Have you ever woke up one morning and thought, I really, really need a vacation?
Especially, if you haven’t taken a REAL, soak up the sun, vacation in almost 3 years?
Our last vacation – summer 2017! – a cruise with our GBA barbecue friends.
Despite living in the picturesque Appalachian foothills, we needed some sun and beach time.
The campground needed to fit these essentials:
- accommodate our large rig
- as close to the ocean as possible (but cheaper than spots right on the water)
- be on the Emerald Coast
- budget-friendly
My research discovered Carrabelle Beach RV Resort located between Carrabelle and East Point, Florida.
We reserved a week and planned on doing nothing but beach-bumming and eating.
What we liked about Carrabelle RV Beach Resort
After a grueling, but incident-free, EIGHT-hour ride, we arrived at Carrabelle RV Beach Resort.
Clearly marked from Hwy 98, the entrance is wide, but larger rigs better be careful and make sure they pull in far enough to get off the road.
The staff is very friendly and made check-in quick. An ice machine is located right next to the main entrance so you can top off your coolers.
The property is very well taken care of by “Sammy Joe.” Beautifully landscaped with plants and large palm trees.
Although very little grass is in the campground, except for the dog walk area, it is cut and maintained.
Rocks are used for week control in the plant beds between campsites.
All sites are concrete pads and many are pull-thru sites with 50 amp power.
Although the sites are close together, you do not feel like you are on top of your neighbor.
Adorable furnished resort cottages, as well as larger cabins to accommodate groups.
Other amenities include:
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Pool
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Laundry Facilities
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Recreation Hall
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Beach view
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Fish cleaning station
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Easy beach access
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I picked this resort because it is directly across the street from a public beach area, complete with picnic tables. It is only 100 yards from the resort entrance to the water.
However, I did not realize this public access area is actually, “Saint George Sound.” Dog Island creates a barrier between the Gulf of Mexico and the public access beach.
Doug wanted direct access to gulf water. Luckily, a fellow camper told us about St. George Island…
St. George Island
Our first full day on vacation and we loaded up our beach gear and headed for St. George Island State Park.
A 25-minute, pleasant drive from the campground to the city of East Point, turn onto the Bryant Patton Memorial Bridge, which is the only access to St. George Island.
A scenic lighthouse greets you at the island entrance.
The state park is on the eastern point of the island, however, after we discovered a fee for entering the park, we decided to park at one of the many public access areas along E. Gorrie Drive.
Amazing sand. Quite, very few people on the beach every day of our vacation.
The water was perfect. And we even had a friendly visitor.
You will have to watch the YouTube video.
St. George Island is full of residential homes and townhomes. No large skyscraper condominiums and retail is minimal.
We thoroughly enjoyed every day at St. George Island.
Food while on vacation
One day after enjoying a relaxing day at the beach, we stayed on the island for dinner.
The Blue Parrot Oceanfront Cafe was recommended to us by a fellow camper.
The open-air dining allows an ocean breeze to fill the quaint, casual restaurant.
We feasted on some raw oysters as an appetizer, not knowing, the entrees at this place were HUGE!
Doug ordered the fried-shrimp basket, which included 15 large fried shrimp, with fries.
I decided on the mahi-mahi tacos, which were more like two huge burritos.
Everything was cooked perfectly and neither of us could finish our plates.
We highly recommend their signature cocktails, especially the Watermelon Wave, a frozen watermelon daiquiri made with vodka; and the St. George Island Breeze, a refreshing blend of citrus juices with cherry-infused vodka, served on the rocks.
Another day, we drove to downtown Apalachicola, where we ate lunch at The Station Raw Bar.
We ordered a dozen raw, a half-dozen of the three cheese and bacon, as well as, a half-dozen of the baked oysters stuffed with fresh crab meat, cheese, bacon, and splashed with a bit of sherry.
The local Oyster City beer paired nicely with the oysters.
We highly recommend the Dirty Blonde, a blonde ale at 5.5% alcohol; and the First Light golden ale at 4.7%.
Most evenings we ate and drank at the camper.
If you want local, fresh seafood for campsite dining, try Island View Seafood.
We bought fresh red snapper and large scallops on the way back from the beach one evening.
Seasoning the snapper with salt, pepper, and Oakridge Black Ops was unplanned but fantastic.
Sauteing the scallops on our electric skillet, seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter was equally tasty.
Much needed beach vacation
Despite the scattered evidence of hurricane damage, Carrabelle and East Point are fishing towns.
Streets are not lined with souvenir shops and tourist traps like you see in beach areas to the west (Panama City Beach, Destin).
Our intention on this trip was to rest, relax, and enjoy the beach, which is exactly what we did.
We highly recommend Carrabelle Beach RV Resort and we will visit again, hopefully, next year.
