The Spechts: Clarence's Birthday and Weekend Getaway

Last weekend was the best weekend we have had in a long time. A little spontaneity goes a long way. Saturday was Clarence's birthday. We knew we wanted to go on a little mini-vacation, but the weather was supposed to be pretty bad all over the South. So when we woke up Saturday morning and checked the weather, the outlook for Mobile/Fairhope was the most promising. We took off in that direction with nary a hotel reservation in sight;)

I have Teacher's Retirement through UAB, and we get a very good discount for hotels on the Robert Trent Jones Trail. These deals are only on special days, and Clarence's birthday happened to be one of those days, so we called on our way down and booked a room. Boy what a deal it was! More on that later.

First we stopped in Elberto, Alabama for the German Sausage Festival. The festival itself was not too impressive, but the sausage was pretty delicious, and the apple dumplings were the best I've ever had. Delicious with some vanilla ice cream on top!

Here's a picture of Rowan and Clarence at the festival (but you can't really tell where they are).

When we arrived at the hotel, we were immediately surprised at how beautiful it was. The RTA rate was $89 per night at the Marriott Grand. This is the website for the hotel, and I would totally reccommend doing this for those with the discount! http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ptlal-grand-hotel-marriott-resort-golf-club-and-spa/

When we walked into our room, we were very pleased to have doors that opened out over the marina. It was so relaxing sipping our wine later that evening listening to the clang of the sailboats and the waves lapping the rocks.

The grounds are very lovely. You can rent bikes and ride all over. They have kayaks to rent for the bay, several restaurants, bars, a very nice-looking spa, and a walkway all along the bay.

Here is the pool -