Dauphin Island Beach Rentals

Labor Day Weekend Update (Sorry, no vacancy this weekend)

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We're looking forward to a beautiful Labor Day weekend on Dauphin Island. The weather is forecast to be beautiful all weekend long, with no rain in the forecast and just partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-80's.

In other good news- all waters in and around Dauphin Island are open for fishing, including both Federal and State waters!

See you "down on the Island"!

Dauphin Island returns to normal

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Well, folks, it's been a strange summer, but things are returning to normal. The beaches are beautiful and clean, the water is a spectacular blue-green, and there are no signs of the summer's offshore disater.

After weeks of afternoon rainshowers and strong sea breezes, the sand that was piled up on the shoreline has now settled into a rounded dune shape.

There are even less people than usual, so if you are planning on joining us soon, you can expect a quiet and beautiful time on the Island.

Dauphin Island Beaches are Clean and Beautiful!

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This is more like it!

Our unofficial survey of beach-walkers today could not find a single person who had encountered any tar or oil on our Gulf of Mexico beaches . . . . Yay, Whoo-Hoo, Yipee!

Dauphin Island is not even in the "ring of uncertainty" any more, thankfully, which means NOAA is not forecasting us to have any oil or tar reaching our beautiful sandy beaches. You can see the good news for yourself by clicking here:

NOAA Oil forecast

No Oil in sight for Dauphin Island this weekend

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Continued good news for Dauphin Island- according to local boaters and published newspaper reports today, no oil has been seen in the Gulf waters south of the Island.

The latest NOAA forecast map

Tar Patties wash up in high wave action on the West End

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The past few days have had high wave action, with the waves running 4-6 feet. These high waves have brought tar patties and tar balls to the west end beaches, unfortunately, and also some minor flooding on the far west end.

The clean-up crews managed to clean up the area behind our affected properties today, and there is no more tar, but the waves continue to be higher than normal, which seem bring in more debris than usual.

The good news is that the NOAA chart shows the oil drifting further south and away from Dauphin Island in the next 72 hours. They also do not show any "shore contact" of the oil on Dauphin Island, thankfully. Here is the most recent NOAA map.

It's a Happy Fourth of July on Dauphin Island!

david.itmt@gmail.com

Folks, it's a beautiful sunny day on Dauphin Island, there is a strong east breeze, nice waves, and I haven't seen, heard or smelled a thing other than sea, sand and surf.

Of course, it's been unusally quiet here, with so many cancellations due to the uncertainty of the Oil Spill. The good news is that we haven't really had much actual impact from the oil spill, it's been more about the precautions, and of course, the non-stop news coverage. I'm pleased to report that we have been, for the most part, spared so far. One more thing to be thankful for.

Here's an interesting article attesting to the clean but empty beaches on Dauphin Island over the holiday weekend Mobile Press Register Blog

Good Morning America crew broadcasting from the "Key Wester" on D.I. today!

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The crew of ABC's "Good Morning America" show are broadcasting live this morning from one of our Dauphin Island beach houses, the "Key Wester" a pet-friendly beach house right on the Gulf of Mexico beach. Tune in and check it out!

We're expecting great weather for the 4th of July weekend; we hope to have clean beaches as well!

Tar Patties on eastern end of Dauphin Island yesterday

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Unfortunately, some "tar patties" have arrived on the east- end beach on Dauphin Island, particularly in the De Soto Landings neighborhood. Tar patties are pieces of weathered oil that are larger than the small tar balls we have typically been seeing.

I will try to post some pictures of them today. Here is an article that says tar patties were found on the far West End beach of Dauphin Island, although we have not seen any tar behind our West End beach houses recently.

Lots of Surfers, no Oil

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It was another beautiful weekend on Dauphin Island. With hardly any clouds overhead, we were thankful for the steady seabreeze. There were a lot of surfers out, since the waves were running higher than usual, due to the strong breeze and full moon.

I was in the "Ship 'n' Shore" on Sunday, which is the general store here on the Island, and as I was standing in the check-out line, I overheard an amusing conversation; it seems the couple ahead of me in line were actually trying to find some oil or tarballs to take pictures of, and they were frustrated because they couldn't find any. I'm not surprised; I've been staying in one of our beachhouses that has been vacant due to cancellations for two months now, and I have only seen a handful of tarballs during that time.

Funny thing- on the same day the above conversation took place, the Birmingham, AL newspaper was reporting that a large qualtity of oil had been removed from the west end of the Island! This is directly contradicted by the folks I know who were actually out there working on the West End Beach- they told me that they found nothing but seaweed all weekend.

I believe the newspaper may have been talking about the uninhabited part of the Island that was cut off from the rest of Dauphin Island by hurricane Katrina in 2005. That part of the Island is about 6 miles long, and is separated from Dauphin Island by a mile-wide cut, which is referred to as the "Katrina Cut". They have found oil/tar there in the past, perhaps it is back again. I can definitely report that we have had nothing but tar balls so far on Dauphin Island, at least the inhabited part!

Here is the latest NOAA Oil Spill chart. They are still showing Dauphin Island on the on the edge of the "light oil" but we have not seen any real oil, just tarnalls, so far.

Swimming Advisory issued again, as oil moves closer to Dauphin Island

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Starting at 6:00 p.m. Thursday night, a Swimming Advisory will be reinstated. The previous one had been lifted over the weekend, but the likeliness of oil coming ashore over the weekend has prompted the new advisory. You can read about it here.

The most recent NOAA oil spill forecast shows Dauphin Island may finally see some oil arrive over the weekend, with oil and/or tarballs likely to arrive by Sunday.

We have seen charts similar to this 3 times now, without actually having anything more than scattered tarballs, but, of course, this time could be different. Hopefully, we'll be lucky again.

Here is the latest NOAA chart

If you are staying this week and we are impacted, if you decide to check out early, we will refund any/all unused days.

As always, thank you all for your understanding and support!

Tickets available this Wednesday for free Jimmy Buffet beach concert

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Mobile native Jimmy Buffet will be performing a free concert at the beach in nearby Gulf Shores, AL on July 1st, along with the Zac Brown band, Kenny Chesney, Allen Toussaint, and others. Tickets are free, but must be obtained through Ticketmaster or CMT.com. The tickets become available starting at 10:00 a.m. CST on Wednesday, June 23. The show will also air live on CMT Television, and via satellite radio on Air Margaritaville.

UPDATE- Tickets sold out within the first ten minutes, unfortunately. If you are one of the luck ones who got the tickets, congratulations.

Gulf Shores is accessible from Dauphin Island via the Mobile Bay Ferry but, unfortunately, the concert will finish after the last ferry returns to Dauphin Island.

If you are interested in finding a vacation rental beach house or beach condo in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, try Best Southeast Rentals.com

What are you waiting for?

david.itmt@gmail.com

If you've been watching our blog to see what's been happening on Dauphin Island, then you probably already know that the early forecasts were wrong, and that Dauphin Island has been spared from the kind of oil that came ashore in other areas, both east and west of us.

We have had great beach weather all summer, and other than some scattered tarballs, our beautiful beaches have been free of oil altogether!

Little by little, people are starting to gather on the beaches and enjoy the beauty of our Island. Here's a picture of some folks enjoying themselves today near the Public Beach.

Yes, that line in the water is a section of boom, which is pretty rare to see on the Gulf side of the Island. There wasn't much boom placed on the Gulf side, since the waves are pretty tough on the floating boom. The good news is that so far, the booms haven't been needed.

Dauphin Island Beaches Open for Swimming! Updated June 19

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Great News! The State of Alabama has officially lifted the swimming advisory for Dauphin Island beaches! The oil continues to stay south of us, and they are probably going to open the area to shrimping in the next few weeks, according to today's newspaper.

Here is a link to the most recent NOAA oil forecast, which shows no oil forecast for the Dauphin Island area through the beginning of next week.

No one seems to know for certain why the oil hasn't come closer to Dauphin Island, but some local fishermen seem to believe that the outflow from our six rivers that flow into Mobile Bay may produce enough current to keep the oil south of us. Whatever the reason, we are grateful for it!

Helicopter flyover shows no oil near Dauphin Island!

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According to a report on www.AL.com (the Mobile Press-Register's website), a helicopter flyover today showed that there was no oil in the area around Dauphin Island, Ft Morgan, or Gulf Shores.

This confirms the latest NOAA charts, which also show the oil staying south of Dauphin Island as it drifts northeastward.

Fishing Rodeo Canceled

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Unfortunately, the 2010 Dauphin Island Fishing Rodeo has been canceled, due to the Gulf waters being closed for fishing.

More details as they become available.

Pictures from Dauphin Island beach weekend

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Despite not being directly impacted by the oil spill, we've had a lot of cancellations due to concerns and uncertainty.

As a result, we've been able to spend some quality time at the beach with our family. Here are some pictures taken over the past few weeks. There are some great bird shots . . . I'll keep adding as I have time, so stop back!

Lauren (9) Steven (10) and Sarah (7)

A brown pelican in flight

No wonder they call Dauphin Island "America's Birdiest City"!

Still no oil in the forecast for Dauphin Island- Updated 6-14

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The latest forecast from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) shows the oil steering clear of Dauphin Island as it drifts northeastward . . . (We're the Island south of Mobile without any red "X's" on it).

Unfortunately, oil has come ashore at Orange Beach yesterday morning (as the NOAA chart had predicted).

Thankfully, we have still not had any oil on Dauphin Island.

Here is a view looking east. Note the new berm along the shoreline that will hopefully help re-establish a natural "dune field" (there are areas to crossover).

No Oil on Dauphin Island, but lots and lots of sand (June 10)

david.itmt@gmail.com

Well, folks, we continue to be fortunate . ... We are not experiencing any oil on our beaches, with the exception of scattered occurances of small tar balls.

The man-made sand dunes going up have made it a little more difficult to get to the water in some places, but they will be worthwhile if the oil actually does come our way; much better to scoop up some sand and take it away for cleaning, than to have a large area to clean up.

This sand will "bleach out" within just a few weeks' time, and will be as white as the rest of our famous sand.

Dauphin Island has been losing sand for many years, and most of the sand dunes on the west end have been stripped away by back-to-back hurricanes and tropical storms . . . . this sand, once it settles and spreads, may form the basis of restoring a dune system to our Island, which would be a very good thing.

On some streets that end at the Gulf, however, the Town has been stockpiling sand, and the effect is pretty dramatic- a mountain of sand, or perhaps, a giant's sandcastle project!

Dauphin Island Beach Report- Updated

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Well, folks, I posted the following video clip this morning from "Island Time II"

However, around 1:00 p.m., I got a call from one of our staff that there were some tarballs washing up on the west end, about 2 miles away. Sure enough, there they were:

This was the first time I myself had actually seen any effect from the distaster reach the beach here. It has been more of a scattered phenomenon; whole days go by with nothing, then one area is affected, and the others aren't. It's certainly nothing like the stuff they are showing on TV, that's for sure.

The lastest NOAA forecast seems to show a big shift to the east and away from Dauphin Island. We are still in the "ring of uncertainty", but the trend seems to be keeping mostly south of us as it tracks east.

Update from Dauphin Island

david.itmt@gmail.com

Yesterday, as most of you have heard, there were tar balls on parts of Dauphin Island, and there were also scattered areas where there was oil. We had a few reports from guests of seeing oil.

Today, oddly enough, we have seen no real signs of oil. None visible, no smell, nothing. In fact, Nancy even let Mia, a white Akita, go swimming!

Anyway, as crazy as things have been here, we are now officially taking things "day by day".

We certainly understand that many of you are worried about the uncertainty this Summer has brought. We are processing June cancellations now, so if you have a June reservation, and you want to cancel, please let us know via email. If you want to "wait and see" or if you want to "come down and take a look", you can do that, too. If your stay is affected, and you want to check out anytime, we'll pro-rate your stay. We will work with you any way you would like.

Thanks for your patience in these challenging times, we do appreciate it.

David and Nancy

Oil arrives on Dauphin Island beach ahead of NOAA forecast

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Unfortunately, some oil has arrived on our Dauphin Island beaches, even though the NOAA charts hadn't predicted any oil through Thursday.

As of right now, the beaches are open, but there is a "swimming advisory" in place. For more infomation, here is a news release from the State of Alabama.

There is also good information on the AL.com site, maintained by the local newspaper:

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/gulf_spill_oil_hits_alabama_mi.html

We will put out more information as it comes in.

David and Nancy Meyer Dauphin Island Beach Rentals, LLC

Oil moving closer to Mobile Bay area

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The latest NOAA chartpredicts the oil "sheen" to be just south of Mobile Bay by Thursday, June 4th, with Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores both remaining outside the outer edges of the spill.

This is somewhat better than yesterday's chart, which had forecast Gulf Shores would be impacted by Wednesday, so it has moved a little further south, but we may be impacted this time around, it is too early to tell. There has been an intermittent smell in the air, presumably from the oil, it smells sort of like melted candle wax.

We know our Guests have varying "comfort levels" with the current uncertainty down here. As such, we have relaxed our normal cancellation policy as follows:

If you have a reservation beginning anytime in June 2010 and wish to cancel, we will issue a full refund.

or,

If you decide to come to the Island and check in, you can leave at any point during your stay, and receive a "pro-rated" refund for the days you did not stay.

If you are interested in staying in another beach location in the Southeast USA, including the Florida Panhandle, Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN and Orlando/Disney area, please visit our other website at BestSoutheastRentals.com/

Memorial Day Weekend Update

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Memorial Day weekend is here! We are grateful to be experiencing beautiful weather, and no effects from the Gulf oil spill.

Every beach house and condo in our rental program is full this weekend, so if you're looking for last-minute accomodations, you might want to consider staying in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. Please check our Best Southeast Rentals site for beach houses and condos in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and along the Florida Panhandle beaches.

Those of you monitoring the movement of the oil spill in the Gulf have probably noticed that the NOAA map showed the western (uninhabited) part of Dauphin Island to be in the "ring of uncertainty". This map was prepared on Thursday, and for some reason they haven't updated it since then. This is not the first time their chart showed part of Dauphin Island in the "ring", the last time, the oil never reached us, and instead drifted about 60-80 miles further away from us. Hopefully, we'll be lucky again.

We have found another forecasting chart to be more accurate, it is the one provided by the University of South Florida's College of Marine Sciences, and you can see it here.

Thank you all, and a special thanks to those who have served our country's military, and their families.

More beautiful weather on the Island, oil drifts further away

nancy.itmt@gmail.com

It is an absolutely gorgeous day on Dauphin Island, the water is very clear, and the white sandy beaches look great. The oil spill continues to mover further away.

Here is a short video clip I took today from the deck of "Island Time", a beach house on Dauphin Island's Gulf of Mexico beach.

The latest forecast from NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) show the oil spill continues to move further from us and is now 60 miles or more to the southwest of Dauphin Island.

Here is a link to see the latest projection NOAA Oil Map

Dauphin Island beaches remain pristine and oil moves further away

nancy.itmt@gmail.com

We are very happy to report that we have NOT had any sort of oil or any real effects on our beaches, and the oil itself has moved even further away!

Two weeks ago, the predictions indicated that the oil leaking from the Louisiana Deepwater Horizon rig explosion would reach our area. Thankfully, it got about 20 miles from us, and has been moving south and west ever since.

The most recent NOAA forecast, issued Thursday, May 13, indicates the oil will continue to move further from Dauphin Island. Here is a link to the NOAA chart.

Update on Dauphin Island Beaches

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We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend on Dauphin Island. Although CNN has been breathlessly reporting that a half-dozen tarballs were found in one area, nothing else was found anywhere on the 7 mile-long island's white sandy beaches.

The most recent charts show the oil in the Gulf much farther from Dauphin Island, and drifting west into Louisiana, and Dauphin Island is not forecast to receive any effects anytime soon.

Oil spill drifts further from Dauphin Island

nancy.itmt@gmail.com

May 7, 2010

It is another beautiful day on Dauphin Island, and, thankfully, the oil spill in the Gulf continues to drift away from our shoreline, with the

most recent deptiction

show it has moved further south and east then last week.

It appears that this mess will continue to drift and we do not expect to have have any effect on our beautiful Island through the weekend.

Thanks to all of you for your kind messages of support, we do appreciate it!

picture taken 5/5

Update on Gulf oil spill

nancy.itmt@gmail.com

At the present time, we have been fortunate, it has not reached us, and the spill has drifted further to the south, so we may avoid it for the time being. In time, though, we should probably expect to be affected, we just don't know how much or for how long. The situation is changing day-to-day, and we are getting updates in real-time.

Given the uncertainty of the current situation, we have decided to relax our cancellation policy, in order to give you the flexibility to make the best plans for your family.

If you have a reservation beginning anytime before May 28th, and you wish to cancel your stay, you may do so at any time, without penalty.

This means you can choose any of the following:

You can decide to cancel now
You can decide to "wait and see" and make your decision later, when more is known
You can check in, and if you wish to depart early, we will pro-rate your stay and refund the rest

For stays beginning after May 28th, we ask that you please be patient as we gather more information about the situation. By the end of the week, we should have a much clearer picture of what we can expect, and will put out another update at that time.

If in the meantime, you need to contact us, we would appreciate it if you would do so via email, this will allow us to keep our phone lines open to communicate. Just click here to send us a message.

If you are considering staying in another area, please visit our Southeast USA rentals website, where you can find vacation rentals in Florida, South Carolina, Gatlinburg TN and also Orlando!

www.Best Southeast Rentals.com

May- one of the best months of the year on Dauphin Island!

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Here's a little-known secret:

May and October are two of the best months on Dauphin Island, and for four good reasons:

The Weather! Blue skies, low humidity, daytime highs around 80 and evening lows in the 60's . . . Perfect beach weather!

Spring Rates and Rules! Since Peak Summer rental rates don't start until late in the month, the rates are lower, and we do not require a full week stay.

Beat the crowds! Although Dauphin Island beaches are never crowded, there are even less folks down here during Spring . . . it's a great, (and quiet!) time on the Island.

Last, and perhaps most importantly, we're offering a 20% discount for last minute stays during the first few weeks of May !When booking, enter code MAY2010 to receive a 20% discount (new reservations only).

Owners- Here is the link to access your Calendars!

david.itmt@gmail.com

Welcome to our new website! This is by far the most advanced website ever created for Dauphin Island vacation rentals, and uploading all of the information, pictures and content takes a while to implement, so please be patient with us as we complete the pages dedicated to each of your properties.

The link to access OwnerLink remains the same:

Click HERE to Access OwnerLink

Once you reach the OwnerLink Log-in page, please bookmark it for future use.

Regards,

David and Nancy

Dauphin Island Beach Rentals, LLC

Are you visiting this season?

sam@bookt.com

This coming season makes a great time to visit Dauphin Island. With the climate just right for your visit, there is no better time to come stay with us in professionally managed rental. We have units for groups of any size, and on any budget. Inquiry with us today and let us help you plan your perfect vacation!

Dauphin Island is a great place to visit!

sam@bookt.com

There are so many reasons to visit Dauphin Island from the shopping and recreation, the beautiful climate and relaxation. Take a step back, and then take a step forward in booking your next vacation with us. We provide all the tools for you to reserve your rental online and also over a wide range of concierge services. If you have any questions at all, just pick up the phone and calls us or shoot us and email and we will be happy to help you start planning your vacation.

Why Rent With Us?

sam@bookt.com

Dauphin Island Beach Rentals has quickly became one of the leading Vacation Rental companies on Dauphin Island.

All of our properties are professionally managed so you can be sure the quality of your stay is superior to any hotel in the area. We also provide a wide range of services to make your vacation is easy and enjoyable. If you have any questions make sure you inquiry and let us help start planning your vacation today!