Recently, TravelingMamas.com as a collective visited Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama to assess the current oil spill situation at this tourist destination. We not only found beautiful beaches begging for visitors, but we also discovered a new favorite luxury resort along the Gulf Coast – Turquoise Place.
Turquoise Place offered to host our entire group in one condominium unit. We were housed in an ultra luxury four bedroom condo. The property is owned and managed by Spectrum Resorts and runs the condo facility like a hotel. I arrived first, along with my mother. When I drove up to the towering structure, I felt like Dorothy entering the Emerald City (well, the Turquoise City). The property has covered parking and loads of amenities. Here’s my take on the property and the unit we stayed in – 2101.
Unit 2101 Living Areas: This four bedroom, 4 1/2 bath condo is an end unit located on the 21st floor. It has two balconies, with one very large wraparound balcony with hot tub, grill, lounge and dining area. It overlooks both the Gulf and the Bay. The kitchen offers plenty of space and gadgets for the gourmet cook, including a restaurant grade refridgerator, two dishwashers, and a curved granit topped bar counter with seating for six. The coffee maker uses cone filters and there is an electric coffee grinder for fresh coffee. The dining area seats six and the living area is a contemporary casual decor with the latest electronics and a sleeper sofa. A wet bar offers wine cooler and ice maker. A wash room in the unit is large and offers the newest appliances in front loading washer/dryers.
Unit 2101 Sleeping Areas: The bedrooms are in a split layout with three bedrooms sharing a bay view balcony. Each one has its own full bath and large closet space. The master bedroom includes bed, sitting area, and desk. The master bathroom is larger than the bedroom, with oversized Jacuzzi tub for two (or maybe four) and large walk-in shower. There is a dressing area, double sinks, and the toilet area is Euro-friendly with bidet. The master closet is big enough to pitch a few tents in.
Common Areas: This property has workout facilities, three pools (one salt water, one regular, one indoor), a lazy river, steam room, sauna, onsite spa, tiki bar, and of course the beach. There is an outdoor play area for the little ones near the lazy river and a slide at the indoor pool. There are also meeting spaces and there was even a wedding going on during our stay.
Other Amenities: There was wifi in our condo. Parking is covered and there is 24 hour security at the entrance. The concierge service will have groceries waiting for you in your condo if you give them one week’s notice prior to your visit. There is a beach chair rental service.
Location: Turquoise Place is located on the eastern side of Orange Beach and Perdido Pass can be seen from the resort. It is close enough to Gulf Shores and area attractions and restaurants, yet far enough away for peace and quiet while listening to the waves crash on the shore.
Pros: This condo style facility has the conveniences and space of home while being set in a beautiful location. Do a bit of grocery shopping beforehand and you never have to leave unless you really want to.
Cons: There is no property shuttle and taxi service can be very slow and expensive. While we did have wifi in our unit, only my netbook would connect (the other mamas had connection issues). No onsite restaurant, but I hear that’s in the works, as well as shuttle service.
Great For: Family vacations, girlfriend getaways, couples trips, multi-family travel, grandcations.
My Mama Moment: I had two moments. One was sitting on the balcony sipping my favorite coffee and listening to the waves crash. The other was floating in the indoor pool, listening to the music that can only be heard underwater.
Special thanks to Spectrum Resorts for hosting our lodging and the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting us to experience their destination. I’ve personally stayed in many lodging properties along the Gulf Coast and can confidently state that this is one of the most luxurious condo facilities in the Orange Beach area.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow great article. Thanks for your post CajunMama. Now I’m dreaming visit to this Resort.
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This resort looks amazing! I love renting a condo unit instead of hotel. This will be on my list to check out when we make it to the Gulf Coast.
Hi all! It was so god to spend time with all the mamas during the recent press trip to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.I can only echo all the comments about how wonderful a place it is. And I love your new introductory video. Way to go, mamas!
Wow! This was one of the posts that planted a super vacation idea into my head. The resort looks great and I love your suggestions. We travel with my parents a lot so I could see this being an ideal “multi-generational” vacation spot.
Thank you traveling mamas. I hope the attention helps to get more people coming this way to enjoy the beauty and support this region.
wow grate post.This resort seems me very interesting.
I love renting a condo unit instead of hotel.
So glad to read this! I just booked this same unit this morning, and we’re so looking forward to our stay! As far as the lazy river is concerned, do they provide rafts to use, or should we pack our own?
I was just looking at a 3 bedroom condo unit there-to buy. I would like it for my family, but also looks like an in-demand rental. By the way the three bedroom is very large and you could easily sleep six there and still have lots of room. It was very much like home (a really nice home). I’m curious, is this where you would you stay again? Oh, I didn’t see a restaurant yet, but there was a nice tiki bar near the pool.