Yes, the beach is the cherry on top when it comes to holiday getaways—especially summertime getaways. And I can name several reasons why Gulf Shores & Orange Beach is an excellent choice for a July beach vacation.

July events, for one—plenty of kid- and family-friendly events are planned for July, like FunTime at the Beach Pavilion, the Blue Marlin Grand Championship, and the 80^th Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. And specifically on July 4^th, several Independence Day festivities are planned, like the Salute to American Independence at Fort Morgan and fireworks at The Wharf and the Gulf State Park Fishing Pier.

Another big draw: Brett/Robinson’s free night specials. It doesn’t get much better than a free night at a Gulf-front condo: simply pick your Orange Beach rental, book it for four nights or longer, and get one night free (or even three nights free if you stay for ten nights!).

Fireworks on the Gulf, a free night in a beach condo, fun family activities…can you really think of a better way to spend the Fourth of July?

Apparently this carries over into all aspects of her life—including vacation. When she heard that I’m a Gulf Shores & Orange Beach “expert” (her words, not mine) she insisted that I help her put together an elaborate activities plan for her vacation.

To save time (for both of us!), I directed her to the vacation itineraries on OrangeBeachToday.com.

Looking to get away from the beach for a day and explore what else the area has to offer? The various “Daycation” itineraries present some good options (the “Patriotic Daycation” could be a good one for the Fourth of July). Bringing the grandparents along? Try the “Grandparents Relief Tour”—it covers five days of grandparent-friendly activities. There’s even a “Free & Fabulous” itinerary that will keep you busy and save some money.

So there’s the plan (or several plans). Now she just has to let loose and enjoy it.

I can name so many reasons why it rocks to be in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach during summer. The number 1 reason: staying cool. You’ve got the Gulf of Mexico—and there may not be a more fun way to stay cool than surfing the waves.

Except for a water park! And I’m sure my friends and I will be making at least a couple trips to Waterville USA this summer. Can’t beat waterslides and a wave pool!

But as much fun as all of that is, we don’t want to spend the whole summer wet. So it’s a good thing we have lots of other Gulf Shores attractions to choose from: the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, the Ferris wheel at The Wharf, the beaches at Gulf State Park, and mini-golf and arcade games at places like Pirates Island and The Track in Gulf Shores. Another personal favorite of mine is the Gulf Coast Exploreum—a great place to be on hot or rainy days.

Bring on summer!

First of all, you can’t beat July at the beach: the warm weather is great for swimming in the Gulf, in your condo pool and/or lazy river, and taking a side-trip to Waterville USA for some waterslide fun. Second, there are several Gulf events on the July calendar that are worth checking out, like the Blue Marlin Grand Championship, the 80^th Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, and various kid-friendly activities (Fun Time at the Beach Pavilion, plus several camps).

There are also a couple Orange Beach concerts scheduled at The Wharf, like the Dave Matthews Band on July 23^rd.

And best of all, you can plan this July vacation at a discount—as long as you take advantage of Brett/Robinson’s Sweet Summer Savings. With this condo deal, you can book a five-night stay (or longer) and receive a 20% discount. It’s good for arrivals between July 7^th and 30^th.

But if you want this discount, act now—the Brett/Robinson special ends on June 10^th. The awesomeness of a Gulf Shores & Orange Beach July vacation, however, will remain.

They had rented a room at Brett/Robinson’s Phoenix All Suites Hotel. I have to say, once you’ve stayed in this hotel, with its one-bedroom suites and full kitchens, it’s very hard to accept a vacation in a “regular” hotel room. There was plenty of room for our little group—my sister and her husband got the bedroom, their two young children shared the bunk beds, and I slept on the sofa sleeper. Factor in our living area and the Gulf-front balcony…it was quite a comfortable experience.

And we had a blast. We swam at the pool, walked the beach, body-surfed in the Gulf, and even went out and enjoyed some of our favorite Gulf Shores attractions. (There was a little bit of arguing between the two kids over whether the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo or Waterville USA would be better to visit; we compromised and went to both.)

This just might have to become a yearly tradition. Maybe this year I’ll initiate the getaway.

We’ve all agreed that we want in on the golf tournament—two rounds of golf on a Gulf Shores golf course (plus an additional round at Kiva Dunes if we qualify), plus we’d get free tickets to the SEC BeachFest Fan Zone. This would make for a nice weekend getaway all on its own!

But we’re not staying for just the weekend; this is a week-long vacation. There will be more golf, as we’re putting together a Brett/Robinson golf package.

And this is where the question of how much golf can we play comes in. Should we play every day? Or maybe every other day would be better, leaving us more time for enjoying other activities and attractions in the area. (This is why I love putting together a customized golf vacation package—I can make it fit my specific needs and wants.)

However we end up planning it, we’re sure to have a good time—golf plus the beach (plus the SEC BeachFest!) doesn’t leave room for anything but.

But guess what? If you just have to be part of a big three-day beach party, if you’re craving the sound of various musicians performing during this party, and if you’ve got the time in June, then you get a second chance.

It’s not the return of the Hangout Music Fest—it’s the 1^st Annual FloraBama Shindig on the Sand Beach Concert on June 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th. And quite a shindig it’s going to be: 70 Gulf Coast acts, more than 250 musicians, and five stages. The best part is it’s very affordable—only $10 per day and $25 for a weekend pass. This is one Gulf Shores & Orange Beach event worth making the trip down for.

Speaking of making things affordable…if you really want to make the trip affordable, check out some of Brett/Robinson’s hot deals—select your arrival and departure dates, then select your condo deal. Free night specials can help too.

Now you have plenty of reasons for planning a June beach vacation.

Let me paint a little picture: a multi-bedroom Gulf-front condo with lots of room for a group (friends, family members, etc.), easy access to the white-sand beach and pool (and maybe even a lazy river and other amenities), and close proximity to golf courses and restaurants and lots of Gulf Coast attractions.

Now let me suggest staying four nights and only paying for three. This is part of Brett/Robinson’s June and July special—book a four-night June (or July) vacation, get a free night. You can also stay three nights and only pay for two.

If we’re talking discounts, I’ll be staying for longer than five nights—don’t think I’ll have any problem finding some friends to share the condo with me.

I stayed in a three-bedroom Phoenix V condo with my sister and her family. We had a great view of the Gulf and of the powerboat races. We spent some time watching from our Gulf-front balcony, a lot of time watching from the beach, and the rest of the time enjoying our condo amenities (my brother-in-law and I enjoyed the racquetball courts, my sister and her daughter enjoyed the tennis courts, and we all enjoyed the pools). We also made our way over to the Race Village at The Wharf for a little extra fun.

It was a great weekend; if I could do it again this year, I would. If you’ve never experienced Thunder on the Gulf, I have to recommend that you spring for a last-minute trip. (And if you have been, I still recommend this—but you probably already know how worthwhile it is.) This is pretty doable with Brett/Robinson’s Thunder on the Gulf special: book a three-night stay and save 20%.

Got time for a weekend getaway to the Gulf?