Summer 2006 Vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama

This was our best beach trip ever. The entire trip went really good. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Orange Beach. Everything about our hotel was really nice. Our pool was fantastic; it was between the hotel and beach so it was in a great location. The beach was very clean and large. There was lots of sand between the hotel and the water so there was plenty of playing room. The water was nice and pretty clean. There were condos all around our hotel.

This area was full of families and kids it was not the partying area. There were kids of all ages running everywhere which was great for us. If you are singe or don’t have kids it may not be the area you are looking for. There was not a lot of loud music or anything around this area.

We ate at the hotel for breakfast and lunch. The hotel had a nice continental breakfast that you could eat in the eating area or take to your room. We went out every night to eat fresh seafood. Our best meal was actually the last night there and was at Bubba’s just across the street from the hotel. The next to best meal was at the Crap Trap just across the Florida line.

We also went across the street to Adventure Island and played games and miniature golf one night. This place was actually walking distance from the hotel although we did drive and it had two 18 hold miniature golf courses and was full of video games. It also had refreshments and ice cream. Also next door to the hotel was a souvenir shop called souvenir city that had lots of things you may would want or need for the beach or pool. There was a shopping center about ½ a mile from the hotel that had a nice grocery store if you wanted to get drinks or food for the room. We went there and got snacks, drinks and sandwich supplies and just ate lunch at the hotel instead of cleaning up and going out. Our hotel room had a mini microwave and refrigerator in the room. I am already planning to return to Orange Beach for our vacation next summer and will again stay at the Holiday Inn Express.

Quick Tips:

They had beach chairs and umbrellas for rent in front of our hotel and they gave a multi-day discount so we went ahead and rented one for the week and I really recommend this it saved a lot of money and it was convenient to have a place to leave our beach toys for the day as we went from the beach to the pool and it was easier than trying to tote your own chairs and umbrellas down to the beach. I also recommend trying to eat early since there can be a long wait if you eat to late especially during the weekends.

Best Way To Get Around:

We drove and used our car while there but the Mobile, Alabama airport is only about 40 miles and the Pensacola, Florida airport is also only about 35 miles away. If you are just planning to hang around the beach you would not have to have a car but we like to eat at different places and do other things when it rains so we would always want a car.

Our hotel was wonderful, and I will defiantly stay there on my next trip. It is one of only a few hotels in the area, and it is directly on the beach. The parking lot is between the highway, and hotel and then the six-story hotel and then the pool and then beach. The staff was very friendly and helpful the entire time we were at the hotel. We arrived around 2pm and were allowed to go ahead and check in since there were rooms available. Check-in time is normally 4pm. The hotel has two elevators, one just past the check-in desk in the front of the hotel and one toward the back of the hotel that we used when going to the beach. There were a few times during the day when the elevators would be pretty busy and you would have to wait a little while. Our room was not an oceanfront room, but we had a small side view of the beach from our balcony.

Our room was very nice and clean. It had a king-size bed and a sofa bed. We have a table with two chairs, two nightstands, a nice-sized TV with many channel choices, and an armor with three drawers for clothes. There was also a closet with a suitcase holder, iron and ironing board, and a full-length mirror. The room had a microwave and small refrigerator. The bathroom was very spacious with a large vanity and sink, and the tub was just a regular tub but larger than many I have had in hotels. The showerhead was really nice and had an extended curtain rod for extra elbow room. The air was a little hard to keep adjusted to a comfortable temperature.

The breakfast area was on the first floor and very nice. There was plenty of seating and high chairs available. They had trays if you wanted to take your food back to your room. The breakfast was free and included coffee, orange juice, apple juice, milk, and water for drinks. The food was eggs, waffles, toast, muffins, cinnamon rolls, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, oranges, applies, and bananas.

The pool area was fantastic. It had two areas that were separated by a wall, with water falling from that area to the pool area below it. The first pool area just gradually got deeper, so it was great for the small kids; it also had water shooting up in four spots when you first enter the pool. The other pool had the waterfall going into it to and also had a hot tub right beside it. There were numerous chairs and a few umbrellas. The hotel furnished pool towels. There was a bar area there, but it only served drinks, no food. Right past the pool was the beautiful white-sand beach and then the Gulf of Mexico.

Bubba’s was located right across the street from our hotel on the main highway, so it is very easy to get to and find. We did not eat here until the last night because we had heard good and bad about the restaurant. The last night was a Friday night though, and it was a little later than we had been going out, so we asked the hotel staff for their opinion on where to eat seafood and they said Bubba’s. We had ate there on a previous trip to Orange Beach 2 years ago and it was okay, nothing special, but not bad either, so we decided to give it a try. We were able to go ahead and get seated but it was before 6, and only two adults and a child. There were some waiting for a table but it was a large group.

The building has wooden rocking chairs in the front and then you walk in and see a little lobby type area and then the hostess stand. Behind that is a fairly good size bar and then the seating areas. They have a large fish tank with tropical looking colorful fish that you walk by on the way to be seated. They offer both inside and outside seats, but it is across the street from the ocean so the outside seats only view the highway. We chose inside seating for the air-conditioner and less bugs since there was not a view.

The children’s menu actually had more on it than many of the places we had previously visited and the prices were also cheaper. They offered a children’s salad that no one else offered, and believe it or not my 2-year-old son loves salad. The salad was less than $2 and was actually the same size as the adult salad. I also ordered my son a grilled cheese and it came with fries and it was around $4, which was better than the $6 most of the other restaurants had been charging. I ordered royal red shrimp and crab legs, which were under $20 some of the other places, the same amount of royal reds alone were more than that. I got corn and a salad with my meal. My mother ordered grilled shrimp. We all agreed it was the best meal we had while in the area. It was also one of the cheaper meals. The waitress was nice, nothing outstanding though. Also the kids menu had games and pictures to color but they did not give us a crayon, so I went and asked for one and they said they did not have any so we had to use an ink pen I dug out of my purse to play the games and color.

Although it was not totally perfect, the food was really good and I will defiantly return on my next trip to Orange Beach.

Live Bait was located just down the street from our hotel on the main road. It is across the street from the beach. It was easy to find and get to, and we went early so we did not have a problem with parking or getting a table. We were seated as soon as we went in the door. The building has an older look to it, there was a large fish tank inside with colorful fish that we walked by on our way to be seated.

We were quickly waited on by our waitress. My son got a grill cheese and sprite which were a little pricey for what he got, the grill cheese came with French fries and was around $6, the Sprite was in a small kid-size cup and was almost $2. I ordered royal red shrimp and it just came with a new potatoes and corn. They did let me substitute the new potatoes for fries. My mom ordered grilled shrimp and it came with a rice and salad. Our food arrived very quickly. My shrimp was good but a little over cooked, and hard to peal...it also was not a lot on my plate. I weigh 105 pounds and I left the place still hungry. My mom’s shrimp did not have much flavor. The food was fine but I have had better, it was very quick though.

A few days later we ordered shrimp sandwiches to go for lunch. I ordered from the hotel and then drove to get them. I had to wait on them a while that time there was only one person working up front and about 10 people in line waiting. It looked like they needed a few more employees during lunch time. The sandwiches were around $8 each but were full of small shrimp and also came with fries. They were good.

I’m not sure if I will eat there again on my next trip or not. I have ate better and worse both. We meet a couple on the beach who ate there for lunch one day and said it was slow and their order was wrong and their food was not good and was expensive. So it was not a loved place by anyone.

Zeke’s Down Under has always been my favorite restaurant while in Orange Beach so I was really looking forward to this visit. Well I was highly disappointed. This restaurant is located on the bay side of the main highway. They offer fishing and boating trips from the landing around the restaurant. You can sit at your table and look out and see the water and all the boats plus watch everyone unload their fish. We got there a little early and walked around outside and feed the fish and looked in a shop then decided to go ahead and eat. The restaurant was not crowded and we got a seat quickly. The restaurant is in kind of an older look and has a really large bar you walk past to be seated. They also offer outside seating but we chose an inside seat next to the window so we could enjoy the air conditioner but still have a view. Our waiter was very nice. We ordered our food and it arrived quickly.

I ordered my son chicken strips and fries, that were around $8 and once again his small child’s sprite was about $2. I ordered royal red shrimp that cost around $25. Mine came with corn and potatoes. My mom ordered a shrimp salad. When the food arrived I was a little disappointed, in the amount of food we got. In the past we have always gotten more than we could eat but I did not have many shrimp and especially not many when there was about $10 higher than everyone charges. They were a little over cooked and hard to peel. My mom’s salad was not very big at all, she said it had a lot of shrimp in it but they were tiny. The food was okay but it was our most expensive meal and not any better than anything else we got anywhere. After eating my shrimp they did bring me a bowl of warm lemon water to wash my hands in that no one else brought. The waiter was also very friendly and quickly met all of our needs.

Yes I probably will return to this restaurant again just because all my other experiences before this one were so wonderful.

We visited this restaurant on our second night in Orange Beach. It was about 6 miles from our hotel and is about 1 mile past the Florida state line. It is located on the beach side of the road and is one of very few I have seen that is on the beach side. It was on the main road and very easy to find and get to. The parking lot was actually full of sand though so we had sand in our shoes by the time we got inside. Not a big deal to us though. They also had a kid’s play around with slides and such outside in the sand so the kids can play if you have to wait on a table. We arrived pretty early and were immediately seated.

The kids menu had spaghetti on it which was something different than the same old things the other places had. The children’s menu said that all kids' meals are served with fries so we expected fries with his spaghetti but when she brought it they were not there and she said that they did not come with the pasta. We looked at the menu again and read for a second time that ALL kids’ meals came with fries so she finally said she would bring them and just not charge us. I asked if I could order a shrimp platter and substitute the fried shrimp for one of the other shrimp that come on it and she said sure so I ordered that and she asked what I wanted to substitute my six fried shrimp for so I asked if I could do half of them grilled and half boiled.

She said sure but then later came back and said no I had to pick one of the other to substitute for. I chose grilled. My mom also ordered the shrimp platter but just left it like the menu had it. We got a salad with our meal this time and it was very good. When they brought out our plates though they had them mixed up and had my extra grilled shrimp on with my mom’s plate along with all her other food. My mom also ordered a piece of Key lime pie that her and my son split.

The waitress did not charge for the pie because of all the other confusion. The shrimp platters came with a totally of 18 shrimp on them, so we were full when we left...this was more shrimp than we got at any of the other restaurants. The shrimp were also cooked well and I enjoyed the meal. Even though there were a few problems our waitress tried to make up for it and our food was really good so I will definably return again. I don’t mine a few problems if they try to fix them.

The night we ate at Lester’s we had no idea where we were going to eat. We had just gone on a dolphin cruise and were looking for a place, we saw Lester’s and I ran in and got a menu. It looked good so we gave it a try. We had been looking for a place that served a kids meal of macaroni and cheese it is my son’s favorite and we could not find it anywhere around—I had even gone though the phone book and Internet looking for somewhere. Well, most places don’t seem to post their kids menus on the Internet so that was of no help. Lester’s did have macaroni and cheese though so we gave it a try.

When we walked in like most other places we had been there was a huge fish tank with pretty colorful fish. We were then seated in a booth and our waiter came and took our order. My son got the macaroni and cheese and it was actually the real stuff, not the box kind many restaurants serve. It was really good. I ordered boiled shrimp and my mom ordered grilled shrimp. We got salads with our meal and I also got corn with mine and she got rice. The salad was good. My shrimp were cooked well but did not have a lot of flavor but that may have been because I was used to eating Royal reds and decided to order something different. We also got fresh rolls and butter before we got our meals.

I do think I will visit this restaurant again I will just probably order something different. The staff was very friendly and quickly attended to all of our needs. The food was quick and the price was not bad either. This was one of the better kid’s menus and the price on it was pretty cheap too.

The location is not quite as convenient but still it is not a very far drive. They are building a lot of new stuff in the area though so I’m sure by next year we will be going that way to see and do other things too.

We decided we would go on a dolphin cruise thinking that my 2-year-old son would enjoy seeing all the dolphins. I had been on several deep sea fishing trips before and the dolphins always followed along beside and behind the boat and were fun to watch, so I though he would like it too. We decided on the Southern Rose because we saw the boat go in the ocean in front of our hotel and it looked like a large safe boat. We also called around and checked prices and it was one of the cheaper because for kids 2 and under they let them go free. Some places charge as much as $15 for a 2-year-old. We also had a brochure that gave each adult $2 off the price so it cost us $18 per adult plus tax. Before I go any further it was not worth the money!!

We chose the 3pm cruise since it was after nap time and then we could just go straight on to eat. It was a 2-hour cruise, and after 20 minutes we were ready for it to end. The boat was safe for kids, it was two levels and the upstairs level was air-conditioned. The lower level had a solid rail and then a rail you could see though that I would say was at least 3 foot high. They did make kids wear life jackets unless they were upstairs in the enclosed area and I agree this is the best thing and it was also the law. The upstairs area looked like an old diner. It had old tables and chairs like you were going to eat it was totally not what I expected. The downstairs area had refreshments and an outside area where you went to see the dolphins when they would find some. We were out a few minutes and they saw a dolphin so he turned around and went back to it, and it was really far out and would just jump every once in a while my son never saw it. So then we cruised over an hour and saw nothing.

All the kids on the boat got really bored. Apparently everyone else thought it was a safe looking boat for kids too because there were a lot of young kids on the boat and there was nothing for them to do. The adults were just walking around with them bored too. We finally saw some more dolphins but again they were at a distance and just jumped every now and then and were hard for the kids to spot. I will not go on another dolphin cruise. I did not enjoy it at all and everyone seemed to be ready to get off the boat. We were all bored—kids and adults.