Seashell Cottage has verything you could want for the perfect family vacation! Beach, pool, sandy yard, big porches, inside area under house with cornhole. Take the golf cart to the beach or the National Seashore. Cook fabulous meals in the well-stocked kitchen (including spices) or grill on the new gas grill and eat on the large back deck while watching the sunset. Make memories for a lifetime.
Seashell Cottage is located in the little Navarre Beach neighborhood known as Homeport. The community has a dock perfect for fishing while the kids play in the sand or float or kayak in the quieter waters. The community pool is right next door to Seashell Cottage. Peek out the kitchen window and see when you can actually have it all to yourselves or when your kids can play with the neighborhood kids. The pool has picnic tables and bathrooms.
Navarre Beach has been named one of the top beaches in the country with its clear emerald waters. This is a quiet beach town where families can walk to the beach on the Gulf side or to the quieter beach waters on the Sound - both just two blocks. Restaurants range from upscale with views of the Gulf to tiki bars with music! It is just a short drive (especially fun if you rent our golf cart) to the Gulf Shores National Seashore. Talk about beauty! You are also a golf cart ride from the long pier with dining and fishing. You can rent the golf cart for just $200. It is street legal so you can even drive to the convenience store or sightsee the island.
My husband and I are both neuroscientists who travel extensively. While Jim is actively engaged in research, I am a writer on the subject of the brain. I travel several times a month giving lectures and doing book signings. Seashell Cottage is our own perfect getaway. We have created it to be peaceful and restorative, yet providing us with lots of recreation and enjoyment of nature. Because it is our home-away-from-home as well, it is stocked with the amenities you want to have. We want to walk in and have everything we need, don’t you? Plug in the devices in the charger, fast wifi, conveniences, pantry basics, all those things.
We want Seashell cottage to be your home away from home. We believe that if we provide you with the comforts of home, you will treat it just as you would treat your own home. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a large open kitchen/living/dining area. It sleeps 6. Downstairs you can park two cars in the driveway. Bringing your jet ski or Harley? Park it safely in the garage under the house. Check with us if you want to park a boat in there and we will check the measurements.
If you want interesting, lovely surroundings that make you feel somewhere special, but at the same time, the conveniences of home! Seashell Cottage has both.
First, Seashell Cottage has the beachy feel that you want! From the pictures, to the accessories, to the palm trees outside the window, all let you know you are at your happy place! At the same time, you have the comforts you want. Every bed has nightstands (don’t you hate it when you don’t have a place to put your water or glasses or phone???). There are plenty of places to charge your devices with chargers included. Of course, there is fast wifi. There is a high chair in the closet if you need it. You have full size washer and dryer.
The kitchen has both drip and Keurig coffeepots to start your day off right! There is also a selection of teas. How about taking that coffee out on the large front porch and watch the sunrise! Then whip up some waffles with the waffle maker (sugar, salt, flour basics provided). Cook a gourmet breakfast if you like, because the kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need to bake, cook, or make frozen drinks. Eat around the 1950’s vintage style dining table and know you are somewhere special, like the trips you took when you were a kid. You want your family to have those same memories we had!
While you may not want to spend much time hanging out in the living room, you certainly will enjoy it when you do. The 60”inch TV is mounted above the decorative fireplace. It has Roku and Hula options if you are subscribed to those. The Direct TV system has hundreds of channels. So gather around and watch that big game or your favorite shows. Beautiful Brazilian hardwood floors are throughout (except tile in the bathrooms).
Or head out to the beaches. Gulf and Sound beaches are two blocks away. Downstairs you will find beach chairs, umbrella, noodles, and pool and sand toys - everything you could want for a perfect beach day! Just load everyone and everything in the golf cart and off you go or use the beach cart we have provided.
After enjoying a day of dolphins, pelicans, birds of all sorts, and clear, emerald waters, come home to Seashell cottage. What do you want after a day in the sun? Have a luxurious bath in the Jacuzzi tub in the master bath or shower in either bath or use the outdoor shower out back downstairs.
Maybe it’s time for a dip in the pool? You can actually watch the family play in the pool while you sit on the porch reading and overlooking the pool (not leaving young kids unsupervised of course. Pool has age requirements for unsupervised swimming). Let the teens swim while mom and dad have a Margarita on the porch? I’m just sayin’.
I’m thinking it is about cocktail time now, right? Well, you certainly have all the cocktail glasses you could want… margarita, hurricane? Mix up some frozen drinks in the blender and head to the large back deck where you will experience cool, island breezes. Then fire up the clean, new gas grill with cast iron grates. Or cook a gourmet meal (check out the beach cookbooks). Enjoy the close of the day with some lovely wine (we will start you off with one bottle). Maybe a cornhole tournament in the sand in the back yard?
Now choose your bedroom. Will it be Old Florida Sunset master bedroom with ensuite, designed to take you back to the day….those old family trips to Florida that were so exciting as a child. This room with a king bed, large dresser, large screen tv, armoire, has everything you need. The ensuite has the Jacuzzi tub and a shower and double sinks.
Perhaps you would like Sandy Shores, the queen bedroom, a relaxing oasis in blues and tans with a desk and and flat screen TV. Leaping Lizards is the colorful room with two twin beds and signed artwork of cute FL geckos or frogs and colorful beach pictures. (Teens or adults won’t find it childish though). This room has lots of fun board games in the closet, suitable for all ages. Both rooms have large closets. All rooms have surfaces where you can put your suitcases and unpack or work from them, as well as drawers and lots of hanging space.
Both these rooms, the queen and the two twins, share a bath with a tub/shower combination and places to put your toiletries (isn’t that so important?).
What if you have to do a little working remotely? No problem. Sandy Shores, the queen bedroom, has a desk. Shut the door and get some work done (unless you take your laptop to one of the porches – why not?). There is a printer in the closet that you can use with the usb port on your laptop.
And should you tire of perfect days lounging on the beach? Well, head a short ways down the beach and rent kayaks or cross the bridge and rent a pontoon boat! Using the golf cart, go exploring, or drive your car a few miles to explore the National Seashore where you will experience unspoiled beauty.
Of course, maybe not every day is a perfect beach day, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a perfect day AT the beach! Rain? No worries. The cottage is full of board games. Downstairs you can play cornhole in the enclosed garage. There is a bookcase of a variety of books to read and there are books for young children as well. Don’t forget all the TV options with the smart TV. How about driving to Destin or Pensacola with lots of family attractions (both about 30 minutes away) and then leaving the crowds and traffic behind when you return to your peaceful beach retreat!
We so look forward to you creating memories of a lifetime with your spouse, partner, kids, grandkids, or friends.
Janet