August 2023 | Our itinerary
Can’t believe the time has already come to go on our babymoon and celebrate our last trip before becoming a family of three! Alec and I both knew we really wanted to take one last trip before baby boy’s arrival in the fall and quickly decided that going to Seaside, Florida would be the perfect trip for us. After checking with my doctor, she cleared us for the flight at 31 weeks. Typically most doctors recommend no longer flying for trips past 34 weeks and driving past 36 weeks but it’s always best to confirm with your own healthcare provider before booking/taking the trip.
Day 1:
Thursday evening after work, we loaded up the car and headed to the DFW airport. The flight from home to Panama City Beach, Florida was only about an hour and a half + a 45 minute drive to Seaside. We ended up going this route instead of flying to Destin because it saved us a ton of money & the drive to Seaside from that airport was relatively the same.
Once we landed, we were both very hungry so we swing by Pier Park to enjoy some Five Guys burgers + fries before driving to our VRBO. As it always is, arriving at night can be a little challenging when trying to find your place and unload but we eventually figured it out. After Alec brought up all of our bags and I quickly unpacked our things before we headed to Publix for a quick grocery store run. We just picked up some essentials for sandwiches during lunchtime + some healthy snacks to munch on throughout our vacation. Once we got everything we needed we headed back to our VRBO to get some much needed rest before our first full beach day!
Day 2:
Friday morning we woke up around 8am and were ready to get our babymoon started! Alec found the cutest breakfast spot for us, which was only about a 5 minute drive up the road called Beachy Bean. We both ended up ordering their breakfast burritos, mine with bacon and his with sausage and of course a house dark roast coffee (which was some of the best coffee we have ever had). After enjoying our burritos on the properties back patio overlooking a small pond, we headed to a local beach shop to grab some towels + sunscreen for Alec. While pregnant I have been wearing zinc sunscreen (which is super hard to apply but very protective- especially on that new skin on my growing belly) which Alec doesn’t need so we had to get him some of his own. Once we got everything we needed we drove back to our place to change for the beach. Our VRBO had originally recommended using a beach chair + umbrella rental service that carries the equipment to you but unfortunately it was too far from where we were staying so we just ended up renting some straight down from where our VRBO was. We highly recommend doing this instead of renting ahead of time (unless it’s peak season maybe) because we ended up having no problems with getting rentals + was way cheaper.
After enjoying a perfect + hot morning down at the beach, we headed back to our place to make some sandwiches for lunch. Of course while we made + ate our lunch we had to keep binging season 5 of Love Island (our new tv obsession). Once we were done eating + cleaning up, we sun screened up again and walked back down to the beach. We just left our towels on our rental chairs so when we got back they were still reserved for us. Same as the morning, we just enjoyed relaxing in the shade for a bit, then cooling off in the water, reapplying our sunscreen, and doing it all again. Around 5pm we decided to head back to our place and freshen up for dinner.
At 6:30pm we got in the car to drive to downtown Seaside for dinner. Since the last time we had been here (which was back in 2015 a lot had changed). There were tons of new restaurants + shops so we were super excited to explore all this adorable town had to offer. After much deliberation, we decided to have dinner at Day Trader (which is located right next to the infamous pavilion in Seaside). They sat us outside, because there was limited indoor seating, but honestly with the breeze + fan it wasn’t bad at all. To eat I ordered the Korean fried chicken dish and Alec got Hawaiian pork shoulder. The chef also made us their Lumpia bite dish as a complimentary appetizer which was so thoughtful + extremely tasty! We really enjoyed both of our meals but would definitely say this restaurant was more on the pricey side. Overall the ambiance + aesthetic was unbeatable though, very beach bungalow vibes with pops of neon and a great location. Once we finished eating + paid our tab, we decide to walk down to the beach for some sunset pictures. Afterwards we were planning on walking around some more and popping into all of the shops but sadly most of them were already closed for the day so we just decided to head back to our place for the evening to rest before another perfect vaca day!
Day 3:
Saturday morning we woke up around 8am again and were ready to hit the ground running! To switch it up a bit, we decided to head back to downtown Seaside for some breakfast. Due to my gestational diabetes my meals + timing have to be pretty strict and regimented (more details on this in the vlog) so I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich from Amavida while Alec enjoyed some donuts from the airstream outside the coffee shop. He loved the blueberry lemon and claimed it was the best blueberry cake donut he has ever had (and trust me he has had a lot of different ones lol). After enjoying our tasty breakfast, we decided to do a little window shopping in the downtown area + we got baby boy his first Seaside shirt. Once we had stopped in all of the shops that were open that morning + checked out the Farmer’s Market, we drove back to our VRBO to prep for another beautiful beach day.
Luckily when we were driving back we found an even easier route from our place to the beach which made the walk even quicker! We love a good shortcut especially 8.5 months pregnant in the humid, Florida summer. As soon as we got down to the water, we grabbed 2 chairs, and set up camp for the day. We seriously spent so much time in the ocean because the water was the perfect temp + crystal clear, only going back to the umbrella & chairs to dry off, reapply sunscreen, and repeat. At lunch we walked back to the room again for sandwiches then lathered up for another afternoon sitting on the sand. When we made it back down to the beach, it actually looked like it was going to storm but luckily it never did. So instead we just got some cooler temps with no humidity + some cloud coverage- a gingers dream! At 5pm the chair/umbrella rental is up so right around that time we walked back to our room to get ready for dinner. To no ones surprise, we drove back downtown for some delicious Mexican food at Bud & Alley’s Taco Bar. This was hands down both Alec and I’s favorite meal of the whole trip! He ordered the carnitas burrito while I enjoyed the roasted chicken & carnitas tacos. Again this was another outdoor seating area right in the heart of downtown but since that “storm” had come through and cleared out all of the humidity, it felt amazing outside! We seriously could have sat there all night just chatting about life + our next great adventure of becoming parents. Once we finished our food, we walked around the shops some more before snagging a couple more sunset pics and then going back to get some rest before our last full day of relaxation!
Day 4:
Sunday morning we decided to head back to Beachy Bean for breakfast. 1. Because we loved it that much and 2. Because it was super filling + met my dietary restrictions perfectly! Now since it was Sunday you also know that we couldn’t gip Alec of his traditional Sunday donuts so we of course swung by Dough Sea Dough for him. His favorite was the maple bacon which was loaded down with more bacon than you could imagine!
After enjoying our tasty breakfast on the back outdoor patio of Beachy Bean again, we drove back to our VRBO to get ready for another beach day. Yet again, we did the 8 minute walk from our place to the water, grabbed our rentals, and became beach bums for the day only leaving the water to reapply sunscreen because man that sun is harsh on these gingers. Once we were ready for lunch again, we headed back to our VRBO to make those infamous beach sandwiches + enjoy a little AC for this preggo lady. That afternoon walk back is always so hot and humid with direct sunlight and very little breeze. After we cooled off and ate our healthy lunches, we made our way back to the beach one last time. Every time we walked across that bridge and overlooked the ocean, we swear it got prettier and the water got clearer each time! Yet again we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon soaking up all the sun we could, listening to the waves crash on the shore, and reminiscing on all of our vacations/trips over the past 4.5 years. We have been so fortunate to have gotten so many incredible opportunities to travel the world together and can’t wait to bring our little bundle of joy on those adventures with us!
Like every other day, around 5pm we packed up our things and walked back to our VRBO to freshen up for the evening. After we finished getting ready, we drove downtown for one last dinner in our favorite little beach city. That night we decided to eat at the Chicken Shack. Overall the experience wasn’t great but it had nothing to do with the service or the food. Unfortunately there was no “storm” today so the weather never cooled off that evening making the air still, humid, and hot. Not the best combination for a pregnant lady + on top of that I ordered the Buffalo chicken sandwich so it was like a double whammy. Luckily Alec was sweet enough to switch me sandwiches (so I didn’t go into labor lol) and I had the Jim’s sunburn sandwich instead. As a trade off, I continued to dab his forehead with a napkin throughout the meal (like a MMA coach does for his athlete). Once we finished our spicy meals, we of course walked over to the beach to watch one last sunset in seaside before heading back to our place for some much needed rest.
Day 5:
Monday morning we packed up our things and headed out the door pretty early. We had to be out of our VRBO by 10am + with the gestational diabetes I am on a pretty strict eating schedule so it all worked out for the better.
Pro-tip when traveling with your S/O, figure out what you each do best when it comes to packing and tackle that thing. For Alec and I this means I pack the clothes and he packs the electronics + toiletries. This system really works well for us because 1. it puts us in different areas of wherever we are staying so we aren’t on top of each other 2. it ensures fairness + responsibility that we are both contributing at the same time 3. it allows us to pack up the things we like/are in charge of in our normal lives. For example I do the laundry for us so it only makes sense that I pack our clothes because then I know what is dirty, what isn’t, where everything is, and can easily unpack when we get home.
Since our flight home wasn’t until that evening, we had a ton of time to kill throughout the day. We had originally planned on going to the beach but then decided we didn’t want to sunscreen up, sweat, be covered in sand + salt, and then sit on a plane home. So instead we decided to explore all of the different, cute beach cities along the coast and do some shopping!
We started out by grabbing breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast in Inlet beach. To eat Alec got the chicken + waffles & I had the yard work skillet. Once we finished eating + paying our tab, we headed to Rosemary Beach! This is where the infamous Pearl Hotel is located so of course we had to swing by for some pics. After exploring all of the cute shops in the downtown area, we drove over to Aly’s Beach next. Again we really were just killing time walking in and out of all of the cute shops while enjoying some quality time before becoming a family of three.
Around 1pm we drove over to Watercolor to have some lunch at the Perfect Pig. This was a highly recommended spot to eat at and luckily on a Monday afternoon during the school year it was pretty empty. So as soon as we walked in we were seated and ordered right away. Alec had the parmesan crusted grilled cheese with pulled pork while I had the Hawaiian chicken sandwich. Both were amazing and super filling + came with a pickle spear & potato salad. Definitely a very comfort food place with that southern charm vibe + aesthetic throughout. After lunch headed to the Watercolor neighborhood to pick out our dream beach house then walked around that shopping area too. As our final day was wrapping up, we headed back to downtown Seaside for a little more shopping before making our way to the airport.
All in all it was the absolute perfect vacation + babymoon! From the slow mornings, to the sunny beach days, and all the laughs, memories, + tasty food in between we couldn’t have asked for a better last trip just the two of us before becoming parents in the fall.
Where to stay
For our weekend babymoon getaway, we decided to book a rental property through VRBO. After looking at tons of different options we finally landed on a Beachwood Villa rental that was a 5 minute walk across the street to the beach. It definitely wasn't the nicest/most up to date place we have ever stayed but it did the trick + we barely spent anytime in the room so it really didn't matter to us at all.
Beachwood Villas own a town of different properties all along 30A ranging in prices + looks so definitely be sure to check them out on VRBO. Of course there are tons of other rental options (through Airbnb as well) but it can get pricey so really just depends on how much you are willing to spend + how big your group is.
Below are a list of what we would consider the "most popular/well known" hotels in the 30A area. These are definitely on the pricer side but boy are they beautiful!
Hotels:
Coffee + Breakfast
Brunch + Lunch
Dinner + Drinks
What to do
What to save
If you are planning to travel to Seaside, Florida during the summer, you should expect to spend anywhere from $2,000-$2,500 (travel & stay included).
Stay: $800 (4 nights)
Flights: $800 (we used points)
Food: $200/day (obviously if you add drinking to this we would say about $300/day)
What to wear
Summertime in Florida is surely hot + humid but nothing the white sand and crystal clear beaches can't fix! So here is what we wore when traveling to visit Seaside, Florida in early Augsut-
His Outfits | |
Her Outfits |
xo,
The Stegalls
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can watch our full vlog coming out soon on our little getaway weekend to Seaside, Florida for our Babymoon!
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