Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 112: turnover saturday, and the four hours nobody plans for
The question I get more than any other from people renting down here, and I mean more than sharks, more than jellyfish, more than “is the Flora-Bama actually like that”: “Can we check in early?”
Probably not. And it isn’t the property manager being stubborn. On turnover day, the unit you’re renting was somebody else’s vacation until this morning. Somebody is stripping their beds right now, finding a single flip-flop under the couch, and wondering why there’s sand in the freezer. Your 4 o’clock is their deadline.
So stop fighting the gap and start using it.
what the day actually looks like
On most rentals on the Key and in Orange Beach, checkout lands in the morning and check-in lands in the afternoon, often mid-afternoon. Check your own confirmation for the exact times, because they vary by company and by building. But plan on a window of a few hours where you are in paradise, in a car, with no key.
Everybody arriving on the same day makes the same mistake: they drive straight to the building, sit in the lot, and refresh the email. Don’t be the minivan idling next to the dumpster for ninety minutes.
the good news about late september
This is the best time of year to have this problem. Summer turnover Saturdays turn Perdido Key Dr and Perdido Beach Blvd into a slow parade of loaded roof racks. After Labor Day the parade thins out, the lots have spaces, and the restaurants have tables at lunch. The gap is the same length. It just stops being a punishment.
how to spend the gap
- Go to the beach anyway. You don’t need your rental to stand in the Gulf. On the Florida side, Johnson Beach is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore and has an entrance fee and real restrooms. On the Alabama side, there are public beach accesses along Perdido Beach Blvd. Pack one small “day bag” in the car before you leave home: suits, towels, sunscreen, a change of clothes. Put it on top of everything. If it’s under the cooler, it doesn’t exist.
- Do the grocery run first, not last. At 4 p.m., every newly arrived family in the county walks into the same store at once, all of them looking for the same pack of paper towels. At 1 p.m. the aisles are yours. Anything cold goes in the cooler in the car until you have a fridge.
- Eat a real lunch. The first meal of the trip should not be gas-station crackers in a parking lot. Sit down somewhere with a view and let the vacation start before the keys arrive.
- Check the flags before you unload. If you’re headed for the water in the gap, look at /beach-today/ first. Flag colors can differ between Florida and Alabama on the same day, which is useful to know when your beach bag is already in your hand.
the other end of the week
Checkout day has the same gap in reverse, and most people waste it packing in a panic and driving off at 10:05. Instead, load the car the night before, check out on time, then drive to a public access and take one last swim. You’ll be sandy for the drive home. That’s how you know you did it right.
And the bonus: the family who’s checking into your unit at 4 will never know it was you who found that flip-flop.
— Chris
P.S. Owners: your specials, menu link, or a reader promo code go straight on your page. Claim it free: /submit/claim/
