Our Vacation Destin-ation

FINALLY, for the first time since before Isabella was born, we took a vacation for more than a weekend. We took the girls to Destin, FL for a week (7 days, 6 nights). I will admit I was extremely nervous heading in to the trip as we weren't sure how the girls would handle sleeping in a hotel for a week. We were blown away with how smoothly they transitioned from home to the hotel (and back, for that matter). The room was set up in a way that Isabella had her own "room" with a bunkbed (it was a little cove in the front of the room and was separated from the rest of the hotel room by the bathroom). It worked out really well. Also, because of a helpful hint from my friend Kim, we rented a stroller, exersaucer and booster seat from a fantastic company called Babies 'N' Town. They delivered it to our hotel and it was already there when we arrived. The exersaucer alone was worth the price. Madeline actually had somewhere to sit and play instead of having to hang out in her infant carrier. Nice.

The first day was mostly spent traveling, but after a recommendation from the concierge, we headed to the Village at Baytown Wharf. It was a neat little village with tons of stuff for kids (mostly older kids, though) and great restaurants. We decided to eat at this italian restaurant called Graffiti's. Isabella was an angel, but Madeline was unusually fussy. We chalked it up to a long day of travel.

Day two (Saturday) we spent at the beach and pool for most of the day. We went in the morning after breakfast, took a break for lunch/naps and headed back out in the afternoon. We went back to the village for dinner. This meal was probably our favorite of the trip. We ate at a place called Bistro Bijou. It was a Louisiana-style restaurant and felt as if you were in New Orleans. The food was amazing. Isabella was an angel again and based on how Madeline started dinner, we feared she would be a handful, but much to our delight, the real Madeline appeared and she slept the entire dinner. Atta girl! We treated Isabella, and ourselves of course, to some gelato for dessert which made her night!

Day three (Sunday) we, again, spent the morning at the beach/pool as well as the afternoon. For dinner we changed it up and went to an area called Grand Boulevard where we ate at a Tommy Bahama restaurant. The food was surprisingly good. Both girls were fantastic. They were so good, in fact, that we decided to go take them (ok, Maddie didn't fully participate) to play miniature golf. We were so excited, but when we started to play we realized it was a Putting Course, not miniature golf. Unfortunately, there is an enormous difference. This was hard for David, the golfer, so you can imagine how impossible it was for Isabella. We let her put the ball wherever she wanted and hit it from there. She didn't know the difference, so she had a great time. I must say, I held my own for the first 8 or so holes. I even had a one stroke lead at one point, but then my lack of golf experience kicked in (ok, I just sucked at it). We had to leave after 12 holes because it was time to feed Madeline, but we had a great time.

Day four (Monday) we decided to switch things up a bit. We went to the beach/pool in the morning, but opted to try something different in the afternoon. I'd read about a place called The Gulfarium (a cross between an aquarium and Sea World) in Fort Walton Beach, about 20 miles west of our hotel. We thought Isabella would really enjoy seeing all of the fish and alligators. We found it easily, but it looked a little sketchy when we pulled in to the parking lot. David decided to run in and check it out to see if it was worth the visit. I must mention, RIGHT before we left the hotel, I asked the concierge how late they were open and if our timing was ok (it was 3pm). She assured me our timing was great and they did "shows" until 6pm. When David came back to the car, he had a puzzled look on his face. Apparently, they stopped admitting people at 2pm and closed at 3pm. Needless to say I was a little upset. We decided to go to the village instead and just walk around there. It ended up worked out alright as we got to go in a candy-making store. They made all different types of fudge. OMG - it was decadent. We ate at a 50's Diner for dinner and walked around afterwards a little longer. I happened to read just prior to dinner that a magician was performing at 8pm. We decided to take Isabella to the show. It was geared more for older kids and adults, but she had a good time nonetheless. While we were waiting for the shuttle (big mistake, by the way) to pick us up, Isabella made friends with one fo the female security guards. It started when the woman was gushing over Madeline and asked how old she was. Immediately after we told her Maddie's age, Isabella chimed in and said, "And I'm 3!" She'd had enough with the focus on Maddie.

Day five (Tuesday) was spent at the beach/pool in the morning and again in the afternoon. We'd just gotten to the beach in the afternoon when we experienced something we in San Antonio have not seen in MONTHS. RAIN!!!!!! It figures we had to go on vacation to get rain. Everyone on the beach started packing up their belongings and making a mad dash towards to the hotel. Everyone went inside, but we opted to wait under a covered part of the pool deck and wait it out. Isabella was so excited she did a rain dance. Fortunately, it only lasted about 20 minutes. Good thing we didn't go inside because once the rain stopped, we had first dips on the chairs at the pool :) We went back to the village again for dinner and ate at an overrated restaurant called Marlin Grill. It looked like it was going to be really nice and their sign and menu boasted "Fine Dining." Not so much. It wasn't a dump by any means, but the food wasn't as "fine" as we expected. A little disappointing and NOT worth the money. Oh well, every other meal was fantastic, so no complaints. Before dinner we'd promised Isabella she could ride the carousel afterwards. Well, about 30 minutes in to dinner, it started POURING rain. Unfortunately, they shut down the ride and she was a little disappointed, but we told her we'd try it again the next day. There was a girl on stilts making balloon animals, so Isabella happily waited in line for a pink poodle. The same security guard was working and Isabella was no longer concerned the attention would be on Madeline. She earned the woman's FULL attention. It was adorable.

Day six (Wednesday). We spent our usual times at the pool/beach and talked about going to the village for dinner. Around 5pm a hellacious storm rolled in and brought torrential downpours with it. We decided we'd give it an hour to stop and then we'd head to the village so Isabella could ride the carousel (it was our last night). When the rain hadn't let up and we saw the wind flip over a lounge chair by the pool, we decided the village was no longer an option. Isabella was really disappointed, but she recovered quickly. She only reminded us we didn't take her to the carousel 50 or 60 times. It continued to pour, so we ended up going back to the Grand Boulevard area and ate at a place called Mitchell's Fish Market. It turned out to be a chain, but the food was fantastic. We even had dessert (a rarity for us) to celebrate a great vacation. All night Isabella kept telling me how she didn't want to go home, she wanted to stay in her new bed at the hotel forever. I agreed with the wanting to stay in Destin, but not so much on the hotel. I missed my bed...

We flew back home on Thursday. With a delay in Houston, it turned in to an all-day traveling experience. We were exhausted when we got back. Now I need a vacation from my vacation :)


Here are the photos and videos from the trip: