gulf Shores so I am at a disadvantage. If you can give me a few ideas, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Help! Need a family friendly condo...

I would go with the smaller complex%26#39;s,

Simply because there would be less people to share the beach with,

Gulf shores for the most part doesn%26#39;t have party troubles.

It bills itself as a family destination,

We always go to gulf shores,

Never have had any trouble with noise, or drunks..

There are several properties that would be great,

Royal palms is a good choice, they are located next to the state park and and it is less crowded than some of the others,

Look on www.vrbo.com

You can get a good deal from an owner rental.

(Ocean house) is also a good property,

On vrbo, there are three rentals in (southern sands) that are a good deal, it is a small complex with only 18 condo%26#39;s in the complex..

Also you might want to look into fort morgan just off of Gulf shores,

It is super quiet out there, none crowded beaches,

Beautiful, There are rentals in fort morgan on vrbo as well.

I think you will find gulf shores nicer than Panama city,

A lot cleaner, way less crowded,

Give it a try...

Help! Need a family friendly condo...

We%26#39;ve been going to GS for the past 19 years. (we%26#39;re from Nebraska) We have 2 units at Gulf Shores Plantation East which is closer to Fort Morgan than Gulf Shores. It%26#39;s quiet, family friendly, not crowded, gated, great for kids and families. Plan ahead is the key when staying there but it%26#39;s worth it when you get to spend quality time with just your family! Call them direct of go to VRBO to inquire about rentals.

Thank you both so much!!! I will research your suggestions ASAP. Affordable, quiet and on the beach is all we want... not too much to ask for, right?! ;) It%26#39;s good to know that Gulf Shores is not the party place like Panama City... I think they%26#39;re trying to change their image but we just want to try something new this year with our little boy. This will be his first trip to the beach. Yea!!!

You may want to check into Orange Beach also. Same beachfront road as Gulf Shores, just a few miles East. Not as many bars, amusement parks, more beach room. Check out Seaside Beach, Tradewinds and Phoenix properties. (Be careful with Seaside, great complex, but not all units are Gulf front.)

All areas here are quieter, cleaner and more family orientated than Panama City.

Thank you Clookin! I have been looking over several properties in Gulf Shores and I%26#39;m running into prices a little higher than our set budget. I have not directly contacted owners from vrbo.com but I plan to tomorrow. I will check out the properties you mentioned in Orange Beach. I appreciate the advice! I love the fact that these beaches are less hectic, loud, etc... than Panama City. A family oriented local is our priority now and this area sounds perfect.

I think your family will really enjoy Gulf Shores. I%26#39;ve gone there many times over the years but went with my son for the first time last year when he was 16 months old. He loved the beach and we had a wonderful family trip. We rented a house on Ft. Morgan with several family members, so that helped a lot with keeping an eye on him. Ft. Morgan is really family friendly b/c it%26#39;s so quiet and private on the beach--there are not as many people out that way as there are in GS and OB. However, it%26#39;s a bit of a drive when you want to go back into town. Since we had grandparents there, we could leave him with them sometimes, which was also very helpful. It%26#39;s a great family vacation choice!

Lee4,

Thank you for your post! Fort Morgan is definitely on our list. I LOVE that it is quiet and not very crowded... I don%26#39;t want to worry about my son getting trampled by other beachgoers because of over-crowding and I want him to have plenty of room to explore (followed by us of course). :) I think we have made the right choice to try the Gulf Shores area... now, I just need to book a place. Decisions, decisions...

Hi coopmama

You are very welcomed. I totally understand trying to find the ';perfect'; place to travel with a toddler! Our son loved the beach last year and we are already talking to him about going back this year. He says ';beach'; in such a sweet little voice!

If you want peace and quiet, Ft. Morgan fits the bill. When we were there last summer, we saw so few people out on the beach the entire week we were there. It was wonderful! We did rent a house, so I know that allows for fewer people than a condo setting, but I still think of Ft. Morgan as being much less crowded than the main parts of GS and OB. We left our beach chairs, umbrellas, toys, etc. out on the beach all week and they were never bothered. They are all three terrific family places to stay, though, so I think you%26#39;ll be happy in any of the three areas.

If we left our chairs %26amp; toys on the beach in Panama City, they just wouldn%26#39;t make it home. Not to say PCB isn%26#39;t nice, it%26#39;s just not our speed anymore. I am very excited to try a new place and appreciate your help! I can%26#39;t wait to see my son play in the sand and stick his toes in the ocean. I%26#39;m ready!!

We visited PC last summer after several trips to GS. GS is cleaner, less congested, and more family friendly in my opinion. Not sure where you are looking, but I thought the GS area was less expensive that PC when booking my room. We booked this year with someone on VRBO, but normally go through Brett-Robinson. BR seems to be cheaper than other larger rental agencies. They usually have stay 6 nights get the 7th free deals. Another thing we do is go in late June, before the Prime summer rates kick in beginning around July.

Fish