Fairhope, Fairhope, Fairhope, Fairhope!  Everyone was talking about Fairhope, but no-one had ever been.  When I found a house with a pool in Fairhope we decided to check it out for a month.  It wasn’t just Fairhope that drew me in, it was the 15 or so wildlife preserves and state parks that line the bay that I wanted to explore.  Having a house with a pool and a town full of restaurants nearby was icing on the cake.   We scheduled a whole month.  Ahh, it was not to be.  When we arrived, the rented house had mold. We left after 10 minutes and got our money back.  

Thereupon we fell on several days of knashing of the teeth, anxiety and indecision about our great saga through the USA.  We had no luck  finding an AIRBNB or other rental for a month, either in Fairhope or Mobile.  After spending an inordinate amount of time burrowing through the possibilities, we decided on 3 days in a Mobile hotel to get ourselves sorted out, 10 days in the Jubilee Suites in Fairhope, 4 days at Fort Morgan Beach on the Gulf Coast and a trip to Florida to see our Aunt Phylis in Orlando Fl.  Pack and unpack, pack and unpack.  We weren’t ready for that portion of our trip.  That bit was supposed to be in June as we traveled up the Mississippi and along the Natchez Trace.  We had to start early!

Our decision to stay at the Jubilee Suites was created by a harmless drive-by to see it.  I got out of the car and walked down towards the bluff and water.  What a sight!  So beautiful.  I remember going back to Mary who was wearily waiting in the car and saying even if this is more than our budget, you need to see this.  It is pure luxury.  Just as she got out of the car, the owner, Dana came bounding out asking if we were checking in.  I told her our sad story and she immediately took us under her wing.  Ushering us inside, she grabbed a little notebook, made notes about which suites were available for a long period of time, showed us the suites (so beautiful) and told us all about the area and the suites and the bay and we fell in love with the place and moved in for 10 days.  It was the best decision we ever made because she has scheduled a trip into the bay with a well-known naturalist named Ben Raines and had room for 2 more people.   That was an EPIC trip which you will find in the website under Mobile Bay Nature.  

Fairhope became our go-to place for lunch and relaxation.  There are multiple quiet strolls all around town.  In several places it looks quite European with little alleys hidden away.  We did splurge on one expensive but so worth it meal at Camellia Cafe, which is anything but a cafe.  That meal was exquisitely delicious and I am so thankful that someone recommended it.  

As well as strolling you can rent a bike and use the local paved pathway which appears to run quite a ways.  We didn’t do it, but it looked like a nice thing to do.  The pier, as I said, is a nice stroll out onto the bay.  Everything about Fairhope is nice and relaxing and very pretty.  If you are a birder or naturalist the area is worth a week or more.  If you are looking for a quiet, pretty place to relax it’s also good for a weekend or week.  

We drove all around the area, which I highly recommend.  We drove all the way to the end of the road on Route 98 and then Route 1 which runs along the edge of the bay where people live. There are several parks down to the end of the road where you it ends at promontory at the opening of Weeks Bay.  That was a gravel parking lot, circled by cars and trucks and people fishing off the sides.  There were pelicans, herons and egrets all over the place.  We had a hard time leaving even though we had no other reason to be there except to look at the birds and people fishing.  

We visited at lest 5 local and state parks and took two tours of the bay.  Each exceeded my expectations.  Mary and I had not expected to fall in love with the Alabama landscape, but we did. 

We will return to Fairhope, the lovely bay and its surrounding nature for sure and we will stay at the Jubilee Suites, which I highly recommend.  See our review on our website.  

Jubilee Suites
We were lucky enough to find some peace and relaxation at the Jubilee Suites in Fairhope Alabama. The view, the comfortable patios and balconies, the exquisite rooms, the breakfasts and most especially the owner Dana, who makes every person feel special make this Bed and Breakfast a stupendous experience.