Port St Joe
The perfect relaxing, quiet, safe beach for our family vacation.
Skot and I don’t have a ton of things in common… I like to shop and do yoga, he likes to ride his bike and ride his bike some more. But one thing we both enjoy is traveling. Unfortunately this little thing called COVID-19 has made that harder this year. We had an amazing ski trip planned in Colorado where we were going to visit our friends who still live there. But two weeks before our trip, when cases were back on the rise, we made the call to cancel.
Disclaimer: This trip and blog post was so generously sponsored by Vrbo! Thank you so much to the wonderful team!
Since I already had taken off work for the week and the boys were excited about a vacation, I started looking at safer alternative trips. The first thing that came to mind was of course staying in a single family home somewhere close enough that we could drive. I literally looked online at a map of the Gulf of Mexico and zoomed in on small towns to research.
That’s how I stumbled across a small town in Florida called Port St Joe and the nearby peninsula Cape San Blas. I then took my search over to my favorite home rental site Vrbo and was blown away by the stunning BEACHFRONT homes that were priced perfectly in our budget! I’m telling ya’, there are benefits to small town vacationing!
I have always dreamed of staying in a house right on the beach where we could walk out to our own oasis. Vrbo made all my dreams come true and it was even more spectacular than I had imagined. The Pearl vacation rental has massive floor to ceiling windows in both its main bedroom and living space. Every day we woke up to the cotton-candy-morning skies over the gulf and cooked dinner to the flaming, breath taking sunsets.
The night we arrived, it was already dark so Skot got the boys settled while I went out venturing for a few groceries and to-go dinner. You won’t find a big box store nearby but you will find a very quaint local grocery where you can easily pick up a few things. I shopped before the trip and packed a lot of the grocery items, especially the ones for our picky little guys. But we frequented the peninsula’s local spot for several refrigerated items and fresh produce. There is a Piggly Wiggly in Port Saint Joe that’s about 20 minutes away too though.
The next morning when we woke up, my mouth dropped when I saw the view. It was stunning. Pictures don’t do it justice. It was chilly the first day but that didn’t stop the boys from running right out onto the sand playing until their feet were numb. Skot and I cooked breakfast and had coffee while we watched them make “sand angels” from the deck.
Once they came in, they were sandy and cold so I ran them a warm bubble bath in the giant tub in the main suite. Cedar requested hot chocolate in the tub and what Cedar wants… he usually gets 😂
We just enjoyed the house and beach that first day only leaving once to get some fresh tuna and shrimp dip from the local seafood shop that was super close to The Pearl. You could easily walk or ride a bike but with the boys we just drove this time. Skot grilled the tuna and we had some fresh sautéed veggies for dinner. One of the things I love about staying in Vrbo’s rental homes is that the kitchens are always fully stocked with everything you need to cook a great meal! This is huge for families with little kids when you don’t want to eat out a lot because we all know that’s not always so fun.
Thankfully, the next day was much warmer so we all spent a lot of time on the beach. I went for a dang 5 kilometer jog and it felt great! There’s just something about the smell of salt water that turns me into the best version of myself! We did Cedar’s virtually learning while Smith napped too! Killin’ it!
That night we got all dressed up (even Skot) and took some photos on the beach and went into Port St Joe for a nice dinner at what Cedar calls a “Paris Restaurant.” I picked out Provisions how I pick most of my vacation dinning, Yelp reviews. Provisions had great reviews and it did not disappoint! They were actually kid friendly too. We sat outside on their patio where the boys could be loud and silly. They had a great kids menu and color sheets as well!
Check out the how much the boys loved the Alfredo spaghetti!!
We all slept so great that night after out belly’s were stuffed full! The next day was our last full day so we wanted to venture out for a bike ride. The peninsula of Cape San Blas is perfect for biking. There’s a great bike lane that leads right into the TH Stone Memorial State Park. The park was so serene. It was like stepping back in time to a deserted beach, we only saw one other family the whole time we were in the park.
On the bike ride back we stopped at the little ice cream shop, the seafood market, and grocery which are all conveniently located steps away from each other. The boys got ice cream and I got ingredients to make strawberry margaritas and guacamole. Island life is the good life y’all!
Back at the house, Smith napped, mama relaxed with a book and Skot and Cedar took the paddle board out! Then we all played on the beach until sunset.
That evening, Skot made a fire in our Solo Stove and cooked us fresh shrimp tacos. Man, I’m realizing what a “catch” he is typing this out. Haha, seriously though he’s great! I do all the planning, shopping, and booking work before our trips, then he’s very hands on once we’re there. We make a great team!
Our last night in our Vrbo house couldn’t have been more perfect. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the BEST nights of my entire life. The sunset, the fire, the food, the margarita, the little boys who kept cuddling in my lap, and finishing my 1,000 piece puzzle that I started the first day… MAN it was perfect! I wish I could relive that night a hundred times.
The next morning was check out day. We cooked pancakes, cleaned up, and packed the car. Leaving day is always bittersweet. We had the best time and I was sad it was over but I was also so full of gratitude and rest! I’m so glad we discovered this quiet beach town and that we found the most perfect beach house to make memories in! I hope you will check out The Pearl when you’re planning your next vacation. As always, I’m here for any questions and thank you for reading friend!
