The Perfect Beach Town: Navarre Beach, FL

The beach is always a great choice, but I might have discovered the ideal spot for your upcoming trip. Navarre Beach, located on the Florida Panhandle, is perfect for a few days on a relaxing beach. Navarre is the best location to fulfill your coastal desires, from public beach accesses to state park dunes.

To start the trip, we booked a studio-style condo on Airbnb, which comfortably housed our party of three. The location of the apartment was within walking distance of public beach access, and the back porch opened up directly to the bay, offering a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. You can walk out on the pier and take in the Florida air and sunrise just a few steps away from your bed.

The beautiful sunset over the bay with waves lapping at the sandy shore outside the condo.

During our first day on the island, we opted to lay by the shore to take in some of the sun's beautiful rays. We stayed on the beach for five hours that day, talking, reading, and occasionally dipping in the water. The birds on the beach were so friendly that they even walked right up next to us. Other families on the beach could be found building sand castles or digging for shells.

The friendly blue heron walked right up to us.

After our long day on the beach, we opted for a more leisurely dinner. About 10 miles down the road is a Publix, where we each created our personalized steamed seafood boil and a sub to have for lunch the next day. This was not only cost-efficient but also convenient as we just brought the food back to the condo, ate, showered, and then were in for the night.

The following day, we rose and headed straight back to the water. Although it was cooler and overcast, we still decided to enjoy our time on the beach—even if that meant covering in blankets! The crowds that day were minimal, and it was like our little slice of paradise.

Afterward, we visited some mutual friends who lived in the area. They told us where to head for dinner—Juana's Pagodas! This spot not only had delicious food and drinks but offered the best coastal atmosphere you could have asked for. Surrounded by Tiki bars and beach volleyball courts, we truly felt like we were locals on the island. We enjoyed good company and some delicious drinks.

After Juana's, we took the opportunity to explore the island, which is covered with the cutest residential beach houses that look like they are straight out of a movie. Riding around admiring the properties, we all chose our favorites. Next, we returned to the condo, straightened up our mess, and packed to prepare for checkout the following morning.

The next day was sunny and bright, and although we had to head home, we admired how nice it would have been to lay out on the beach that day and pinched ourselves for not the entire way home. During the ride, we had to stop at Buccees and grab our favorite snacks before returning to Mississippi. Not only was this trip fun, affordable, and accessible, but it was one of the most beautiful beach towns I have ever experienced. If you ever have the chance, you do not want to miss out on the coastal atmosphere of Navarre Beach, FL!