30A Bachelorette Guide: Full Weekend Recap
After going back and forth on SO many bachelorette destination ideas, I kept coming back to 30A, Florida. I wanted somewhere warm and coastal that felt calm during the day, had plenty of things to do, and still had a place for one fun night out.
30A checked every box. It felt elevated without being wildly expensive, had the cutest walkable beach towns, beautiful restaurants and boutiques, powdery white sand, and the prettiest turquoise water. It was definitely hyped up online, but I’m happy to report it really is the perfect bachelorette destination!
Decor
Since I was already asking the girls to travel so far, I wanted to keep the decor simple, intentional, and not too wasteful. I skipped having a “theme” and just did a small banner that said “Celebrating Bre by the Sea,” which I printed at Staples for around $30.
From there, I added a few thoughtful details: seashell door tags that I made on Canva and printed at home, a fresh flower bouquet for the table, the girls’ gifts laid out, and a margarita bar ready to go when everyone arrived.
I had help from a local bachelorette planning service called Bach Haus, and they were great. They stocked our fridge, set up the margarita bar, and laid out the girls’ gifts before we got there. I was able to ship a few things to them ahead of time, which made traveling so much less stressful.
Intentional Gifts for the Girls
For the girls’ gifts, I narrowed it down to three things that were simple and practical. Everyone got a Turkish towel, an L.L.Bean tote embroidered with her name, and a straw coastal cowgirl hat for our boat day. The towels were lightweight, took up almost no luggage space, and were actually useful at the beach, and we ended up using the totes all weekend.
I linked the totes & towels options here on my Shopmy, including a few other options I was considering.
Where We Stayed: Seacrest Beach via Royal Destinations
Location is everything on 30A, and I feel like we ended up in the perfect spot. We stayed in Seacrest Beach, at the LegaSea by Royal Destinations, which put us right in the sweet spot between Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach, making both walkable.
Our house was gorgeous! It was three stories, fit up to 12 people, and had more than enough room for our group of eight girls. There was also a large balcony on the third floor with ocean views, which ended up being such a cute spot for photos. The style of the home was minimalist coastal modern, which I really liked and much preferred over some of the more eclectic decor styles I saw in other rentals.
A note on beach access: depending on where your rental home is, you’ll get a wristband for that specific section of the beach. Our access was to Inlet Beach, which is definitely a smaller stretch of beach, but honestly, it worked perfectly fine for us. I could see how it might feel crowded during peak months, but we went at the end of April/beginning of May and were still able to find a spot pretty easily.
Important tip: if you find a house you love on Airbnb, do a reverse image search on Google or look up the rental company on the listing. A lot of the time, you can book directly through the rental company’s website for a much better price. We saved about $1,000 by doing this!
We booked directly through Royal Destinations, and I cannot recommend them enough. Their customer service was exceptional from start to finish, and the house was pristine. Check out the house we rented here.
What to Wear
Check out what I wore & recommend here on my Shopmy.
Florida weather can be a little unpredictable, so I would bring a few light layers just in case. It did rain during our trip, and even though it was still warm and humid most of the time, having something easy to throw on was nice. We went late April/early May, for reference.
For the most part, I leaned into breezy fabrics like linen and cotton. The UV can also be pretty high, so I would bring a good sun hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sunscreen.
Since I was already asking everyone to travel so far, we kept it to one coordinated dress-up night: neutrals and textures for our dinner at Citizen.
The Itinerary
Night One: Settle In + Pizza by the Sea
After everyone arrived, we kept the first night low-key since we all had a long travel day with two flights. Pizza by the Sea was the perfect first-night dinner: easy, casual, and no reservation needed. While we waited for the pizza, we grabbed a few snacks and drinks from the convenience stores next door and brought everything back to the house.
We ended up calling it an early night since we had to get up early for our boat day, but if your travel day isn’t too long, I would definitely do rooftop drinks at The Pearl this night.
Day Two: Crab Island
This is a bachelorette non-negotiable. Crab Island is a sandbar in Destin where boats pull up, and everyone hangs out in the water. There are floating vendors selling food and drinks — there was even a little Chick-fil-A boat — and it’s just such a fun experience.
I found a great deal on a luxury pontoon boat, which made the whole thing feel a little more special. We got a little unlucky with the weather and had to head in early before a storm rolled in, but we still had so much fun. 10/10, would do again. I’ll link the company we used here.
Night Two: AJ’s
I was a little skeptical of AJ’s being fun since I’m in my 30s, but it was SO fun. It’s a bar and restaurant in Grayton Beach with a DJ in one room and live music in the other. We walked in, and it was wall-to-wall bachelorette parties. It genuinely felt like a giant girls’ night out.
10/10 recommend. There is a $10 cover charge, and brides get in free.
Day Three: Shopping + Beach Day
We started with an easy brunch and coffee at Raw & Juicy, then wandered through Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach, did a little shopping, grabbed lunch, and spent the afternoon at the beach. The slower pace of this day was exactly what we needed in the middle of the trip.
Night Three: Dinner at Citizen, our dress-up night
This was our dress-up night, so we coordinated in neutrals and textures and had a beautiful dinner at Citizen in Alys Beach. The whole Alys Beach area feels very upscale, and Citizen had the perfect ambiance for a nicer dinner out. They also had great seafood options, which felt very fitting for a coastal trip.
Last Morning: Farmers Market
We ended the trip with a slow morning browsing the local Sunday farmers market in Rosemary Beach, then spent a couple of hours at the beach before heading out. It was the perfect way to close out the weekend.
Where We Ate & Drank
- Pizza by the Sea — Easy first-night dinner, no reservations needed, delicious
- Raw & Juicy — We all loved this one. Perfect for an easy brunch, and the location is beautiful
- Idyll Hound Proper — Margarita towers and shareable dishes. The vibe was perfect before heading out to AJ’s for our night out dancing
- Citizen — Our “fancy” dinner night. I thought the ambience and food were great
- The area also had convenient little shops where we stocked up on snacks and alcohol for the house — great for keeping costs down between meals
Transportation
Book a private driver. This was one of the best decisions we made for the whole trip. Not having to worry about a rental car, parking, or designated drivers made everything feel so much more relaxed. I booked transportation for the airport, our Crab Island day, and our night out at AJ’s.
We did use Uber/Lyft a couple of times and it was fine, but I had read a lot of forums saying the reliability can be hit or miss, so I’m really glad we had a driver for the bigger moments of the trip.
For transportation, I would recommend booking with Quest Luxury Transportation. We used both Quest and T30A, and Quest was far more accommodating, had much better service, and better vans.
Final Thoughts
There is also genuinely so much to do on 30A for a bachelorette group. You could do a beach bonfire, hibachi dinner, private chef, boat day, group fitness class, or just keep things simple with beach days, shopping, and dinners out. There is definitely something for every type of group, which is part of what makes 30A such a great bachelorette destination.
If you’re considering it for your own trip, whether it’s a bachelorette, a girls’ trip, or even a family vacation, I can’t recommend it enough.
🤍