Resort Review: The Beach Club by Spectrum Resorts in Gulf Shores, AL
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If you’re planning a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, there are of course TONS of options for where you can stay. From house rentals to hotels to condos, there’s no shortage of accommodations. But I want to tell you why I think The Beach Club by Spectrum Resorts is one of the best options and give you our review!
There was so much we loved about our stay at The Beach Club in Gulf Shores: how tucked away it is from the usual crowds, the onsite amenities, and amazing views, and of course the beach!
Thanks to Spectrum Resorts for hosting us! All opinions are my own of course.
Want to book a stay at The Beach Club or Turquoise Place by Spectrum Resorts?
Use code ERINBURK at checkout and get 10% off your stay! (Yes, even during summer!)
Overview of The Beach Club
Before we get into our thoughts about The Beach Club, I want to give you a guide of what you can expect to find here.
The Beach Club Location
The Beach Club is located at 925 Beach Club Trail in Gulf Shores, AL. It’s important to note that this is about 20 minutes away from the main activities in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
I’ll be honest: This is both a good and a bad thing. If you want to do a lot of activities or dine at a lot of restaurants in the main section of Gulf Shores, it could feel a little irritating to have to keep hopping back in the car.
BUT it being far away from everything means you’re out of the most crowded part of Gulf Shores. And on summer days with high crowds I will take that trade off any day! I love a beach that’s less crowded, so I love that The Beach Club isn’t really close to very many other accommodations.
The Beach Club Accommodations
The Beach Club consists of four ocean-front towers plus a community of cottages.
In the four towers (Avalon, Bristol, Catalina, and Doral) you’ll find privately owned condos available for rent. This means that the floorplans and decor vary with each condo. In general you will find that all the condos have an updated and modern feel to them (no dated beach decor here!).
All condos also have a fully equipped kitchen and a washer and dryer.
I also especially love that they put a clean coverlet on the beds for every stay! I kind of hate the duvet situation at most hotels because a) you know that duvet inside the sheets hasn’t been washed in a while and b) they are always too hot for me! So I loved the simple, clean coverlet on the bed here!
Behind the towers you’ll find a community of cottages. These range in floorplans from two bedrooms to five bedrooms. And they come with a fully equipped kitchen, private parking, and some of them even have their own pool!
The cottages are great for a bigger group, but know that there are not beachfront options for these.
In general, we thought the accommodations at The Beach Club were super clean and comfortable!
The Beach Club Clubhouse
In the middle of The Beach Club towers, you’ll find the Clubhouse. This is the locations for:
- Onsite Spa & Salon
- Restaurants – The Coast and Gulfside Bar & Grill
- Fitness Center
- Clubhouse Pool
- Indoor Pool (heated)
- Arcade
To access the Clubhouse, you’ll scan your wristband (although you can get to the spa before the scan-in spot).
Let’s talk about a few of these things.
First of all, the Spa at the Beach Club. I had an upper body massage here and it was WONDERFUL. It was so incredible relaxing.
And the spa has some great other touches too. The robes are so comfy, they offer free mimosas, and there is a relaxation room with a hot tub. While I found the relaxation room to feel a bit cramped, overall everything else about my experience was absolute perfection.
You’ll also find the fitness center located here. They have treadmills, elliptical machines, weight machines, free weights, and more. It is super nice, so much so that I actually felt the need to work out on vacation. (Might have had something to do with how much amazing food we were eating though too!)
(And we’ll get to Coast Restaurant in a minute….but spoiler alert: it was so good!)
The Beach Club Pools
At the clubhouse you’ll also find the main pool. During the main season they offer poolside service, and this is where you’ll find all kinds of family games and crafts during the day.
Chairs and towels are provided here too.
Each tower also has it’s own pool! The pools at each tower are smaller, but I know we also had a hot tub next to our tower’s pool!
So there is no shortage of places to swim here!
The Beach Club Beach
Of course, the biggest drawing to going to The Beach Club is of course the beach! And since it’s located right on the Gulf you can just walk down from your condo, go down a boardwalk, and find yourself on the beach!
Here are a few things I love about the beach at The Beach Club:
- Because you’re at Alabama’s beaches, you of course have that incredibly soft white sand!
- Since The Beach Club isn’t super close to much else, you’re less likely to feel inundated with crowds.
- There are access points to the beach near all the beach towers. (Related: I love the sidewalk that runs between the towers and the beach. It’s a lovely place to stroll and has porch swings facing the beach!)
- You can easily rent chairs through Excel Beach Services (March through October). These are a separate charge, but you will get a discount as a Spectrum guest.
The Beach Club Restaurants
Let’s talk about dining at The Beach Club!
Coast Restaurant
Coast is the nicest restaurant at The Beach Club and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. The food is INCREDIBLE though! So it’s worth getting a reservation if you can.
I had red snapper in caper butter sauce, gouda cheese grits, and some truffle fries. It was all absolutely perfect!
Gulfside Bar & Grill
Gulfside Bar & Grill is the spot to eat by the pool! It was closed for the season when we were there in November, but they are generally open for lunch from 11 am to 4 pm. They serve burgers, sandwiches, salads, and poolside snacks.
And since it’s a bar, there are also lots of beachy cocktails you can get!
Village Hideaway
Before you get to the guard shack at the Beach Club you’ll find The Village. This is where you can check in for your stay, and you’ll find a shop (Village Mercantile) and restaurant.
The in The Village restaurant is Village Hideaway and you’ll find burgers, pizzas, and other casual dining here.
There’s also great entertainment here! They have a golf simulator, billiards, and arcade games!
They are open daily from 11 am to 8 pm.
Village Creamery
Village Creamery is a spot to get ice cream! It’s located in The Village. And as a Spectrum guest you’ll get vouchers for free ice cream for kids under 18.
They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. (Note that time because this means you won’t be able to do an after dinner ice cream treat.)
Village Lawn
Next to The Village you’ll find a lawn full of food trucks and live music each night! There are options with sandwiches, ice cream, shave ice, and drinks. Plus they have games set out for the family to enjoy.
They are only open seasonally, so they were closed when we were there in November. But hopefully we can get back and try this out sometime!
Other Amenities at The Beach Club
Here are some of the other amenities you can find at The Beach Club:
- Daily family-friendly activities like poolside crafts and games.
- Fitness classes like yoga, Pilates, and Hiit classes.
- Tennis & Racquet Club with eight tennis courts.
- Village Mercantile — a shop for souvenirs and beach necessities.
- Sand Island — a spot with sand volleyball courts and a place to play games
- Access to Excel Beach Services — You can get beach chairs set up and/or reserve an evening beach bonfire!
The Beach Club Pros & Cons
So let’s talk about the pros and cons of staying at The Beach Club so you can decide if it’s the right spot for your family!
Pros
- Away from the main area of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, so it’s out of the crowds!
- Lots of on-site dining and amenities!
- A variety of floorplans you can choose from.
- Amazing beach views!
Cons
- Since away from central Gulf Shores, it does take some time to drive anywhere else.
- There isn’t a restaurant on-site that serves breakfast. (But you will have a kitchen, so it’s easy to bring your own breakfast food!)
Want to book a stay at The Beach Club or Turquoise Place by Spectrum Resorts?
Use code ERINBURK at checkout and get 10% off your stay! (Yes, even during summer!)
Our Review of The Beach Club
Honestly, we really loved our stay at The Beach Club! It was clean and updated and the perfect spot for our family for the long weekend. We were there over Veterans Day weekend and it was pretty quiet, which I really enjoyed.
Some of my favorite moments:
- Sitting on our balcony watching the sunset over the beach!
- Getting a massage at the on-site spa. (I can be pretty picky about my massages and this one was fantastic!)
- Eating at Coast Restaurant. I’m still thinking about those gouda cheese grits!
Truly my only complaint was having to drive into Gulf Shores for other restaurants and activities, but I also really loved that we were far away from the main drag. And honestly, we could have easily stayed at the resort the whole time if it hadn’t been for the fact that there were some other restaurants in town we wanted to try!
More Alabama Beach Resources
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