A Quick Saint George Island Getaway

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We have been wanting to visit Saint George Island, Florida for quite some time and we recently had a couple of days free and were able to sneak in a quick Saint George Island Getaway.   When we were planning this trip, we were basically winging it, not knowing much about this area, but ended up very happy with our accommodations on Saint George Island and impressed by the family-friendly things to do on Saint George Island.  I am excited to share more about this trip with you today!

Our Saint George Island Getaway

We traveled in August 2020 and specifically picked Saint George Island due to the quiet nature of this 22-mile barrier island.  It proved to be a nice place to remain socially distant but still enjoy some family time together in the sun.  I really enjoyed the Old Florida vibe and how relaxed of a pace everything was.

Accommodations

You won’t find highrises or big resorts on Saint George Island and while there are a handful of Saint George Island hotels, most people opt to stay at one of the many Saint George Island vacation rentals that dot the beautiful coastline.  Through sites like Airbnb and vrbo as well as a number of vacation home rental companies such as Collins Vacation Rentals, you can find beautiful homes to stay in and there are even some Saint George Island vacation rentals with private pools!

When booking a vacation home on Saint George Island, you need to pay attention to the location.  If walkability is important to you, you will want to stay close to the center of the island, however, some of the further out options do offer a lot more peace and quiet which is something a lot of people seek out on a Florida beach vacation.   Bikes and golf carts are a popular mode of transportation for that very reason.

Here is the thing though, often times the large homes are most ideal for a weeklong trip or a multi-family vacation.   Traveling as a family of 4, and only being able to stay two nights, we needed to look for something smaller and that is how we found The Island Suites.  This beachfront property is home to 8 beachfront (hotel room-like) suites and is located at the center of Saint George Island, in the heart of it all!  In fact, we didn’t get into our car once during our stay as everything was a quick walk away including the lighthouse, several restaurants with live music, and the historic lighthouse.

One of the most popular restaurants on Saint George Island is right next door to The Island Suites!   Blue Parrot, and its famous tiki bar, was the perfect place to grab some drinks and lunch while enjoying a day at the beach.  I will share more about this place and the other restaurants we visited later on in this post.

At the time of writing this post, they have some rooms still available for this summer with a rate of only $185.  And unlike most rentals, they operate more as a hotel and do not charge a cleaning fee.  So, for example, you can stay in Room 1 from July 25th-July 27th for just $455 which is a steal for a beachfront accommodation (with a balcony) in Florida.   Other rooms have some June and July availability left as well as a lot of openings starting in August.

Click here to view all of the rooms at The Island Suites on Saint George Island.

I do want to mention a couple of other hotels in the area that we would love to visit in the future and worth a look when planning your Saint George Island vacation.   The Buccaneer Inn is located just a block west of where we stayed and is another affordable place to stay on Saint George Island.   If you are looking for something with a little more character check out the St George Inn.  While it is not located directly on the water, this quaint southern-style hotel is pet friendly ($35 fee).

There is one other (right up our alley) way to stay on Saint George Island and it involves camping!  Dr. Julian G Bruce State Park is a fun and popular place to camp on Saint George Island, Florida.  On the plus side, it’s by far the cheapest place to stay on Saint George Island, but do keep in mind that it is on the far eastern edge of the island and will not be walkable to all of the places I am about to mention.

Things to Do on a Saint George Island Getaway

We did not run out of fun family-friendly things to do on Saint George Island!  While you won’t find amusement parks and tourist traps you will find fun in the sun, good times on the water and even some opportunities for learning!

Cape St. George Island Lighthouse

On the day of arrival, while waiting for our room to be ready, we visited the Saint George Island Lighthouse.   We spent a good hour reading about the history of the Cape St. George Island Lighthouse in the museum, shopped the gift shop, and then climbed the  92 stairs to the top for an amazing view of the island.  I was really interested to learn the history of the lighthouse and of the recent efforts to move and rebuild it.  The museum has some great artifacts and is really well done!  I would highly recommend this outing if you are able to visit Saint George Island.

Click here to read more about the lighthouse on Saint George Island! 

Kayaking

There are plenty of opportunities to get out on the water and kayak in the bay.  The water is often shallow enough for the family to get in and hunt for scallops and other wildlife.  Located right across the bay is Apalachicola, Florida and we all know what they are famous for.  I recently wrote about our stay at a historic vacation rental in Apalachicola if you want to read more!

Jet Ski and Dolphin Watch

Or jet ski and dolphin watch at the same time!  We had the coolest experience while visiting Saint George Island.   Matt had been wanting to do jet ski the past couple of times we visited the Destin area but water conditions didn’t allow so we were thrilled to see a jet ski vendor right there on the beach next to The Island Suites.   Matt booked an hour slot and split the time up between both kids.  I sat on the beach and watched and while watching I noticed dolphins following them!  I tried to get their attention but they couldn’t hear me from that far away.  But, it was super cool to see.  Finally, they crossed paths with one and it made for one memorable day!

Fishing

Fishing rules in this area and while I don’t know too much about onshore and offshore fishing, I do know that a lot of people come to this part of Florida just for that.  The local visitor’s center has some great information on fishing around Saint George Island and you can click here to read up on it.

The Best Places to Eat on Your Saint George Island Getaway

Ok, now on to my favorite part – the food!  There are a handful of restaurants on Saint George Island and they are all my favorite.  Seriously though, while I love a fine dining experience, my happy place is a hole-in-the-wall open-air restaurant, eating fresh seafood while listening to live music and we did that all weekend!   And while there are several other places to eat on the island, including the famous Weber’s Little Donut Shop (across the street from where we stayed), I am going to talk specifically about the four places we had our meals at.  For a full list of restaurants on Saint George Island visit this Google Map page.

Blue Parrot

This was the restaurant right next to the hotel and I believe the only beachfront restaurant around.  It has a large tiki bar and an option for indoor and outdoor dining.   We ordered drinks here several times and we sat down for lunch one day as well.  We had the best table, along the railing and just above the sand.  I ordered the fish tacos and they were great! Blue Parrot is easily the “best beach bar on Saint George Island” both because it deserves it and because it really is the only true beach bar around.

Harry A’s

We had dinner one evening at Harry A’s and then stayed around for a couple of drinks too.  It would have been hard to drag me out of there as the band was taking the stage.  This restaurant had a cute little outdoor courtyard with a stage that actually acts as an event venue for small to mid-size bands and well as some larger acts that you may know and love.  Pay attention to their music schedule in advance because oftentimes concerts start closer to 9 pm and trust me, if you love live music, it’s real hard to settle up your tab and head out just as the band is starting!  The best way to stay up to date is on their Facebook page.

Doc Myers now Mango Mikes

This was my personal favorite place!  We came here twice and it’s one of those places I could go to every afternoon and never tire of the atmosphere.  However, it was called Doc Myers when we visited and has since changed hands.  What I loved about it was the live acoustic music in the afternoons and the low country boil.  I actually made my first Instagram Reel here and you have to see what I am talking about.  Click here to watch it.  And now, go check it out if you visit and let me know what you think!

Paddy’s Raw Bar

Paddy’s Raw Bar is not as close as the other options, which were all a 2-3 minute walk from The Island Suites, and is where we went for lunch on our way out of town after checkout.  The staff was friendly and being 11 am on a weekday we were some of the only people there.  I can bet that this place is really fun at dinner.   TripAdvisor rates it as the 2nd best dining option on Saint George Island, only losing out to the donut shop I mentioned above.   I got the oysters and they did not disappoint!  They also have live music and the best way to stay up to date is by following their Facebook page.

Plan Your Saint George Island Getaway

Does this sound like a place that you would like to visit?  Now that you know a little bit more about what to expect on your Saint George Island vacation, it should be easy to plan a trip of your own.  I do want to point out that it’s a small island with a large number of devotees who visit summer after summer, so if you want to visit between now and the end of July, I would secure your Saint George Island Accommodations today!  Feel free to leave me a note if you have any questions or if you have a favorite activity or restaurant that my family should check out on our next visit!


Booking.com

And if you want to explore more of The Forgotten Coast you can request a free visitors guide at floridasforgottencoast.com.

Happy adventuring! And you can watch my latest Instagram reel that showcases this trip here.  And can we talk about how cool that surfing dog is?

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