Bella Vita questions...

[Rico]

Greetings!

We have been traveling to the South Walton area for a number of years, and will be returning the second week of May- and have a few questions...

For the first time ever, we will be staying at the Bella Vita in Blue Mountain Beach. The place looks great on line, but there are a couple of things we aren't sure about:

1. Just how high and how many steps are there to the beach? Last year some of us stayed up the road a bit, and by the end of the week, some of us were really starting to get sore- I wish that we were all young and spry again, but we simply aren't- being old and fat sucks, but at this stage there isn't a lot that we can do about it- are those steps going to be bad?

2. Most of the time at the beach, we can actually see the beach from our condo- we are staying on the first floor at Bella Vita- will we be able to actually *see* the beach, or even the water on the horizon? The ad said "partial View"...

3. Will the Gulf be warm enough for swimming the second week of May? And is the pool heated?

4. We will have three cars- will we be able to park them all on property, or will we need to find a Walmart parking lot somewhere?

5. Are there any restaurants, grocery stores, shops, etc. within walking distance? For us that probably means less than a mile...

Thanks in advance for any answers and/or information that you wish to share about this place- as always, we are looking forward to being there!

 

[Kurt]

1. pretty high
2. it depends on where the unit is
3. the gulf will be OK and the pool will be warm
4. plenty of parking
5. A great health food store right across the street, and several good restaurants within walking distance.

Bella Vita is very nice and in a good location. I'm betting you will have a great vacation. Number one may be tough, although you have a great view of the beach and gulf from the pool.

 

[30abob]

1. At least 35' - 40' above the beach is the rule in BMB.
2. Since it says "partial" I'd assume you won't see white sand but you should see plenty of Blue/Green water. The elevation cuts of any view of the sandy beach from the units that aren't on the ends of the building.
3. Should be fine by then, unless we get several overcast days in a row the water is almost too warm by mid May.
4. You may only have 2 assigned spots but should be okay on premises. If you find that the lot is over-filled there are several spots nearby. I'm certainly not advocating trespassing but there's so many "under" developed neighborhoods that you could park 1000+ cars within a mile of Bella Vita and no one would notice.
5. As Kurt says "For The Health of It" is directly across the street and "Sally's by the Sea Store" (home grown convenience store) is another 150' away. We have two new restaurants in BMB this year; "Johnny McTighe's" (Irish Pub) and "JC's Off the Hook" (typical seafood). That makes four that I know of counting "Sally's Backside" (which is exactly where you would think - behind Sally's) and "PJ's Coffee / Planet Smoothie" (which is in Redfish Village at the intersection of 30-A and Co Hwy 83). Sadly we lost Blue Orleans last year. The nearest full service grocery store is either 5+ miles to the East at Water Color Publix or 6+ miles to the West at Grand Boulevard Publix. Word to the wise; don't visit either of these Publix's on Saturday between 11:00 AM - 10:00PM - I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enemy!

Bella Vita's is a great condo; I just wish it didn't block most of my view of the Gulf! You'll love BMB in spite of the steps. BTW, for future reference the only place with "minimal" steps on 30-A is in Dune Allen (it runs about 2 - 3 miles West of BMB) in some places it's only a dozen steps down to the beach from the walk-over.

 

[Kurt]

1. At least 35' - 40' above the beach is the rule in BMB.
2. Since it says "partial" I'd assume you won't see white sand but you should see plenty of Blue/Green water. The elevation cuts of any view of the sandy beach from the units that aren't on the ends of the building.
3. Should be fine by then, unless we get several overcast days in a row the water is almost too warm by mid May.
4. You may only have 2 assigned spots but should be okay on premises. If you find that the lot is over-filled there are several spots nearby. I'm certainly not advocating trespassing but there's so many "under" developed neighborhoods that you could park 1000+ cars within a mile of Bella Vita and no one would notice.
5. As Kurt says "For The Health of It" is directly across the street and "Sally's by the Sea Store" (home grown convenience store) is another 150' away. We have two new restaurants in BMB this year; "Johnny McTighe's" (Irish Pub) and "JC's Off the Hook" (typical seafood). That makes four that I know of counting "Sally's Backside" (which is exactly where you would think - behind Sally's) and "PJ's Coffee / Planet Smoothie" (which is in Redfish Village at the intersection of 30-A and Co Hwy 83). Sadly we lost Blue Orleans last year. The nearest full service grocery store is either 5+ miles to the East at Water Color Publix or 6+ miles to the West at Grand Boulevard Publix. Word to the wise; don't visit either of these Publix's on Saturday between 11:00 AM - 10:00PM - I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enemy!

Bella Vita's is a great condo; I just wish it didn't block most of my view of the Gulf! You'll love BMB in spite of the steps. BTW, for future reference the only place with "minimal" steps on 30-A is in Dune Allen (it runs about 2 - 3 miles West of BMB) in some places it's only a dozen steps down to the beach from the walk-over.

Thanks Bob!

Also in Seagrove on both sides of Eastern lake there is no bluff. And don't forget Grayton Beach access. Inlet Beach also but it is just east of Scenic 30A.

 

[Beach Runner]

Re question #1:

Higher elevations are a plus for owners. It means that we have more protection against storm surges. If you are renting, I understand that doesn't matter to you.

However, we all need to think about the perspective of others.;-)

Have a great visit to this wonderful place!

 

[Rico]

Thanks to all of you- please keep any info about the place coming- I'm getting more and more excited- but I'm not the one with the bad knees!

I wish that every place in the world had a web site like this one, where everyone is so helpful. I would think that most would get sick of us tourists, but I sure am glad that you take the time to answer our inquires- especially when you could be outside enjoying your wonderful surroundings!

 

[Kurt]

Thanks to all of you- please keep any info about the place coming- I'm getting more and more excited- but I'm not the one with the bad knees!

I wish that every place in the world had a web site like this one, where everyone is so helpful. I would think that most would get sick of us tourists, but I sure am glad that you take the time to answer our inquires- especially when you could be outside enjoying your wonderful surroundings!

Thanks! I never tire of it. At least not yet. And sometimes, I am outside responding to inquiries. ;-)

 

[Rico]

Still another question- is there any place to rent bicycles near by? Maybe between going up and down the stairs and partaking of the goods offered by the health food store across the street, a few of us might slim down enough to actually go for a bike ride!

 

[Kurt]

Still another question- is there any place to rent bicycles near by? Maybe between going up and down the stairs and partaking of the goods offered by the health food store across the street, a few of us might slim down enough to actually go for a bike ride!

Right across the street is Big Daddy's Bike Rentals.

Bikes and Beach Sports: Big Daddy's Bikes and Beach Sports is South Walton's first full service bike shop.