Cape San Blas - Take 2

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Back at the end of January 2021, I set out to explore a 'new to me' area of Florida appropriately called "The Forgotten Coast" and particularly, a little section of this fabulous area called Cape San Blas. Well, if you read my Blog Cape San Blas Winter Escape - Great White Travels & Associates, you know that I fell in love with this area even though we experienced some unseasonably cold weather during our stay. I knew I had to come back as soon as possible during warmer weather so I could really enjoy what I knew was going to be a quiet & relaxing beach vacation. So, I told my BFF that we were heading to the Cape at the end of April after making our reservation with my friend, Wendy @ Home » Cape San Blas » Cape Escape Vacation Rentals: Cape San Blas, FL (thecapeescape.com)   

Since it is rather a long drive to come down to the Cape from SWLA (about 10.5 hours), we decided to stay in Fort Walton Beach the first night (Friday April 23) to break up the drive. Given the super high demand in the area and limited availability, we ended up at the Hampton Inn Ft. Walton Beach. Not my preferred choice of hotels but it was on the beach and didn't cost us a mortgage payment for the one night. It would not be a property I would send our clients to even with the perfect location on the beach - it was dated, poor service, and way too pricey for the quality of the stay. Did come with a hot breakfast though which seemed very popular with the families staying there. 

We got to the hotel around 6 pm and after settling in, walked across the street to Aj’s | Oyster Shanty • Food • Fun • Music for a quick dinner and some cold beverages. Food was fair (she crab soup was great!), drinks were cold, and the outdoor patio vibe was happening. If we hadn't been so tired from the drive, we may have opted to go a little further up the Hwy 98 where there are an abundance of options but since it was literally just a skip across the street from the hotel, it was convenient and just what we needed after the day on the road.

Saturday, we took our time getting ready and started our way down to the Cape around 11:00 am. We stayed on Hwy 98 which took us through all the beach towns so we could check things out as we drove through. In Panama City Beach, we stopped to fuel up and picked up a few things at Walmart (the beach section was BIG!). We had pre-ordered our groceries at Duren's Piggly Wiggly Grocery Supermarket - Port St. Joe, FL and received notice while in Panama City that they were ready. The drive down to the Cape from Ft. Walton is about 3 hours with no interstate driving (mostly Hwy 98) so we arrived in Port St. Joe a little after 2 pm. Groceries picked up and off to the Cape we headed. I was so antsy with excitement the closer we got that I was all but bouncing in the car! Couldn't wait to get my feet in the beautiful white sand! 

We got to our unit at the Barrier Dunes - Beach Front Community in the Florida Panhandle! (thecapeescape.com) with plenty of time to unpack and hit the beach! Our stay was in the Gulf Breeze unit which was super nice and so very spacious! Even has a loft with three twin beds if you want to bring the kids or grandkids! As soon as we put groceries away and settled into our rooms, we changed and headed to the beach! The property has chairs, cooler, beach toys, and even cart to haul your stuff so we didn't need to bring any extras! Gulf Breeze is literally about 100 steps to the beach - it was fantastic! 

Dinner that night was called in and picked up from Cape San Blas | Cone Heads 8020 (coneheadseightytwenty.com) and was terrific! Had a Surf & Turf burger and some boiled shrimp that were amazing! Quick service, great atmosphere, and right across the road from Barrier Dunes! On Sunday night, we grabbed a Low Country Boil from Seafood Market | St. Joe Shrimp Company | Port St. Joe, FL and it was so very good! Had enough leftover to make a potato, shrimp, and sausage hash the next day! Great service, mega fresh seafood, and well-priced!

The next two days were spent relaxing and enjoying the absolutely amazing weather - crisp blue skies, balmy breezes, and the most spectacular sunsets imaginable! We didn't venture out too much to explore other than spending the better part of Monday at St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park which is right around the corner from the Barrier Dunes. there are two sides to the park - Gulf and St. Joseph Bay. We explored the bay side which was very quiet, had nice shelling, sandbars in the clear water for as far as your eye could see, and lots of fish. Even saw a dolphin breach the water! The park has boats, kayaks, paddleboards, and a small sundry shop right at the beach area. Lots of people in kayaks fishing, biking the paths along the park, and a number of families with small children settling down and enjoying the peaceful water and gorgeous weather! 

 

 

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We left the Cape on Tuesday morning and headed to Gulfport, Mississippi to break up our drive home. Gulfport is virtually half-way for us here in SWLA so it was the perfect location to relax and enjoy one last night at a beach location. I found a new property to try while here and am so glad we stayed there! Grand Centennial Hotel - Gulfport Gulfport, Mississippi, US - Reservations.com is an amazing new property that is developing to be a self-contained resort right in the heart of Gulfport across the street from the beach. It is an old military school compound that has been renovated and made into a family friendly resort property. We stayed in the Grand Centennial but checked out the Oasis (which has family suites!), the water park (includes lazy river, water slides, and even a swim up bar!), and the Oasis Bar & Grill. The highlight for me was the fountain in the middle of the complex that has lights with synchronized music every afternoon/evening. I posted a number of those videos on our Facebook page (2) Cruise Planners - greatwhitetravels.com | Facebook if you want to check them out. There are plans for this property to be further developed and I am looking forward to seeing more the next time I go back! Priced very nicely! Will definitely be high on my list for clients when they head to this area!

We made it home Wednesday with no issues and have settled back into post-vacation routines but the memory of the Cape is still fresh and nudging to book another stay at the beach. Is it terrible to say that I'm already looking at later this summer/early fall for the next trip to the Cape? Once you've traveled there and enjoyed the relaxed vibe at the Cape, you will understand and empathize with my current post-Cape conundrum. 

Until next time, Cape San Blas!