H and I just returned from our babymoon in Rosemary Beach, FL. I cannot believe that we just had our last vacation before baby’s arrival! This year, baby went to Jackson Hole, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Chicago, and now 30A, where we had not been since 2019. We had perfect sunshine and warm, dry weather for our stay, and took things pretty easy as I am 32 weeks pregnant, which is so hard to believe! We treated ourselves and stayed at The Pearl, and it was such a relaxing stay, the ideal babymoon spot.
We arrived Tuesday afternoon, picked up our rental car, and drove to The Pearl where we got settled in our first floor room that opened right out onto the pool (an easy set-up for me).
Our room was spacious and comfortable. The Pearl is steps away from the beach, so we changed and walked down with our beach pass to see it.
We entered a state of total bliss.
I was exactly 32 weeks, so H snapped some photos of me to capture this 8-month pregnancy milestone on this first gorgeous evening.
He even felt inspired to go for a quick swim.
We walked back up to The Pearl – these are the restaurants and shops on the other side of the street – and got ready for dinner.
We drove to George’s, just a few minutes away in nearby Aly’s Beach. They do not take reservations (as is the case for many restaurants in the area), so we showed up around 6 p.m., and were actually able to be seated right away outside on the patio. In fact, this Tuesday and Wednesday of our trip, nothing felt too crowded or busy. We had a relaxing, casual meal with quick service, and I was glad to be back tucked in our hotel on the early side.
Before heading in, I snapped a picture of these trees in Rosemary Beach that are lit up with string lights in the evenings. We were then delightfully surprised to learn that The Pearl offers a turn-down service with eye masks, pillow mist, slippers, and two fresh cookies, which became something we looked forward to each night.
On Wednesday morning, we had breakfast on the outdoor patio at Havana Beach, located inside our hotel. After eating and changing into a swimsuit, I opened the doors in our room out to the pool and considered sitting there for a bit, but am glad I decided to take a pass for the beach, because it was a glorious day to be there.
We crossed the lawn in front of the hotel to get to the beach, where we saw…
…the most beautiful, calm water and bright, clear day.
It was like a dream – just the best beach day. We spent a lot of time in the tranquil, blue-green water, floating, swimming, and in awe of it. We read in our beach chairs, provided by the hotel, and H even picked up lunch for us from The Summer Kitchen Café and brought it down to the beach so we didn’t have to leave.
When we eventually did peel ourselves away from our lounge chairs and head back up to the room to shower, The Pearl had left us a sweet note, baby onesie, and bottle of nonalcoholic rosé in our room – such a thoughtful surprise!
We walked back down to the beach to view the sunset; I brought my tripod so that we could take a few photos together and capture this sweet time.
Afterward, we walked to nearby Gallion’s – the one place we ate that did take reservations. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the tastiest meal of our trip – Gallion’s Butter Candle (fresh bread with warm butter that is lit like a candle!) and a salad to start, then the red snapper for me and special dish of tripletail for H.
Thursday brought more clear, gentle water, and H went down to the beach a little earlier to snag us front row chairs.
The Pearl had paddle boards to rent, so H got one and enjoyed paddling – then gave me a little ride (I sat while he paddled)!
Once again, we enjoyed a full beach day of reading and swimming. H brought us down lunch again – this time, takeout from Cowgirl Kitchen – I loved their chicken salad served with house pickles. We stayed until the late afternoon.
When I was taking my post-beach shower, the power unexpectedly went out at the hotel – and in all of Rosemary Beach! We got ready in the dark, then came outside. We had been planning to put our names in early at a restaurant across the street, but everything was closed, waiting for the power to return. We sat outside on a nearby bench, and thankfully power was restored after about an hour.
We ate our final dinner of tapas at La Crema, as we did in 2019!
On Friday morning, after our final breakfast at Havana Beach, we went down for a final beach visit. I sat and read while H walked (I had been having some hip/tailbone pain and was not up for walking). Then we checked out of our hotel at 11 and said farewell to a perfect stay and babymoon.
Since we had a little time before we needed to be at the airport, we drove down Highway 30A to Seaside, one of my favorite charming places; I spent every spring break growing up staying in Seagrove and have fond memories of bopping around next-door Seaside.
I had been thinking we could eat lunch at Bud & Alley’s Roof Deck, but we didn’t have quite enough time to wait and be served, so we ate at their downstairs Pizza Bar instead, which was great. There are many quick and easy bites like this in the heart of Seaside.
We then had to stop in The Seaside Style before leaving – I have loved this store since I was young, and H loved it on our last visit, too! They have cozy beach wear with the iconic SEASIDE logo. The store had moved across the street to a new space. I got this super soft lightweight sweatshirt, and H, a long-sleeve tee.
My first fall visit to 30A, it was fun to see pumpkin decorations around! We then departed for the airport to catch our mid-afternoon flight and flew back home to Nashville.
It was such a lovely, special trip – and I am now convinced that fall, with the superb weather and low humidity, is the best time to visit 30A.
I cannot believe we are less than eight weeks away from meeting our baby boy!
P.S. Last year’s fall break in Harry Potter World and our honeymoon in Anguilla.
