For our second family vacation of 2022, we took a vacation with my dad’s side of the family! My parents, grandparents, and aunt/uncle/cousin. We spent a ton of time looking for a vacation spot that had a big house we could all rent together vs being in different hotel rooms, had lots of activities we could walk/golf cart to, and had plenty of different things our various ages could enjoy both separately or together. This is what we came up with!
The Montage at Palmetto Bluffs Resort Vacation
The resort has basically everything you could need. The only time we left the property was the very first day to go grocery shopping. There is a Target and grocery store about 20 minutes away. After that, we could get the rest of what we needed at the little market on the resort (it had little essentials and paper products).
We rented one of the Moreland Village Homes for our stay – it had four bedrooms, a guest house above the garage, a huge living room, sunroom, full kitchen, reading room and backyard backing up to the lake on the resort with dock access. It was a short walk away from the main building of the resort (with housed restaurants, shops and bike / golf cart rentals.
While we were there, we did as many activities as we could. Our first day, we started the morning off bike riding to the little coffee shop where we grabbed breakfast and drinks. Then we headed to the pickleball courts where we were instructed by one of their trainers on how to play since we were all new to the game. Once we got the hang of it, we played until lunch time. We ate lunch at the house, and then enjoyed relaxing while the kids napped. I read a book, a few people played some of our board games, and then we all got ready and showered for dinner. We ate the River House as our fanciest dinner of the trip – the dress code is button down, pants, dress, etc. No resort wear. It was delicious. We booked the private room so Jack could run around without bothering anyone in the restaurant. It was perfect!
One our second day, we kicked our morning off at the coffee house again (we ended up doing this every morning) and then took Jack to the treehouse on the resort where he and Adam climbed and played up in the tree. We had lunch by the pool at their Taco restaurant (SO delicious) and then spent some time playing in the water. After the pool time, we all went and played some more pickle ball before we went to The Octagon (another restaurant on the resort) for dinner.
On our third resort day, a few of the adults went out in the morning for paddle board yoga and then just to relax out on the water. We saw so many little dolphin pods out on the water – it was amazing. After paddle boarding, we enjoyed walking around the resort before we grilled steaks for dinner and enjoyed each others company with board games before bed!
On Sunday, a few of members of our family went to the shooting range on the resort and did some target practice while the rest of us hung back, took a bike ride and played with the kids. We also did a little bit of shopping at the shops around the resort before we headed back to the house for lunch. That afternoon, we had family photos with a photographer I found before our trip. She came right to our house and then we picked two separate locations to shoot. We decided to do professional family photos since we were all together. They turned out SO beautifully – I am obsessed. So, Christmas Cards, check! We did dinner at a food truck called the Firehouse on the edge of the resort and it was absolutely delicious.
On our last day of vacation, we decided to rent a boat during the day and eat lunch on one of the little private islands. We did a tour of the marshes, and then did kayaking and tubing behind the boat while we were there! We packed ourselves sandwiches / picnic foods to eat while we were out there and then totally relaxed. The little island had walking paths, hammocks, kayaks, etc. We did dinner at the food truck located by the resort lobby called Bluebird. They had burgers/fries/sandwiches – and we loved it!
All in all, I rate this resort a 10/10. It is definitely in the pricier bracket when it comes to vacation locations – but it has something for everyone, little kids included.
