As promised, here are all the details of our 2021 family vacation. We decided to venture to Tybee Island, Georgia and it might be our favorite spot ever. We like to try new places but loved this area so much, it might just have to be our annual thing from here on out.
I’ll list all of the details below, links, etc. I’m also going to give a few tips and tricks to help make your trip run a bit more smoothly. I’m finally realizing these “hacks” make a vacation much more enjoyable for mom.
I’ve found when we book ahead of time, it’s not so overwhelming to plan and pay for a vacation. I booked this over a year ago and what I love about doing so is that I can put a deposit down and pay throughout the year. We have been trying to be more intentional with less stuff and more experiences, so this was a huge part of the girls birthdays and Christmases as well as our own. So worth it!
You can pretty much drive a golf cart around 90% of the island so we opted to not rent a vehicle because by the time you rent one and a golf cart, it was more than our airfare. We used it the entire time and it was worth booking. You also have a parking permit that comes with the cart so you don’t have to worry about paying when going to eat, shop, etc. Plus, it’s easier to get in and out of places where a vehicle is not there. When we landed in Savannah, we got an Uber to Tybee Golf Carts and picked ours up. Be sure to reserve yours in advance as they book out fast. We got the 6 seater electric. Once we picked it up we loaded it down with our luggage and drove to our beach house.
Also, here’s pro tip #1: I made a grocery order via Instacart the night before we flew out with food for us for the entire week. We ate breakfast and lunch everyday at our cottage as well as snacks and just went out to eat for supper. It cuts costs tremendously and makes going out each evening a treat. PLUS they had our groceries delivered right to our house and I didn’t have to waste time going shopping when we got there as well as hauling all of the groceries on the golf cart.
Pro tip #2: Always book a place that has a washer and a dryer. We did laundry throughout the week and one last load the night before so we were able to come home to a clean house and clothes. The vacation blues aren’t so bad when you don’t have an added mountain of laundry when you return. :)
The cottage was a dream and absolutely perfect for our girls. All things mermaid, our own outdoor area with a pool, bunkbeds, and we lived on this screened in porch with bed swings. Missy was super great with communicating and provided literally everything we needed. She even had a ton of pool/beach toys, ice chests, and a wagon that we used every time we went to the beach to cart all of our things.
We had friends and our other firefighter family come up from Florida for a night and stay with us. We don’t get to see them often and our kids are the same ages so we squeezed in as much visiting as we could. We loved our time with them and were so sad when they had to leave. We stayed up and got to talk and laugh, good for the soul conversations and I love our friendship, albeit distant.
Our idea of vacation is relaxation. We aren’t ones who have to be constantly entertained and we honestly just enjoy downtime. Having an itinerary and going nonstop isn’t vacation to me. So most of our days were spent on the beach playing or at the pool. We honestly didn’t do a lot which was the point and just enjoyed being together.
We had movie nights, got a lot of sun, read books, the girls improved so much with swimming, Scout got stung by a jellyfish, we had ice cream about everyday, and went to a boat ride to see the dolphins and lighthouse. Zack was a happy man with all he could eat seafood as was I with getting to read in the sunshine. The girls had a blast in the waves, building sandcastles, and finding seashells. It was so nice and quiet, just how we like it.
Our last day I threw the girls white prairie dresses on for some quick beach pictures. I loved how they turned out and hope to get us all together next year for some.
I could totally get used to beach life. There’s something about sun, salty hair, suntans, and a slow pace. Tybee has our heart and I’m so thankful for these memories we’ve made as a family.
You can book The Salty Mermaid Cottage here or here.
Some places to eat:
- Bubba Gumbos
- The Sugar Shack
- Huckapoo’s
- The Original Crab Shack
- Fannies on the Beach
- Sundae Cafe
- Sting Ray’s
- So many more great places.
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My mom & I love this area! I would love to stay in this neat cottage. Where did your husband eat all you can eat seafood? I enjoyed your pictures.
It’s one of our favorite places. :) What I meant by all you can eat is that we have zero seafood (not fresh) in oklahoma so he ate all he could eat while we were there. HAHA! Sorry that statement was a little misleading.
Oh no! I didn’t know poor Scouty got stung! Was she hesitant after that to get back in? Love all the pics! This trip needs its own album. That house is my jam! Love the fun colors ! So glad y’all got to get away and enjoy friends you don’t see very often! Did y’all get to eat at the Cran shack we were talking about? Try any Brunswick Stew anywhere?
And, the grocery hack is genius!!
It took her a bit but she ended up going back!