So me & the hubby won a trip to St. Augustine through Bluegreen Vacations, but to save on flight costs (not included in the prize) - we decided to come to Florida earlier than our expected travel date. We figured since half of our trip was already being paid for, why not just stay in a different part of Florida before heading off to the portion of our trip that we won in St. Augustine?!
So here's our 4 day stay in Daytona Beach, Florida in a nutshell!! Where we stayed, what we did, where we ate & our recommendations based off of our personal experiences & budget!
[P.S - Click the underlined titles for links to websites!]
//Where we stayed:
We booked our hotel in the beginning of February on bookings.com - I've booked several hotels through this website now & have found it to be very hassle free & affordable! You can book in advance & with most, you can cancel without a fee if done so within a reasonable time. It's a great way to have to your hotel locked in at a reasonable price, while also gathering the money in the meantime to pay for your stay! However, before booking, I do recommend thoroughly reading over the policies. Each hotel is different & policies may vary. For example - on most hotels we've booked we didn't have to pay until we arrived, for Emerald Shores, I was charged a $133 deposit a month in advance. For a 3 night ocean front room - it cost us $401.64! Honestly, not a bad price considering the beautiful view & the amenities! I would completely recommend to anyone!
//Where & What we ate:
Typically, on any vacation that me & the hubby take, we hit up a market & get snacks, breakfast muffins, drinks, sandwich stuff, etc. that way we don't blow as much $$$ eating out for every single meal! It can seriously add up folks! I recommend going out only once a day if you're really trying to budget it! Our biggest rule tho - NO FRANCHISES (for the most part anyway 😜) if we're really making a point to explore! Also, a cheap way to eat out is by hitting up the early happy hours! Here are some of the places we ate at in Daytona Beach!
This spot was a little pricey of place for us to eat at while on our trip, but I made an exception because I wanted my hubby to try 'Gator Bites'! 🤣 It was early in the lunch hour when we went so we just ordered a bunch of appetizers & shared the spread between the two of us! We got quesadillas, the deck sampler platter & gator bites! For drinks, the hubby got a Bud Light (his usual 😒he's not good at branching out) & I got a a pineapple Moscow mule 🍍😊 Overall - a great beachy spot with an awesome view & good food! The prices weren't terrible, but the only things I found that were under $12 were the appetizers - entrees were a little more on the higher price point. Still very worth it though!
Legit THE. BEST. TACOS. EVERRRRR. Located on Beach Street in Dayton Beach, I'm so happy I found this place online one day while searching for restaurants in Daytona! Not only are the tacos phenomenal, but so are the prices! 👌 We legit left this joint completely stuffed for under $25! I can't even tell you what tacos we ordered because we basically ordered every single kind & loved them all 🤣 #tacosarebae For real tho - if you are ever in the Daytona area - go a little bit off the beaten path & give this place a try! You will not regret it!
If you're looking to truly eat on the water & get some awesome grub - Crabby Joe's is the place for you! Charles & I met up with my parents for dinner at this cool spot & I'm so glad we did! Not only is the food phenomenal, but you can literally feel the waves crashing into the pier while dining & looking out into the ocean!
[P.S - arrow over to view the entire slideshow of pictures!]
We didn't eat here, but we did have the great opportunity of meeting up with a family friend for drinks! The World Famous Iron Horse Saloon is a great bike bar with plenty to drink & friendly staff! This is a prime time destination spot if you're ever attending Daytona Bike Week! Thank you to Dennis aka Grog for the great southern hospitality! We will be back for sure!
As mentioned above ^ we went on this trip with a budget in mind, so eating out wasn't always going to compliment that. Instead, when we got to Daytona Beach, we went to Winn Dixie & Publix grocery store & bought a few groceries to have in our hotel fridge! Pretzels, sandwich stuff, fresh fruit & more is what we snacked on when coming off of the beach!
&&&& Even though we said we wouldn't do franchises - we broke our rule for some Papa Johns on the beach & Oreo cheesecake milkshakes from Sonic 😜
//What we did
So our whole point of going to Daytona was so we could spend as much time as possible on the beach & that's exactly what we did! We ate, worked out, slept & chilled/drove on the beach most of the time in Daytona! However, we did venture out a few times to do a little shopping & check out the Daytona Farmers Market -
When I go on vacation, I no longer allow myself to buy a super touristy shirt that says things like "Daytona Beach" or anything like that because I find after I get home I NEVER wear them. However, I love going to surf shops & scoring some awesome brands that I can't get so easily back home like Roxy, Billabong, Reef, O'Neil, etc. We drove up & down the strip before deciding to stop at Maui Nix & despite not wanting to do any shopping on vacation - I'm so glad we at least went to this place! First off, the store is beautiful inside & HUGE! Secondly, the amount of clothes & different styles they feature are incredible! I may have spent 3 hours shopping in here ...#sorrynotsorry, but I scored some awesome deals & purchased clothes that I know I'll wear back home everyday! I didn't shop many other places, but I can say when we go back to Daytona, we will definitely be going back to Maui Nix!
Before heading off to St. Augustine, we stopped at the Farmers Market to score some yummy produce to munch on at our next hotel! I was completely amazed at their prices & how phenomenal all of the produce looked! Super sweet & friendly people too at the market! Wherever you adventure to - I highly recommend checking out the local farmers market! It's a great way to experience the local life & culture & score some cheap food!!
All in all, the trip to Daytona Beach was awesome! Beautiful beach with a lot to do & all very close in distance! The hubby & I def plan on going back & next time for much longer! Hope you found this post a little helpful in planning your next trip or if you're headed to Daytona Beach specifically!
XOXOXO
Mrs. Northern Belle
P.S - What are some of your favorite spots in Daytona Beach?! I wanna know! Drop'em in the comments!