Saltwater Stays: What Happens When Your 30A Vacation Has Two Front Doors

Saltwater Stays is our little corner of the internet where we talk about life, travel, and all the wonderfully random things that happen when you spend a lot of time on 30A.

And this particular Saltwater Stay starts with a pretty simple idea:

What if your entire group could vacation together… without actually having to live together?

Enter: two houses, side by side.

Yep. Literally next door.

Welcome to Stay Days on 30A.

The Two-House Vacation

You know those family vacations where everyone says, “Wouldn't it be so fun if we all went together?”

And then someone starts looking at houses.

And suddenly you're trying to figure out who is sharing a room, who is sleeping on the pullout sofa, whether Grandma can hear the TV from the bunk room, and why there are somehow 14 people sharing three bathrooms.

We had a different idea.

Put everyone next door.

Same vacation.

Same beach.

Same pool.

Same sunset.

Two front doors; (and two golf carts included).

It's kind of brilliant.

On One Side: Salty Surf

Salty Surf is the bright, easygoing neighbor.

Four bedrooms. Four bathrooms. Three King suites. A bunk room. A private fenced backyard. Patio. Fire pit. Nature views.

And a whole lot of “let's just see where the day takes us.”

Then there's Goldie.

Goldie is our four-seat golf cart, and she has one job:

Get people where they're going while making the trip unnecessarily fun.

Beach? Goldie.

Ice cream? Goldie.

Coffee? Obviously Goldie.

Driving around just because it's 30A? Goldie.

Next Door: Second Set

Second Set is the ever so slightly bigger sibling.

Four bedrooms. 4.5 bathrooms. Three King bedrooms and a four-bed twin trundle room.

There's a game room with foosball, a balcony overlooking the pool, and a little more room for the crowd to spread out.

And then there's Ruby.

Ruby is the six-seat golf cart.

She has Bluetooth speakers.

She has opinions.

And she definitely thinks she's more important than Goldie.

We don't take sides.

Usually.

The Magic Is the Sidewalk

Here's what we love most about having two homes next door to each other:

Nobody has to choose.

You can have breakfast at one house and hang out at the other.

The kids can play foosball while the adults sit on the patio.

Grandparents can have their own space.

Two families can travel together without someone having to sleep on an air mattress.

You can have a giant dinner together one night and completely separate the next morning.

Someone can say, “I'm going to bed.”

And actually go to bed.

That's a vacation miracle.

Together… But Not THAT Together

There's a very specific kind of vacation magic that happens when you're close enough to be together but far enough apart to have your own space.

You can wander next door in pajamas.

You can borrow something from the other kitchen.

You can send the kids over to see what everyone else is doing.

You can meet up for sunset.

And when you've reached your personal maximum number of people in one room?

You just go home.

Your other home.

Approximately 14 steps away.

It's Made for the Big Trips

Two houses side by side make a lot of sense for:

Big families.

Because family vacations are better when everyone has a bathroom.

Multiple families traveling together.

Because everyone gets their own kitchen, living room and bedroom.

Grandparents + kids + grandkids.

Close enough for all the fun. Separate enough for everyone's sanity.

Friends trips.

Because “we should all go on vacation together” sounds even better when nobody has to decide who gets the worst bedroom.

And honestly?

Groups that love each other very much.

Because loving someone and wanting your own bedroom are not mutually exclusive.

Then There's 30A

Of course, the houses are only half the story.

The other half is 30A.

Morning coffee.

Bike rides.

Beach days.

Pool afternoons.

Golf cart cruises.

Dinner somewhere you didn't plan on going.

Ice cream because someone saw a sign.

Sunset.

And the very important decision of whether tomorrow should be another beach day.

Spoiler:

It should.

Stay Days on 30A

Stay Days on 30A, where we believe the best beach vacations aren't about doing everything. Two houses. One vacation. Zero need to share a bathroom.

We'll call that a win. 🌴

They're about doing less.

Rest.

Stay.

Repeat.