As you know, the Traveling Mamas were on a recent trip to the beautiful Gulf Shores in Alabama. Ever since I caught glimpse of the first news reports of the BP oil spill, I knew this wouldn’t be good for the Gulf Coast. I really longed to get to the area and when we were invited by the Alabama Visitors Bureau, I was ready to get on the plane and go right then!

I wasn’t quite sure what my expectations were of the area, but from all the media reports, I just figured there would be oil all around the beach. What we found, was quite the opposite! Take a peek into this short 3 minute video and see the Gulf Shores from a real viewpoint.

Areas in the video:

Waterville USA

King Neptunes

Orange Beach, Alabama

This guest post comes from Marilyn, one of the winners of Hyatt’s Big Welcome Back Giveaway that we hosted a while back. This is why we like to do trip giveaways. ~ CajunMama

Motherhood sucks.

Seriously.

Regardless of what the mommy mafia says, motherhood sucks. Everything is about your family – you sacrifice your dreams for them, you put their needs before yours, you cook for them, clean up after them, help them with their homework, sit with them while they cry over simple and sometimes complicated issues, drive them everywhere and even do their laundry. If you’re lucky, they may remember to say thank you but more often than not, you’re more likely to get an eye roll than a word of gratitude. That’s why I recommend that once a year every mother does something that is utterly and selfishly about her. That’s right, I subscribe to the belief that at least once a year mothers should be allowed to do one thing that is all about them. I have been doing this for five years now and I believe I am a better mother because of it.

This year at the stroke of midnight on December 31, while moms everywhere were pledging to be better mothers, I promised myself I would attend a Brad Paisley concert. I have had the biggest crush on the man since I saw him performing live at my college stadium five years ago and I’ve always wanted to see him performing live again but you know how that goes – life happened, the baby came, bills had to be paid and there just never seemed enough hours in my day to even listen to an entire Brad Paisley CD in one sitting. So this year, I vowed I would drive to wherever he was performing and see him. Did I accomplish it? Yes I did. On Saturday, August  14, I was one of thousands of screaming “Paisley-nuts” playing air guitar right along with Brad while singing every single lyric of his hit songs.

But that trip wouldn’t have been possible without a sweet win from Travelingmamas.com. Earlier this year the Hyatt Hotels ran a “Big Welcome Back” promotion on a few blogs and my entry was randomly picked on Travelingmamas.com giving me two free nights at any Hyatt Property. I wrote that I wanted to visit Florida, New York or Las Vegas and spend my free nights there. It was wishful thinking on my part and little did I know at the time that I would indeed be having a glorious time in one of those three states.

The day the winning email landed in my mailbox is a day I will never forget. I was on the road traveling for work and my boss had put me up in a rather crappy hotel, you know the kind where you don’t even want to take a shower in the bathroom because you might come out dirtier than when you went in. I was contemplating checking into another hotel on my own dime just to take a shower when I noticed I had won two free nights at a Hyatt. I jumped with joy until I realized I couldn’t redeem them immediately so I had to spend that work trip in the crappy hotel.

Upon returning home I remembered my New Year’s day promise to myself and immediately started searching for information on Brad Paisley’s tour schedule and unfortunately for whatever reason he wasn’t coming to my state but luckily for me, he had three shows scheduled in Florida as long as I didn’t mind driving over 600 miles to see him. Being the hardcore fan I am, I strapped my toddler into his car seat and set off to West Palm Beach, Florida. I’m a city girl and I love staying right in the middle of the action so I checked into the Hyatt Place in Downtown West Palm Beach. The first thing that struck me was how cool the hotel lobby was – trust me, driving 600 miles in 95+ degree heat in a car without air conditioning will make you appreciate how cold the staff at the Hyatt Place keep the hotel lobby. I was also very impressed with just how squeaky clean the hotel was. Before my son and I could even say a word, we had about three very professional and extremely nice staff members welcome us with huge grins. I felt like royalty. We arrived two hours prior to the official check in time but the staff where nice enough to let us check in early. Checking in was swift and painless and in a few minutes we were in the elevator heading to our room. We found our room unlocked with a repair man fixing something in the bathroom and I have to say he was one of the nicest people ever. He apologized for the fact that he was still in the room when we got there and then immediately got down to my son’s eye level and started telling him which cartoon channels he’d enjoy on the TV. My hyper son with his twenty million questions was thrilled to have found a grown up cooler than his mom. I’ll forever be indebted to this repair man for keeping my son entertained while I recouped from my 12-hour drive.

I wish I could tell you that I found at least one bad thing about the Hyatt Place in Downtown West Palm Beach but the truth is the hotel was flawless, the breakfast was fresh and delicious, the staff was superb, attentive and friendly, the room was amazing and incredibly comfortable and the best part about the Hyatt Place in Downtown West Palm Beach was the fact that the shuttle was available anytime guests wanted to use it. This has always been a big pet peeve of mine. I hate making my schedule based on when the hotel shuttle runs and thankfully the Hyatt shuttle is always parked right out front ready to take you wherever you want (within a 20 mile radius) when you want. Did I mention that the Hyatt also has a cool kiosk in the lobby where you can self check in or out? Pretty impressive.

So I got to see Brad Paisley. My little dude got to spend time building sand castles and chasing waves at the beach and we both got to spend two heavenly nights in a luxury hotel we would never otherwise be able to afford. To this day, my son hasn’t stopped talking about the comfortable beds at the Hyatt and I’m still blown away by their ultra comfortable sleeper sofas. But the best memory for both of us is when it came to check out time and I presented our room keys to the front desk guy. He looked through his system, looked up at me, then back to his system and with a puzzled look said “your bill has already been taken of, you don’t owe a thing”. The inquisitive look on his face betrayed him and I knew he was dying to know how we managed to score two free nights at a high end luxury hotel but he was too polite to ask so I leaned in and whispered, “I know people who know the people who got us the room for free” and slyly winked at him. My son laughed so hard while the poor guy turned a deep shade of pink. I turned to my son and high fived him as we dragged our bags to our car.

The whole 12 hours back to Georgia, I listened to my son recounting every single detail of our mother and son West Palm Beach weekend getaway and I recall thinking how lucky I was that I got to enjoy that experience with my eager little man. Everyone needs a partner in crime to form lasting memories with and I had my own sidekick rambling away in the back seat. I stared at him through the rear view mirror and I smiled to myself as it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe motherhood doesn’t suck.

Special thanks to Marilyn for her story and to Hyatt for providing the giveaway TravelingMamas.com hosted. We’re happy to be a part of one family’s lasting travel memories.

We love to travel at TravelingMamas.com and we also love to give things away. What gets us jumping for joy is being able to give our readers a trip so they can experience a smidgen of what we get to do when we’re on the road looking for the best travel destinations to highlight here.

For the month of September, we’re celebrating the end of summer vacation with trip giveaways along the Gulf Coast. Each week we’ll announce a new trip giveaway, where readers can win one of many trips, including multi-night stays at various properties in Gulf Shore and Orange Beach, Alabama. We fully support visiting this oil spill affected area.

How to enter: Write a blog post about a recent summer trip and place the following text somewhere in your blog post – “This post is part of the TravelingMamas.com Tripapalooza Contest.” Be sure to link the term TravelingMamas.com back to this site. If you want your entry to count towards the giveaway, you’ll need to leave a comment on THIS POST with a link to your entry blog post. We’ll verify each post. You can write as many posts as you like and live anywhere in the world. You’ll get extra Karma is your post is about visiting the Gulf Coast. Don’t have a blog? We still want you to be able to enter. Just submit your story to TravelingMamas.com and be sure to leave a comment in this post that you submitted a story – Story Submission Form

Bonus Entries: Once you officially enter, you can get bonus entries for tweeting this post, liking us on FaceBook, or being a subscriber to our newsletter. Make sure you leave a comment for each bonus entry option to count. Good luck!

Winners will be selected randomly via Random.org. Prizes will be awarded throughout the month of September, with contest officially ending on the last day of the month. Former contributors of TravelingMamas.com not eligible to enter. Winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to claim their prize or will forfeit their prize, which will be awarded to a secondary winner. Prizes have restrictions, including blackout dates and expiration, determined by each prize sponsor. Legal name and physical mailing address must be provided to claim prize.

Comments will be rescued from Spam.

Prizes awarded include, but not limited to:

5 Nights at The Beach Club Gulf Shores, Alabama

3 Nights at a Brett-Robinson Gulf Shores, Alabama Property

3 Nights at a Meyer Real Estate Gulf Shores, Alabama Property

Good luck and happy blogging! Be sure to visit Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama’s White Sand Beaches, where we recently checked out the beaches and found them absolutely gorgeous!

Worried about oil in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach? Cultural travel blog, Hole in the Donut shared this profound video:

School’s back in session and many of you are already missing summer break. Take some time for a last minute getaway for the long Labor Day holiday. Pack your bags, hop in the car, and take advantage of the great deals along the Gulf Coast. It’s a traveler’s market right now. (Some of these deals were mentioned in my travel segment on 8/26/2010 on WAFB)

SanDestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida - Book 3 nights, get a 4th free PLUS a $250 Government Tourism Grant Gift Card to Silver Sands Outlet or Southwest Airlines. Restrictions apply, see Sandestin.com for details.. I personally checked out the beaches here and found them oil free.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL – John Mayer Getaway: A few resorts (like luxury beach resort Turquoise Place) are offering free John Mayer tickets for Labor Day Weekend bookings in addition to almost 50% off on a 3 bedroom luxury condo. Check out SpectrumResorts.com or many of the other rental companies through AlabamaBeaches.com. The Mamas and I checked out the beaches here last week, and while there were spotty reports of oil, we didn’t see anything in the water and the beaches were pristine.

Biloxi and Gulf Port, MS  – The Mississippi beaches are in need of visitors. Even if you don’t gamble, you can find some great deals at many of the casino hotels, some of them with family friendly pools.

Galveston – Great beaches and fun activities for the entire family. Moody Gardens is one of my personal picks and there’s even a Schlitterbahn Water Park. Book your vacation deal through Galveston.com and you’ll get a coupon book with up to $500 in discounts.

South Padre Island – Great deals at this destination and take advantage of the Schlitterbahn Water Resort that offers excitement for all ages. Be sure to check out the area sandcastle lessons. The Hilton Garden Inn is offering family fun packages with 4 Schlitterbahn tickets included in your rate. Book through the official South Padre Island website.

New Orleans – The Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans is currently offering a variety of packages that are all available over Labor Day.  Our favorite is GRANDTRAVEL WITH THE GRANDKIDS   - package include tickets to the Audubon Zoo and many other perks.

To allow  those to give back during their visit, the New Orleans Marriott recently launched the “Spirit To Serve New Orleans” voluntourism package which allows guests to partner with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity or Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, to help rebuild homes hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina and provide food to families impacted by the Gulf oil spill. This package is offered through the end of the year and starts at $109 per night, the “Spirit to Serve New Orleans” voluntourism package includes:

* A dedicated concierge to coordinate volunteer efforts
* Deluxe accommodations
* Box lunch for two
* Transportation to and from the volunteer site
* Two commemorative t-shirts

To book the Spirit to Serve New Orleans package, visit www.spirittoserveneworleans.com or call 1-800-228-9290. Booking code V5S

There are many other deals available for Labor Day travel and beyond. If you come across some great packages, feel free to share these in the comments for other readers who are planning a last minute getaway. Have safe travels and make some fun family travel memories.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While it’s a time of remembrance, it is also a time that is hard here in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. I’ve been seeing updates from Facebook friends, commenting about how depressed it makes them feel. Yes, it is depressing to remember the disaster. It’s also a point where we can look back at a time  where helping hands were extended in an extreme time of need.

I worked during Hurricane Katrina and I have many coworkers and friends who lost their homes and jobs. Many of the communities that were devastated still haven’t been recognized, as most of the media focus always seemed to be on the 9th Ward. Heck, it makes me tear up just writing this post.

Some really bad things happened during Katrina. People lost more than homes. Many people lost their lives. It was a weird, apocolyptic time around here where people were afraid and angry. They were tired. They were hungry. And they felt helpless.

I was one of the lucky ones. My home was new and in neighborhood that didn’t flood. Katrina is the time when we found out we were on the same grid as the local electric company’s main office. We were the first people in the state to get electricity after Katrina. And because I work in emergency services, my home became the haven for many of my coworkers during Katrina and Gustav who were in need of a hot meal, a shower, and clean clothes.

It’s amazing how much better a person can feel both physically and mentally after getting cleaned up. Tide understands this and during disasters they deploy Tide Loads of Hope, a mobile system where citizens, emergency workers, and volunteers can drop off their laundry and pick up clean, fresh clothes during times of need. They’ve been to Galveston, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Fargo, and Waterloo to assist during hurricanes and floods. Their service in New Orleans lasted almost 60 days and they helped more than 10,000 by washing over 13,000 loads of clothes.

Tide Loads of Hope mission didn’t end when they left the area. This week, they are sponsoring a free concert in New Orleans featuring Faith Hill, with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band as opening act. A very special blogger, Megan from VelveteenMind.com and StoryBleed, invited TravelingMamas.com to attend this remembrance concert and she may not even be aware of how much it means to me personally, to be included.

We all know there’s still a ways to go in rebuilding. At TravelingMamas.com, we feel it’s important to show support for companies that give back and to shine a positive spotlight on areas affected by disasters, be they natural or man made. You can show your support of Tide Loads of Hope by visiting the ad below.

Be sure to follow @tideloadsofhope @velveteenmind @faithhill and @storybleed on Twitter. Follow me, @Cajun_Mama for live updates from the concert (AT &T coverage permitting). This post is part of the StoryBleed blog carnival Hope Remains.

Disclosure: There are so many things I want to say about what went on and what I experienced, but due to my employment contract, I am unable to write about most things that occur during any disaster.

People travel for different reasons. Many people travel to get away from their problems at home (well, that’s what one of my grandmothers says, the one who never goes anywhere. Ever). Others travel to explore their minds as they explore new cultures and see places many people only dream about. For me, it’s all about the balcony moments.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love to get outside of my hotel and see the destinatiosn and experience the attractions, food, and personalities that make them all unique. However, my favorite part of travel, and probably the main reason I travel, is to sit outside in the early morning before most of the world awakens, sip some coffee, and think about life.

I’ve been on some amazing balconies, in places I could only read about in books when I was growing up. This year, I’m spending my birthday morning on a balcony at Turquoise Place on Alabama’s Gulf Coast to show support for a tourist destination affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. My mom traveled with me, and I’m waiting on some other traveling mamas to join me later in the day. It’s been a crazy year of being 36 and I’m excited that 37 has arrived. I can’t wait to raise funds this evening for sea turtle conservation.

I’ve been sitting on the balcony reading all the birthday wishes on my Facebook page and feeling very, very loved right now. Here are some photos from my favorite balcony moments from my travels. I have a feeling that as the weekend progresses, I’ll be having a few more balcony moments, this time with friends. What are some of your favorite balcony moments? I’d love to know.

The fashion of Ralph Lauren has always been an inherent part of my life. During high school, I opted to switch from private to public school, just so I could wear something besides a white starched shirt and plaid skirt each day. I didn’t grow up wealthy, but I was raised by my grandmother to always dress nice, no matter where you’re going. I loved reading the fashion magazines in her beauty shop, dreaming of an African safari wearing Ralph Lauren or attend a polo match in the UK while donning Polo by Ralph Lauren.

I spent my summers with the same grandmother and she would take me school shopping for my birthday each August. We’d spend an entire day inside of T.J. Maxx looking through clothing racks to find the outfits I had glimpsed in the magazines. I would find the items, or something similar, and they were always the brands I searched for. I would attend school each day wearing Ralph Lauren or other popular fashion houses and feel confident in my outer appearance.

As an adult, I continued to invest in a few classic Ralph Lauren items each season (although I no longer have time to search through discount racks). I even named my daughter Lauren. And I must confide, I was so excited to be on Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2005 where each audience member was gifted with a cashmere Ralph Lauren shawl collar sweater in camel. Divine! So when I went to Blogher in New York City this year, I was honored to be invited to a Ralph Lauren private party inside of Polo Ralph Lauren headquarters on Madison Avenue, hosted by MomCentral.com.

ThemeParkMom, MommyMusings, and I made our way past the security guard, up the elevator, and into the wood paneled world of Ralph Lauren.  We listened to his son, David, tell the story of how his father’s original designs were inspired by travels he had dreamed of, including those African safaris. I stood there in the back of the well-dressed crowd, shocked, because I had never known the actual story behind the designer. He built a fashion empire from a desire to travel, in my opinion. I stood there daydreaming a bit about how this man’s fashion inspired me and how I did get to experience a European Polo Club and how I’m working towards that African safari.

Just when I thought the experience couldn’t get any better, David Lauren revealed a new technology for shopping through a children’s back to school storybook adventure – The RL Gang. It’s an online interactive story where viewers can click on the character’s outfits and purchase the items they like on the RL website. The story is sweet, but for me, hearing Harry Connick Jr’s voice gave me chills, especially when I learned that 15% of the hardcover book’s proceeds for the first month of sales (up to $25,000) will be donated to the New Orleans Habitat Musician’s Village. Knowing that this company is doing something to help a charity in my state of Louisiana endears me to them even more.

Fashion is important in travel, be it bringing our own look to a new place or immersing ourselved in the local culture’s dress. Style and celebrity magazines also inspire a desire to experience a destination through the fashion and photographs. While not all of TravelingMamas.com readers can afford expensive fashion purchases, we do suggest investing in at least one or two classic items each year to add to your wardrobe. Try and find items to mix and match, which helps when traveling with just a carry on. Be sure to check out The RL Gang’s adventure and take note of little Willow’s hats. I think I want one of those in a mama size.

Special thanks to Ralph Lauren and MomCentral.com for the evening’s hospitality and the gift of scented candles and personal copy of The RL Gang.

What’s Included in Your Cruise (video)

Travel and cruise questions are some of the items that come into the TravelingMamas.com inbox. Recently, I answered this question on air with WAFB, a Baton Rouge area news station. One thing I realized during the interview is that the time was way too short to get all the juicy details mentioned. If you have travel questions you’d like answered on air, be sure to send me an email to Travel at WAFB dot com. If you’re planning your first cruise, these tips may help save you a few dollars.

Q: When travelers book a cruise, what exactly are they paying for?

Every cruise line is different, but most include the same basics – your cabin, meals (at certain restaurants and some cruise lines include room service), taxes, tea and water, some entertainment and limited child care. You can opt to book your shore excursions in advance and pay for gratuities ahead of time. This eliminates the bulk of your cruise costs so your can relax and not have to worry about major expenses.

Q: What are some common mistakes people make when cruising?

Sitting by the pool and ordering drinks can really add up. So can the professional photo ops located around the cruise ship.

Q: Some families bring their kids on a cruise. What about childcare and kid’s activities?

First, be aware that all cruise lines (except Disney) do not change diapers, so if you’re little one isn’t potty trained, you cannot use the childcare onboard. Also, be sure to check with the cruise line before booking, but most do not allow children under 6 months of age to cruise. Kids clubs vary by cruise line, but those most conducive to families are Carnival Cruise Line (Camp Carnival), Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean. On sea days, kids activities are included in your cruise rate, but during the evening hours and port days there will be extra charges for the under 12 age group. Read what my teen and tween had to say about kids cruising on the Carnival Fantasy.

Q: Do you have any advice to help travelers save money or any tips when cruising?

Again, watch the alcohol intake. Check individual cruise line rules, but you ARE allowed to bring aboard a certain amount of soft drinks, bottled water, and limited bottles of wine or Champagne per cabin. Set charging limits for your children (or even yourself if you’re worried about overdoing it). For couples wanting to AVOID kids, choose a cruise line such as Princess (the Love Boat cruise line) for a romantic cruise or cruise when school is in session. A secret term in the industry is Dead Week – the week after Thanksgiving and the week after New Year’s. These are some of the best times to cruise as there are free upgrades, onboard credit specials, and all around deals. Be sure to check out ThemeParkMom’s tips for saving money on a cruise.

Q: What are some other resources for cruise tips?

Besides TravelingMamas.com, my two favorite cruise sites are CruiseDiva.com and CruiseCritic.com. If you’re searching for a way to give back while on your cruise, be sure to check out TogetherforGood.org and Cruise4Haiti.

Be sure to send your travel questions to WAFB.

Seafood makes up a large portion of the cuisine along the Gulf Coast. If you haven’t already heard, we’re supporting Gulf Coast communities by spending recreation time at affected beaches and eating Gulf Coast seafood. Sounds like a tough job, right? Well, there’s been a bit of hype in the news media regarding “unsafe seafood” and “contaminated waters”. Yes, there is oil in the gulf. Yes, it is affecting the marine and wildlife who come in contact with it. However, there is a REALLY BIG GULF out there.

The media hype is scaring all the tourists away and keeping the diners at home. One of the biggest culinary destinations where people have slacked off eating is in New Orleans. Guess where they get their seafood from? Louisiana fisherman. So, when you don’t eat Louisiana seafood, you’re not only hurting the restaurants and fisherman, but you are directly hurting my family.

“How are we hurting YOU CajunMama?” You might be asking?

In full disclosure, I’ll answer honestly – Half of our household income is from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Seafood is one of the top industries in this state. Now, my husband does not deal with or work with the food side of things, but the budget for his office comes from this major umbrella, and when there are cuts from an already hurting economy, and then income and taxes stop coming in because people are scared to visit or eat here – it can cause people (such as my husband) to possibly lose their job.

We’ve covered many places affected by the oil spill lately, and as with all current events and disasters, I’m sure those of you who don’t see this first-hand are quite frankly tired of hearing all about it. I’m tired of hearing about it also, because it’s pretty darn depressing. I’ve been eating Louisiana Seafood this entire time and it’s still fine and it’s still delicious. Here’s a video about food safety in New Orleans put out by the New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. They’ve even launched a new site to inform people on what’s really going on – Check out ThisJustinNewOrleans.com.

I encourage you to eat Louisiana and Gulf Coast seafood anywhere, you don’t have to limit yourself to New Orleans. They aren’t going to serve you toxic food. I mean, let’s get real here. And if you are looking for a weekend getaway and want to help out another destination affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, be sure to join us for Mamas4Mamas in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama on August 20, 2010.

My family just returned from a refreshing vacation in South Florida at the Tropic Seas Resort. One thing I have to say upfront is if you are wanting to plan a family vacation to South Florida, right now is the perfect time to plan it. The beach is not over crowded one bit and there is no oil in sight.

As soon as we arrived at the Tropic Seas Resort, we were greeted with the most amazing sunset.

I knew as soon as we seen this sunset that we were going to have a wonderful time. Isn’t it just so inviting? You are treated to this sunset each night. Beautiful!

The Rooms: We stayed in the luxury one bedroom apartment. It was amazing as once you walked out your door, you were on the sand and the beach. Also, you could just look right out the living room window and right there was the lovely view of the ocean.

My husband and I really loved the idea of the bedroom being separate from the living room. We put all the suitcases in the bedroom and just enjoyed the living room as a family with not having to worry about all our “stuff” being around us. It really helped us to relax on the trip and be stress free.

The one bedroom apartment comes with a dining area along with a big flat screen TV.

The kitchen is full equipped with a microwave, coffee pot, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and full sink to where you do not have to eat out every meal.

The bedroom has two full beds and is equipped with a TV/DVD combo which we loved as the girls would want to watch their TV show at night and hubby and I could watch our own TV show in the living room.

The bathroom was a full bathroom with extra room. Mostly hotels are really cramped places but that was not the case with the Tropic Seas Resort. Plenty of room to turnaround and also complete with full bath sets daily.

Another luxury was a full closet available to hang clothes and not just leave them in your suitcase to get wrinkled. We loved this!

Amenities: The resort has a full size pool with extras for the kids that include floats, sand buckets, shovels and surf boards. My girls were loving this everyday and would wake up first thing and want to go see what they could use in the pool for the day. The pool has several beach chairs situated all around the pool for your comfort and relaxation in the sun.

Once you had your fun in the sun at the pool, there was a easy walkway from the pool to the beach. The walkway also had a shower so you could shower off all the sand once you returned from the beach.

Other amenities that you will find useful are:

• Free wireless internet
• On-site complimentary parking
• Guest Barbeque
• Daily housekeeping
  (except Sundays and major holidays)
• Guest laundry
• Fax service
• Heated pool
• Beach towels
• Cable television
• Complimentary coffee
• Ice machine
• Telephones with individual voicemail

Pros: The resort is a very clean resort and all the staff were very friendly. You are able to just park your car and stay at the resort all day or you can take short stroll down the street and choose from several nice quality restaurants, live entertainment on the square or take the family on the pier.

Cons: The resort does offer complimentary breakfast, but it only includes danishes and coffee. This is not that big of a con as you are able to cook breakfast in your room but just wanted to mention it in case you like resorts with complimentary breakfast.

Great for: Families, Honeymooners, Girls Getaway, Couples, Solo Travel

Website: Tropic Seas Resort

Full Disclosure: A big thank you to the Tropic Seas Resort for inviting my family to your resort.