Our vacation this year could easily be called the best and worst vacation we have ever been on. The first few days started out a little rough. We went to Dog Island, and the accommodations were less than adequate. The pictures on the Internet do not look like the actual rooms on the island. I think photoshop may have had something to do with it.
Anyway, the water was not potable, so bottled water had to be used for everything. Cooking. Brushing teeth. Washing hands. Etc. Not exactly the ideal situation for three children to be in. And, we had to take all of our food and water to the island by water taxi. No joke. There isn't a store or anything on the island. I could deal just fine with the isolation and whatnot, but not being able to properly feed and nourish my children because I was unprepared for the indoor camping....well, that was not cool.
The room was about as nasty as you could imagine. The only place I have ever stayed that was even close to this gross was Pete's Motel in Panama City circa 1985. We called it Pete's Roach Motel. Well, the Pelican Inn was just as gross. The refrigerator was rusted. All OVER! The bathroom faucet didn't turn on because it had so much calcium and lime on the knob that it wouldn't turn. By the way, the sign saying DO NOT DRINK THE WATER wasn't even in our room. We happened to notice it on a door to another room. No joke. They weren't even going to warn us that the water was BROWN! Hadley called it...Junkity. Yes, even my child knew that it was nasty and that our tent provides better shelter.
The island was marvelous though. I've never seen so many creatures or so much beauty in one spot. We were 5 of the 17 people on the 7 mile island, so we had the beach pretty much all to ourselves.
We caught crabs.
Anyway, the water was not potable, so bottled water had to be used for everything. Cooking. Brushing teeth. Washing hands. Etc. Not exactly the ideal situation for three children to be in. And, we had to take all of our food and water to the island by water taxi. No joke. There isn't a store or anything on the island. I could deal just fine with the isolation and whatnot, but not being able to properly feed and nourish my children because I was unprepared for the indoor camping....well, that was not cool.
The room was about as nasty as you could imagine. The only place I have ever stayed that was even close to this gross was Pete's Motel in Panama City circa 1985. We called it Pete's Roach Motel. Well, the Pelican Inn was just as gross. The refrigerator was rusted. All OVER! The bathroom faucet didn't turn on because it had so much calcium and lime on the knob that it wouldn't turn. By the way, the sign saying DO NOT DRINK THE WATER wasn't even in our room. We happened to notice it on a door to another room. No joke. They weren't even going to warn us that the water was BROWN! Hadley called it...Junkity. Yes, even my child knew that it was nasty and that our tent provides better shelter.
The island was marvelous though. I've never seen so many creatures or so much beauty in one spot. We were 5 of the 17 people on the 7 mile island, so we had the beach pretty much all to ourselves.
We caught crabs.
Ewww. Don't be pervy. Of course they were the sand and sea crabs! Gees! Get your mind out of the gutter!
We had a strange encounter with a raccoon that nearly attacked me on the porch. Hmmm. I should probably leave this one at that. I don't want any trouble with the law!! HA!
We saw tons of those little white sand crabs that normally only come out at night. There were out during the day and would get crazy close to people!!
Overall, I would say it was an interesting experience. If I could have better accommodations, I would go back to the island in a heart beat. The sand and isolation (translated:being able to wear any swimsuit I want without worrying about how much cellulite and how many stretch marks were hanging out for the world to be grossed out by) were both wonderful. The Pelican Inn is a big, fat DON'T.