This was our third Sisters' Week spent on a Florida Beach. I was a bit worried about Red Algae and the Hurricane, but we ended-up with clear water and perfect temperatures for our adventure. My sister bought us matching shirts for the trip.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Pickens Road (thanks again to Tripadvisor for helping us make our choice). The location was perfect (short drive from the bridge and short walk to the beach).
It was by far the clearest water we've experienced to date with the least amount of "fishy" smell. The sand was powder soft (which made walking or running on the beach more challenging that prior destinations), but we did enjoy one evening walk together.
We visited two other nearby beaches and they were similar yet enough different to make it worth the jaunt. Because the water was so clear, and we found a good metal basket on the end of a long stick to pick them up from the sand, we were able to fish out lots of larger Sea Shells, which we enjoyed.
We also visited the Gulf Breeze Zoo one morning … the most unique experience was feeding the Budgies … they were much more interested in the lettuce we had to feed the giraffes than the seeds we were supposed to be feeding them. We laughed a lot as the birds landed all over our heads & bodies and nibbled at our toes.
The budgies left some food for the Giraffes.
We also got to feed goats, pigs, giraffes, alligators and Llamas.
One rainy afternoon we ventured out for some shopping and found a photo booth … only one problem, it operated off Green Screen technology and my sister wore a Green T-Shirt … much more laughter ensued.
It is definitely a beach area we would recommend. The beaches were seldom crowded and the hotel had chairs with umbrellas for rent, as well as a bin of beach toys and other things you could borrow and return. I purchased this Pool Saddle Float for the trip, which was absolutely perfect for me because I could bob in the waves vertically with most of my body submerged.
