Check Out What is Happening on 30-A!

Go to this link: http://www.30a.com to find out what is happening along the most beautiful stretch of highway in the Panhandle!! Find things to do, places to listen to great music, fabulous food and great shopping...all in one place. 30A.com is where I go when I miss the beach or I am planning a visit to our beach house. See for yourself. Life REALLY shines on Florida's Scenic Highway 30A.

PS, don't forget to check out the link for 30A Radio streaming live from Seaside, FL!

The Dog Days of Summer Call for a Great Pool!

The heat of the summer is upon us, and all I feel like doing in the afternoon heat is lying on a raft in the pool or camping out in a poolside chair to read. The community of Seacrest Beach has one of the nicest pools on 30-A. It is a huge 12,000 square feet and divided into shallow areas, lap pools and a central area that gradually slopes to the deeper water. The pool is surrounded by lush, tropical landscaping, plenty of places to sit and places to picnic, a large sloping lawn for playing or listening to evening concerts, and there are several restrooms and changing areas. One of my favorite times for a swim is at night time, when the pool area is quiet, the landscape and pools are beautifully lit and the water feels so warm and relaxing. In the summer the pool area is open until 11:00 PM. Dive in and cool off after a long, hot day at the beach!

Welcome to the Communities of 30-A

If you have never been to this part of Florida, prepare yourself for something special and probably unexpected. The communities along Scenic Highway 30-A are jewels scattered along miles of dazzling, white sand beaches. Many, most famously Seaside, are devoted to the New Urbanism school of planned communities that combine single and multi-family residential spaces, retail spaces, and multi-use green spaces, all within walking distance.

My favorite way to explore the communities of 30-A is by biking the paved hiking/biking path the runs the entire length of the highway. Grayton Beach, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Watersound, and Seaside are all easy bike rides from our house in Seacrest Beach. Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach are leisurely 5 minute walks to the East or West of our house.

I have provided a link to a youtube video produced by local realtors at Davis Properties to introduce potential residents and visitors to the communities of 30-A. I think it is very well done and is a nice introduction to the area architecture and stunning landscapes. Views such as these in the video made us want to buy a vacation house here. Come and see it for yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWJJjHa-eog

Our Favorite Restaurants

The photo above is of my favorite restaurant, Onano Neighborhood Cafe in Rosemary Beach. This place is lovely jewel of a restaurant that is a short walk from our vacation home. I have never had a meal there that wasn't less than wonderful. Lobster ravioli and cioppinio are two of my seafood favorites. Another fantastic dish is the home made potato gnocchi with ragu of pork shoulder that is braised in tomatoes, wine and herbs. Onano Cafe serves lunch and dinner and has a children's menu.

My brother-in-law's favorite restaurant is Cafe Rendez-Vous in Seaside. This cafe is a relaxing spot to enjoy a glass of wine and a spicy tuna roll or rainbow roll while people-watching on the Central Square. A memorable birthday meal there included grilled lamb chops and a fabulous dessert crepe that was made with nutella and fresh berries. The crepe was so good my BIL went back 2 days later for another.

My sister loves Cafe Thirty-A. This trendy spot has earned the Wine Spectators Award of Excellence. In addition to the great wine list this restaurant makes a memorable fresh pineapple martini. Some favorites off the menu are the fried oyster and spinach salad and the wood-roasted grouper with king crab and vegetable risotto. Cafe Thirty-A has many specials, include 2 for 1 entrees between 5 and 6 PM and martini and wine specials.

My husband favors a restaurant called Gravel Road in Santa Rosa Beach. We biked to this restaurant one afternoon and had a really nice lunch, and then had a fabulous Valentine's Day dinner there on another trip. The fried green tomato salad with quail's eggs is very good, and so is the mixed grill with soy marinated hangar steak, italian sausage, red snapper, bliss potato mash, pear salad, swiss chard and ponza demi glace. The dish sounds pretty complicated, but the flavors work really well together. Save room for the dessert at Gravel Road. If you bike there you can work off those calories on the way home.

Onano Neighborhood Cafe

78 Main and West Water Street

Rosemary Beach

850-231-2436

http://www.onanocafe.com/

Cafe Rendez-Vous

25 Central Square

Seaside

850-534-0254

http://www.caferendezvous.net/

Cafe Thirty-A

Highway 30-A

Seagrove Beach

850-231-2166

http://www.thirtya.com/

Gravel Road

50 Uptown Grayton Circle

Santa Rosa Beach

850-534-0960

www.geocities.com/gravelroadgrayton/

Big Savings for Last Minute Travelers

If your schedule allows you to make travel plans a week in advance of your arrival date, you can receive a significant discount over our regular weekly rental rates. For example, if you check the rental calendar for Emerald Views on April 26 and the next week of May 3 is not yet rented, you can book the week of May 3 for 50% off regular rental rates, plus tax. Stays of less than a week are negotiable. Please email me at my gmail address or send an inquiry via our VRBO or Homeaway sites if you have questions.

smiller@gmail.com

www.vrbo.com/37284 or www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p164812

Serenity by the Sea

Who isn't in need of a calming oasis during these troubled times? Who doesn't need a few moments of relaxation, a little pampering and maybe a great manicure and pedicure to top it off? For those in search of all the above to go along with their beach vacation, you are in luck! The Seacrest Beach area has several quality spas with a variety of relaxing and rejuvenating services. Within about a 5 minute walk is the Solace Day Spa at Rosemary Beach. This beautiful spa has a variety of hair, skin and body services, including hot stone therapy, aromatherapy massages facials and body scrubs. A second location is at Pier Park, a popular shopping and entertainment venue in Panama City Beach. A few miles West of Rosemary Beach there is Spa Blu' in Grayton Beach, offering several spa packages and the Therapeutic Stress Reliever: 55 min. massage, 30 min. reflexology and 15 min. head and neck massage...I feel less stressed just thinking about it! The InnSpa at Watercolor has probably the most relaxing pedicure around. You relax in a NASA-inspired zero gravity lounger that makes you feel like you are floating in air, while your feet soak in a copper foot bath. The Seaside Day Spa has won many awards for its spa services. The spa offers many unique skin treatments, including the patented Perfector Non-invasive Face Lift and an aromatherapy slimming cellulite wrap. Seacrest Beach would be a perfect place for a relaxing retreat or a weekend with your girlfriends. See below for contact information and treat yourself to a spa service when you are at the beach.

Solace Day Spa http://www.solacesalonspa.com/, 850-231-6801

8 Georgetown Ave in Rosemary Beach and 101 Bluefish Dr., Suite 115 in Pier Park

Spa Blu' http://www.spablu.com/, 850-231-5784

57 Uptown Grayton Circle in Grayton Beach

Watercolor Inn Spa www.watercolorresort.com/resort_the_spa.aspx, 850-534-5010

The Watercolor Inn, Watercolor Resort, just East of Seaside

Seaside Day Spa http://www.seasidedayspa.com/, 1-888-393-4SPA

Seaside, Scenic Highway 30-A

Cooking at the Beach

One of the great pleasures of being on vacation is having a chance to sample food (that is cooked by somebody else) at local restaurants, but eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner can be very expensive. Some of the many advantages of renting a house versus a hotel room include having access to a full kitchen, cooking implements and serving dishes, a real dining table and chairs and maybe a grill. In a house there is a full size refrigerator to store groceries and snacks, a microwave oven to heat up the left overs from that great restaurant meal last night, a cork screw to open up a nice bottle of wine and real wine glasses to drink it out of, preferably while sitting on a deck and watching the sunset.

When my family is at the beach we love to go to Publix Supermarket for groceries, wine and fresh seafood. The last time we were at the beach we found another great place to buy fresh seafood, Buddy's Seafood Market. The people at Buddy's were so helpful and friendly, and the seafood selection was excellent. Goatfeathers is another good place for fresh seafood.

On Saturdays there is a farmer's market at the amphitheater in Seaside from 8 AM until noon. The farmers market has local produce that is in season and prepared foods. There is nothing more inspiring to a cook than fresh, flavorful ingredients. The Coastal Living Cookbook, pictured above, has some yummy recipes for using seafood and southern produce. Pick it up at the library or bookstore and cook something that will rival the restaurant meals on your next trip.

The Coastal Living Cookbook, 2004, Oxmoor House Inc., ISBN: 0-8487-2828-9

Publix SuperMarket, Ocean Park Pavilion, 23026 Panama City Beach Parkway and Watercolor Crossings, 110 Watercolor Way

Buddy's Seafood Market, 111 S. Arnold Rd., Panama City Beach, 32413

Goatfeathers Seafood Market, 4042 E. Scenic Highway 30A

Seaside Farmers Market, Scenic Highway 30A, Seaside, FL

Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Panama City Beach April 16-19

Attention jazz lovers: the 2009 Resort Quest Seabreeze Jazz Festival will be held at the Pier Park Amphitheater in Panama City Beach, April 16-19! The line-up of performers includes Nick Colionne, Boney James, Wayman Tisdale, Will Downing, Warren Hill and many, many more. Don't miss this great event that is being held at the beautiful new Pier Park, which is about 6-7 miles East of Rosemary Beach. In addition to the jazz festival, Pier Park offers shopping, fine and casual dining, night clubs and a movie theater. For further information about the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, go to www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=30962

In honor of this event, I am offering a special discounted rental rate for the week of April 12-19: $1500.00 plus 11% FL tax. Please mention that you read this on the Emerald Views blog to receive the discount. Gather together several of your best friends and prepare for a fabulous week of sun, sand, surf, seafood and smooth jazz.

Seacrest Beach Resort

This lifeguard chair marks the entrance to the Seacrest Beach resort on Scenic Highway 30-A. My family and I chose to buy a vacation home in Seacrest Beach, not only because the area is gorgeous, but because the community offers everything we want in a vacation spot. Once we get to Emerald Views we park our car and leave it in the driveway, because shopping, recreation, fine and casual dining, galleries, spas, and entertainment are all within walking distance. We love to walk along the quiet streets and pedestrian paths that run through Seacrest Beach and the next door communities of Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach. It is a short stroll to the lagoon-style pool or to the beach, but if we don't feel like walking or have a lot of stuff to carry, we can always hitch a ride on the neighborhood tram. If we are feeling energetic, we might rent bicycles and ride along the 30-A biking/hiking path to the communities of Seaside or Watercolor. My sister and I love to get up early in the morning, walk over to Wild Olives for coffee and scrumptious pastries, then sit and enjoy our breakfast while admiring the Gulf of Mexico. If we are lucky we may see dolphins or a turtle. One morning we saw thousands and thousands of shore birds floating just offshore. Every few minutes they would all take to the air as one and then settle back onto the water a few hundred yards away. The birds' white plumage contrasted against the clear blue-green water was just stunning. The chocolate croissants weren't bad, either. ;) THAT is my idea of a great start to the day.

Last Minute Special

Good morning all! For those of you with flexible travel plans, we have a special offer: A last minute discount with rental rate of $1200.00 plus 11% FL tax for the week beginning March 28 with departure on morning of April 4. The reservation must be confirmed no later than March 26 to take advantage of this offer. See you at the beach......

Welcome to Emerald Views!

Hello, I'm Sandy, and I am your host for this blog about my favorite vacation spot, Seacrest Beach, Florida. The blog is named for the vacation house that I have there, Emerald Views. This vacation house fulfills a dream that my husband and I and my sister and her husband shared: to own a little bit of paradise. When we purchased the home last year it was with the intent to eventually live in Seacrest Beach several months of the year, but for now we will be content with visiting a couple of times a year and renting it several weeks of the year.

The content of this blog will be news and information about Seacrest Beach and the Scenic Highway 30-A area and musings about vacations and beaches in general. In addition, I will post rental specials and discounts for blog readers. Emerald Views is in the Seacrest Beach Resort, which is between Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach , in S. Walton County. This is an incredibly lovely stretch of beaches and communities in the panhandle of Florida. For more information about the area visit www.30a.com. To see more pictures of Emerald Views and check out rental information go to http://www.vrbo.com/37284.