beachLIFE 2020 Issue 14 | Page 20

ALYS BEACH Designed by architects Marieanne and Erik Vogt, this 158-acre Bermuda-inspired seaside community is like no other. As visitors cruise down the palm-lined section of 30A, they enter a distinctly simple and ethereal realm. The effect is dreamlike. While the white stucco remains the town’s hallmark, the award-winning Caliza Pool, with its shaded spaces surrounding the 100-foot zero-entry saltwater pool, is the centerpiece. Here you’ll find a magical open-air restaurant, bar and pool club surrounded on all sides by all-white limestone construction forming the cabanas and loggias. A nature preserve lies tucked away to the north and the turquoise waters of the Gulf to the south. ROSEMARY Patrick Bienvenue brought Rosemary Beach to life in 1995 and has since received many accolades. Vast green spaces host farmer’s markets, children’s entertainment and outdoor concerts in the summer months. The Chapel at the Beach is a popular wedding venue, along with The Pearl, a Cuban inspired, Hemingwayesque boutique hotel with classic black-and-white stripe awnings over the balconies of guest rooms. Old World European architecture is home to merchant buildings in the town center. Catch Sunday brunch or happy hour drinks on the rooftop bar at Pescado. Accessible by elevator only in the Orleans Building, this posh r estaurant offers a million-dollar view of the town and the Gulf.  Rosemary delivers the perfect setting for families with children or couples looking for an escape from the ordinary.  INLET Also known as “Veteran’s Beach,” Inlet Beach was once little more than a section of government-owned land offered to soldiers by way of a $50 lottery ticket in the years immediately after World War II. The beach has nearly 13 acres of unobstructed access for public use. Adjacent are two hidden gems—Lake Powell and Camp Helen State Park. Lake Powell is the final coastal dune lake among the communities of 30A, as Inlet Beach is the eastern-most destination.  On the north side of U.S. Highway 98 lies 30Avenue, the latest village for upscale shopping, professional offices and fine dining. Outdoor-friendly for everyone including kids and pets, visitors will find more than a dozen restaurants and boutiques.