We have been itching to go on vacation as just our little family for quite some time. My husband was not able to take any vacation time other than the week after my surgery because they were down a manager at his old store and things just didn’t work out money and time wise, but this year we were finally able to plan a family vacation and decided on Destin, FL since I was given an opportunity to visit a water park there(more on that in the next post).
| Do you think we have enough stuff? |
This was going to be a long drive. Mapquest said about 9 hours or so… Oh this was going to be interesting with kids. I packed and packed and packed some more. We were to be gone for 8 days so we needed lots of stuff. The first part of our trip was to Destin and the second part was to my cousins wedding so we needed a variety of clothes and things for the kids.
| It was a gorgeous day for a drive |
Originally we were gong to stay at a hotel, but after searching Vacation Rentals by Owner(vrbo.com) we found a condo that was going to be just about the same price as staying in a hotel. Bonus is that we got more room, a full kitchen, balcony, and less people around. We wound up staying at Gulf Terrace complex for those thinking of traveling there. It was a little run down, but the inside of our condo was fairly nice. It wasn’t right on the beach, but we were ok with that.
The drive was long long long.. Between stops and lunch, it wound up taking us about 11 hours. We were thankful for iPads, coloring books, and our portable DVD players for the kids. They did surprisingly well with the trip. We got there in just about 1 1/2 tanks of gas. So much cheaper than flying.
We got settled in then went our for dinner. Since we were staying in a condo with a full fridge, we did bring food for the week so that it cost us less money than eating out for every meal like you would have to if you were staying in a hotel.
The next morning was fairly low key for us since we were pretty tired from the drive, but after a bit we decided to head to the beach. There is a Walmart there that does have everything imaginable that you will need for the beach as well as full grocery. I saw while getting supplies that there was a state beach across the street so we headed there to see if we could get in. For only $6/day at Henderson Beach State Park (you can go in and out throughout the day) you get a close parking spot, showers, bathrooms, clean beach, and much less people than if you would stay at a resort or hotel directly on the beach.
| I seriously did not want to leave the beach!! |
My husband was in awe of the beach and how clean it was. We are used to yucky brown beaches of Galveston. The beaches in Destin were beautiful white sand and the water was so clear and wonderful. Even out really deep you can see your feet through the water.
That night we were able to meet up with a high school friend of my husband’s who I have to say has inspired me to kick up my working out again and getting my body healthy. Check her out on New Mommy Makeover. We ate at a place called 790 on the Gulf and really enjoyed the food and the view couldn’t be beat!
Stay tuned for more about our trip with my day 3 recap and our visit to Big Kahuna’s Water Park!!
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