jesse_the_k | (Reply)

From:

For what you want, Gulf Shores is probably the best. It has a little center but mostly like all the panhandle towns it's hotels stretching along the beach.

Are you flying or driving? Mobile and Pensacola are fairy equidistant with airports. Pensacola Beach is actually pretty nice as well, and it's close to Pensacola (which is not a bad town when you might wanna take a day off the beach). AFAIK there are gulf courses all along (see here ... Hope this link will take you to the map I'm seeing :). [Though Florida looks just as good: here)

I think https://www.gulfshores.com is a pretty good intro.

Really, I'm just suggesting this, because you sound like folks who want sand and good dinner rather than night life and partying. There are nice spots on the panhandle too. We've been to Navarre Beach (http://www.floridasplayground.com/) before which was lovely as well. I just try to bypass the 20 story huge vacation complexes with all the stuff I'll never use (gyms and whatnot) and like the smaller ones better (you have fewer people on the beach when the buildings aren't that huge :)

But really, the beaches are equally gorgeous all the way through. There's no public transport anywhere, and pretty much driving wherever you go. (Though most of the towns have little centers with restaurants and shops, but you'll have to drive there).

Hope that helps a little? (Email me with more specific questions, if you want. We haven't gone this summer, but we usually go at least once a year...it's less than an hour from where I live, but getting ourselves motivated and organized is another issue :)