<p>We are considering heading down to the Gulf Shores area after dropping S off at UA. I see that there is a West Gulf Shores, Central Gulf Shores and East Gulf Shores. We are looking to stay on the beach in a location that is within walking distance to all the activity…shops, restaurants, etc. Would that be the West, Central or East area of Gulf Shores?</p>
<p>Any recommendations for hotels or condos on the beach and near all the action?</p>
<p>maybe orange beach area?</p>
<p>I asked a somewhat similar question a few months ago. Some of the replies might be helpful to you:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1289550-place-stay-near-gulf-shores.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1289550-place-stay-near-gulf-shores.html</a></p>
<p>in gulf shores if you want to be right where all the restaurants are and the main attractions, then book close to hwy 59 on beach blvd. we have a condo there on west beach blvd, which we like as it is a bit away (1 mile) from the main section, more of a quiet family area, but still close enough to everything. </p>
<p>orange beach is also nice. fort morgan area is far away from most things.</p>
<p>if you want any more info feel free to pm me,</p>
<p>yes, go to Orange Beach!</p>
<p>I also recommend Orange Beach.</p>
<p>OK, thanks. Is there any particular area we want to be at Orange Beach to make sure we are within walking distance to the action?</p>
<p>cant help with orange beach…we prefer gulf shores.</p>
<p>To be closer to the action you’ll need to stay in Gulf Shores.</p>
<p>Gulf Shores is not that big. Orange Beach is only about 5 miles away. Fort Morgan, on the far west side, is about 20 miles away. Distance is calculated from the intersection of Hwy 59 and the Gulf coast road. Really it’s all pretty much the same.</p>
<p>While not a place to stay per se, friends that have visited the area recommend visiting the Flora-Bama located right on the Alabama-Florida line [url=<a href=“http://www.florabama.com/]Home[/url”>http://www.florabama.com/]Home[/url</a>].</p>
<p>While I know a lot of people who enjoy Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Pensacola and Destin, Florida are also roughly the same distance from Tuscaloosa and are preferred by some people.</p>
<p>We prefer Orange Beach, but if you want to walk to everything, Gulf Shores may be where you want to be. We have some friends who just stayed at The Boardwalk condos right next to Sea N Suds restaurant. It is an older complex, so check some reviews to make sure you get one of the updated units. It is within walking distance to The Hangout and many shops. </p>
<p>FYI, our favorite restaurants are The Original Oyster House and Mikee’s Seafood! Have a great trip!</p>
<p>We just returned from Orange Beach Sunday night. We have never vacationed there, however we loved the area. We stayed at Phoenix VI. Although we did not love the complex, and we did not walk to anywhere, we found its location very convient to everywhere we drove. The Publix is very close. Restaurant waits are very long. We had great dinner at Tin Tops restaurant. Get there before 6 and there will be no wait. A bit of a drive but worth it. We also had the best “reds” at Gulf shore steamers. Don’t miss Duck Diner for a breakfast too. We had a Bushwacker at Florabama which was a fun place. Vi think anywhere you stay on the beach on Perdido Beach Blvd is fine as I need an ocean vista when I am on vacation. Even the older buildings looked pretty from the outside. Also, the drive from Tuscaloosa to Orange Beach was longer than we expected, over 5 hours. However, for us northerners we felt it was well worth it.</p>
<p>We just got back from gulf Shores area after visiting UA…loved everything!! We stayed at Hampton Orange Beach, and found Orange Beach area was close to everything, and Gulf Shores stuff is only a couple miles away. We drove to Ft Morgan for the day, and that is a bit of a drive (took about 45 minutes from OB. visiting the Ft is a MUST though)</p>
<p>Just a note - gulf-side hotels (which are few) are almost as expensive as a condo. It might even be cost effective to rent a house. gulfshores.com is the chamber of commerce’s website and it lists lots and LOTS of condos and condo and house management companies with links. I don’t rent anything until I see it online.</p>