This was our first time to the Cape and absolutely LOVED it!

My wife and I began planning a family beach vacation a few months back which would be our 16-month old's first beach trip. We were trying to find an area where we could get away from it all, relax (as much as you can with a toddler), affordable, and not crowded. Growing up, we did the Gulf Shores, Destin and PCB trips, but they've become overcrowded for what we were looking for.

Cape San Blas came highly recommended to us from multiple friends. After lots of research, we came to the conclusion that this sounded like the perfect place for us to vacation. The Barrier Dunes community had lots of positive reviews and looked like the ideal place. It had the quiet beaches, the pools, the privacy, the "closeness" of everything within the community that we were looking for.

We found our little "home away from home", Sea Pines, which is nestled next to the largest pond within Barrier Dunes. Sea Pines had everything in it we needed–and more! It was a beautiful condo with great water views and was newly renovated. It was not your typical "beach decor" that you see in a lot of beach condos in other areas that don't look like it's been updated since the 90s. I liked their decor and style. The rooms were very nice and the mattresses were comfy.

The kitchen had everything we needed as far as pots and pans. They even had a baby gate which we used to keep our little one from going down the entry way stairwell. Haha I wish I had known they had one so we didn't have to bring our own. I'm sure like most new parents, we tend to over pack on first trips. They even had a beach cart which we used everyday, beach umbrellas, pool/beach toys and more.

When we booked this condo several months in advance, the owners were super responsive and helpful with answering any questions we had. I emailed them often and they were quick to reply and helped make us feel at ease. Stefanie was a lifesaver during our stay. We accidentally locked ourselves out one eve and we were rushing out the door to head to dinner. I called her and she swung by to unlock it for us by the time we returned.

The unit is tucked away in the far left corner and had great views of the pond. Our little one loved watching the turtles (probably as much as the beach). It was extremely quiet and only a 5-min walk to the beach.

We will definitely be back in an off-season. We came for the week around July 4th and it was a little crowded.