Girls Guide to 30A

 

Alright, so I consider myself to be a pretty humble person..but you guys…I planned a dam* good girls weekend and can not believe how well it went. A lot of things go into planning a girls weekend – which to be honest, I had NO IDEA how much work I was signing up for to get all the reservations set, have the girls actually get there on time, etc. ((BTW, pretty sure we were routinely 15 minutes late for every reservation))

So, if you are planning a bachelorette party, mama’s getaway, or a girlfriends birthday weekend…I highly recommend following the exact same steps we did. It might be an understatement to say that it was one of the best girls weekends I have ever had.

I was trying to figure out the best way to lay out this blog post – so I think I am just going to take you through our 3 day weekend day by day!

Thursday, all of the girls arrived at different times. In order to get them each into vacation mode, our new Clean Juice Market shops treated each of the girls to a one hour massage and stocked our fridge up with fresh juices for us to enjoy each day! ((Btw – I am about to start their juice cleanse, it has come highly recommended! I will keep ya’ll updated)

Where to stay? I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Pointe on 30A. The Pointe is located on the east end of 30A and their amenities are absolutely gorgeous as you will see from the images. The suites are so clean and spacious! We rented two 3 bedroom suites and put 4 girls in each room. This allowed only one set of girls in each room to have to share and there were double queens in that room – leaving everyone with their own bed! There are so many other reasons to stay here – but I am going to list my top reasons below!

Huge and gorgeous pool

Cabana Life

Gym (not really necessary tho, right? lol)

Walking distance from Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, and 30Avenue

(For the bloggers) It’s all white – perfect for photos!

Since 6 out of 8 of the girls had never stayed at the Pointe, I wanted to make sure they had some time to actually enjoy the property. We were super busy most of the weekend. When everyone checked in, The Pointe had arranged a cocktail hour for us on the rooftop – weather got a little wet, so we moved it under the covered pool deck until the weather cleared and we made it up to the roof just in time to get some gorgeous sunset shots overlooking Rosemary Beach.

We then went back to the room and decided to change into our PJs for dinner. 30a Gourmet delivered and cooked two delicious dinners for us to choose from. We had unlimited wine, caught up on each other’s lives, played a few card games and called it an early night as the rest of the trip schedule was slammed pack! 30a Gourmet is a great option for your trip when you don’t want to have to leave the room. Perfect for long beach days and travel days!

Friday morning started off with a bang! We began with breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast. This is the only restaurant on property at the Pointe and it is amazing! They have everything from biscuits and gravy to avocado toast! Ya’ll have to try their sausage gravy! It’s on the first floor and overlooks the pool. It is gorgeous.

After breakfast, I decided to schedule a brewery tour with one of our local brewers Grayton Beer. Their 30A beach blonde is my favorite and I figured it would be a great way to let the girls try all of our local beers as well as see where it is all made. We got to take a tour around the brewery and watch them bottle one of their IPA’s. It was a really fun experience! Epic Photobooth (Black and white back drop below) set up shop in the brewery so the girls could get some cute pictures and GIFS. They have lots of photo backdrop options and are a fun addition to any event your doing on 3oA. I honestly havent been to an event that they havent been there so I am not sure how to throw an event without them!! lol.

After our tour, we took Gulf Coast Go to the Grayton Brewpub. Gulf Coast Go offers brewery tours and other 30A tours around town locally. It is a great way to keep the whole group in one car and not having to worry about not drinking because you have to drive. I highly recommend them as a driving service if you are going to be drinking at different places during your stay. Grayton Brewpub is located on 30A just before you turn down to go to the beach in Grayton. They have all of their beers on tap and in bottles and have the best macaroni and cheese in the world!! Everyone gets their own because you won’t want to share!

After our amazing day, we all went back to the hotel for a little downtime, email catch up, etc. We then headed out to Seaside for Paella night at 45 Central now called JI-Shi Kitchen(located on the square). On Wednesdays and Fridays – 45 Central  Ji-Shi has Paella night they also still have their regular menu which includes small plates, sushi and tons of wine options. They have a chef cooking outside in front of everyone and wine is flowing. It is so much fun to watch the chef, catch up with friends and watch people walk by. It is the perfect night for out with your girlfriends and also a great date night spot. (Updated 12/12/19) Ji-Shi Kitchen has so many of the great options that 45 Central had (same chef, Jim Shirley), such as the Paella night and sushi but they also have a great daytime menu starting at 11am including so many power food and healthy options!

Another great option for dinner and drinks is Great Southern in Seaside. Their grits-a-ya-ya is my favorite dish on the menu and you HAVE to try their mojitos if you like cocktails. They have several flavors and the guava and strawberry are both my favorites! Trust me – you will never be able to order a regular mojito again!

On Saturday morning we started our day off at Grits & Grind. You can walk there from anywhere in Rosemary Beach or Alys Beach. They had banana bread french toast and delicious cheese grits that were to die for! We then headed back to the Pointe and met up with Eventure Bike Tours. They are a bike tour company that does art tours, restaurant tours, custom tours, you name it – pretty much! We did a tour that allowed the girls to go back into Inlet Beach and Rosemary Beach to allow them to see how beautiful the entire towns are. This is a must do next time you are in town – it is going to be on my list of things to take visitors in town to do every time they visit from now on.

What is a girls weekend at a gorgeous resort without actually enjoying the resort. After our bike ride we cooled off with cocktails by the pool C/O Deep Bay Spirits and Blue Chair Bay Rum. The Pointe pool is enormous and has so many lounging options in and around the pool.

Post pool we got ready and danced around the room to Taylor Swift while sipping One Hope champagne out of glitter bottles. I mean – sounds amazing right? Haha

 

What is better than rosé on a hot afternoon? Well, rosé on a rooftop with a view overlooking the beach and Rosemary Beach of course. You guys – Pescado is my FAVORITE location for afternoon and evening cocktails + appetizers. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and the view is literally breathtaking.

Saturday night was our last night together so we wanted to end it with a bang. We scheduled a photo shoot on the beach and a gorgeous dinner with a view at Surfing Deer. I am a regular at Surfing Deer and you guys HAVE to get their bacon on a clothesline appetizer. Honestly – I think we ordered 4 or 5 of them as just one of our appetizers because we couldn’t get enough. The bacon, black-eyed peas, scorched rosemary, biscuits, and pickled watermelon are all equally delicious.

Sunday morning most of the girls had to fly out early but there were 5 of us left and we wanted to end it on a delicious note. Back Beach BBQ has amazing brisket, biscuits, and well, BBQ! haha We are also friends with the owners and they are such a sweet family – which makes the food even better!

I know that was a LOT of info and places but I hope it helps you plan your next trip to 30A!! Use #30ababe and tag me in images so I know you’re here!!! XO

 

Professional photos Sean Murphy + Shane Carter