Boyne City and Petoskey, Michigan: Water Street Inn, Hiking, Passport Visits

October - November 2020, 2-nights, weekend

We originally had a reservation at Water Street Inn for April of this year that cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, we had planned to bring our bicycles, and were going to bike the trail from Charlevoix to Petoskey. After that trip cancelled, we rescheduled for the end of October. Part of the trail we had planned to bike had washed out from high water levels this year, and it was cooler in October, so we decided we would hike instead. We were glad we changed our plans, because it was snowing and cold when we left Sunday morning!

Deadman's Hill Overlook

Hiking/nature

We stopped at Deadman's Hill overlook on the way to Boyne City. I cannot even imagine how amazing this view is near the middle of October. It was still beautiful at the end of October, even though it was an overcast day and the leaves had already started to turn brown. The second overlook parking area is about two miles off US-131 at the end of Deadman's Hill Road. The first half of this road is paved.

Deadman's Hill Overlook
Jordan River in the distance on the left

We did not hike much at this location, as it was late in the day, and we wanted to get settled into our condo before dark. Jordan River, which we had kayaked near Mancelona and East Jordan this past summer, is barley visible in the photo above.

The Hill Nature Preserve
Lake Charlevoix in the distance

In the Boyne City area, we hiked The Hill Nature Preserve just outside of town off Charlevoix Road. This was an easy and beautiful hike, although the view was not as good as I had expected.

Avalanche Preserve viewing platform

Orange Beach, Alabama / Grand Pointe Condominium #605 through Liquid Life

November 2018, 7-nights, Unit 605

View of gulf and pass from unit 605

This unit has the same 3-bedroom floor plan as unit 601 where we stayed in 2017, and it is located on the same floor with a view of Perdido Pass. I had contacted the manager for the unit we stayed in the prior year, and did not hear back from him before we decided to try a different unit. The cost for unit 601 in 2018 was higher than it had been in 2017, and the cost for this unit was similar.

One of the amazing sunsets from the beach at Grand Pointe

Reservation process with Liquid Life

I liked that we were able to do everything online for this rental, including the deposit payment and making the final payment. Additionally, we did not need to send in a security deposit. The contract we signed said that if there was any damage, our credit card would be charged, and evidence/photos provided. The only uncertainty with this process, is that we did not know when they had completed checking the unit after our stay. We did not damage anything; however, there were a few minor damages and some wear when we arrived (wall gouges/damage, carpet stains, cracked fridge shelves, etc.). Since we have not had much experience with property rentals, I am still unsure what to expect. When we rented unit 601 through Alabama Getaway in 2017, we had to mail in a security deposit check, which was returned after our stay. We also had to mail in the payment, and we preferred paying online by credit card.

Orange Beach, Alabama / Grand Pointe Condos through Alabama Getaway

November - December 2017, 1 week

One of the amazing sunsets from the beach at Grand Pointe

Choosing a property

After viewing many properties, we had our desired property narrowed down to a few: Grand Pointe, Caribe Resort, Phoenix VII, and Turquoise Place. We liked Caribe and Turquoise for the resort atmosphere and luxuries; however, the cost was much too high for only two people. We actually had a difficult time finding a condo with a good rate for only two people, as most of the units in this area have more than one bedroom. The prices are great, if you are looking for something with more room. Some of our criteria: A balcony with a view of the water, and access to the balcony from the bedroom and living area. We also wanted a heated whirlpool tub onsite, preferably outside and open all year.

We did not like the layout of the one bedroom condos we found because the bedroom was located by the entrance instead of the water and balcony. We then started to look at two and three bedroom condos. Something else we had to take into consideration, is that the add-on fees, taxes, and such, were higher than what we had paid when we stayed in Panama City Beach, Florida a couple of years earlier. After much time searching, we were very happy with the end result.

One of the murals on the inside wall at Grand Pointe

Grand Pointe Condominium amenities

We absolutely loved this property! It is peaceful, well maintained, and we liked the location.

Panama City Beach, Florida / Long Beach Resort and area info

November - December 2015, 1-week, Unit 1-902, VRBO #394399

More photos and detail about this resort, the condo unit, and the area can be found in the Panama City Beach Facebook album.

sunrise from the bedroom

Pre-trip research

I started investigating condos and resorts in Panama City Beach February 2015 for our fall trip. This was quite a bit in advance of our trip; however, since we had never done this kind of vacation before, there were a lot of things to consider. Which property? Room type? Which manager or owner to go with? 

By March we had made our decision of where we wanted to stay. We chose Long Beach Resort for several reasons: we liked the floor plan with the large private balcony, we liked the pools and hot tubs, and all the units we considered said non-smoking, and no pets allowed (more detail about this later). We studied several condo photos and reviews, and eventually decided we wanted to rent with Bill Pedersen. He had two units we were interested in: #457462 and #394399. We initially chose 457462; however, repeat guests had priority for that unit, and Bill told us he would let us rent 394399 for the same price (at the time of our research, the weekly rate for 457462 was $100 less than the current price). We accepted the offer, and he marked the unit as rented for the week of our stay.

screen shot of the unit we chose during our research

After this, the reservation process did not continue as I expected.  Bill said he had the unit reserved for us, and he would get the paperwork out to us when summer activity slowed down. It was about the end of April at that time. I had not heard from him by the end of August, so I contacted him again then, and then again in September. Apparently, we had slipped through the cracks (just the paperwork; the condo was still reserved for us), and we completed the paperwork in September. 

This was our first experience with VRBO and with renting a condo. My main disappointment with the reservation process was that we had to send a check for the payment and deposit. We were receiving a discounted rate because the rates had increased since our initial contact, and Bill said that VRBO charges a 2.5% credit card fee. Our credit cards have included vacation/travel coverage, so we do not need to buy travel insurance for our trips. This time, we took a chance with no coverage.

photo taken 11/2015

Long Beach Resort Unit 1-902

This is a one bedroom unit in tower one (the SW end of the property) on the 9th floor. We loved the floor plan. We also liked being on the 9th floor, as we thought this was a good height for beach and water viewing - we saw dolphins swim by a couple of days! Overall, we were happy with this resort and the specific condo, although we experienced a few minor imperfections. Keep in mind, that I am probably pickier than most people!

Lake Martin, Alabama

March 2013, Weekend, 1-day/night

We got a last minute invitation to visit friends in StillWaters on Martin Lake in Dadeville, Alabama. We had known that this visit might work out, which is part of the reason that we did not push for the upgrade that we did not receive at the Holiday Inn Express in Orange Beach. 

Lake Martin was a great location to visit before ending our Alabama visit the next day in Montgomery. The drive up State Highway 49 to StillWaters, after we got off Interstate 85, was scenic, and there was not much traffic. StillWaters is a peaceful gated community with condos, homes, Harbor Pointe Marina, and a golf course. 

view from boat dock

The condo we stayed in was perfect! Comfortable, clean, great location, and great company. We had a beautiful view of the lake and sunset from the balcony.

That evening, we all had steak dinners at a local restaurant called Poplar Dawg's. The steak and prices were both very good, and we had a first time experience that night. The state of Alabama allows "brown bagging" or BYOB from home. We were allowed to bring in our own bottle of wine to have with dinner for no charge! This was a pleasant surprise for us, since this is not allowed anywhere that I know of in Michigan. From what I read online after this visit, it sounds like restaurants can charge a corking fee at their discretion. 

The next day, we went for a boat ride on Lake Martin. Lake Martin is one of the largest man made lakes in the United States. It was a cool day; however, it was sunny, the company was great, and we love boat rides! We enjoyed a smooth ride with beautiful scenery. The first four pictures below were taken while we were on Lake Martin. 

When we left StillWaters, we took AL-50/Martin Dam Road instead of State Highway 49, so that we could drive by the dam and stop for an overlook view of the lake. We observed many flowering trees along State Highway 50, which we had not seen the day before on State Highway 49.

The next set of photos are from Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail off Martin Dam Road.

Lake Martin where we had been
for the boat ride

Overall

We thought Alabama was a great place to visit. In addition to the Alabama hotel reviews that I have provided on this blog, we also stopped at the USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park. It was $2 to park the car and see the outside displays. If we had had more time, we would have toured the inside of the battleship too.