Mermaid Cottages Blog is Moving!

     That's right! We here at Mermaid Cottages have been hard at work on our new and improved website, and we have included both our blogs! We cherish each and every one of you, our readers, and hope you will continue to follow our Mermaid Adventures on our new website, complete with our Mermaid Cottages and Beach Bum Biscuits blogs!  The link to both blogs are right on our home page, so you are just a click away from all our Mermaid Cottages fun!

     We will, of course, be posting links to our blogs on our Mermaid Cottages Facebook Page as well, so there are plenty of ways to find us. Thank you for reading, and we hope you join us at our new blog home!

Mermaids in Our Midst: Breeze Inn to Happy

Breeze Inn Cottage on Tybee Island, GA

We never get tired of hearing from our guests about their stays! At Mermaid Cottages, we strive to make every single stay the best ever, so when we hear about one such stay, we can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy! This is from a guest who had a stay atMary Kay Andrews’ very own Breeze Inn Cottage just last month:

“Ever since I saw Mary Kay’s home in Better Homes & Gardens, I knew that I had to plan a family getaway to Tybee Island. We chose the middle of April – and ended up having beautiful, warm weather.
This house has all of the amenities that you would expect in a high-end vacation home, along with a unique blend of kitschy vintage finds and well-loved antique furniture. Mary Kay’s vintage style was the main reason that I chose this home, so I appreciated the thoughtful details, like the glass doorknobs, seaside artwork and enormous farmhouse sink.
We had six people on our trip: myself and my husband, our two kids (six and eight) and my in-laws. We loved being able to walk to the beach in a just a few minutes, and drive to Savannah in about 20 minutes. We relaxed on the screened porch each evening, and slept comfortably in the breezy window-filled bedrooms upstairs. The bookshelves filled with movies and books were a great touch (especially all of the fabulous decorating books).
I did have to call Mermaid Cottages once, and they were very responsive and helpful. I have nothing but good things to say about this home and the service at Mermaid Cottages. Thanks for such a relaxing and enjoyable stay!” ~from Colleen from Avondale, PA 

Love vintage? You'll love Breeze Inn Cottage!

Thank you so much for sharing your stay with us Colleen! Nothing makes us happier than happy guests! Don’t be a stranger…we hope to see you again on Tybee real soon!

Live Like a Local: Tybee's Community Garden

Here on Tybee, we are always on the lookout for ways to conserve, preserve, and promote environmental awareness. One such project that includes all of those things is the Tybee Community Garden!

This season is off and running! The garden is meant to be a place where the entire community can experience the benefits of growing, gardening, and taking care of our local environment.The first work day this year was March 13th, but you can still get in on the fun! The garden produces year-round and is completely self sustaining. Participants of the project collect rain water and condensation from around the island to water...no city resources are used! There's even a composting area that uses nature to provide nutrients for all the growing plants.

Plots are available on a first come first served basis, and it is $50 for a 4x8 foot growing space. For information on available plots, and anything else you might need, contact Karen Kelly at 912-786-9719 or email karenontybee@aol.com.

Currently, the garden is for individual consumption and swapping, but hopefully we will see it blossom into a local market with fresh produce for sale! New members are welcome, as long as there are vacant plots available, so make sure to call for information! The garden can always use more supplies, like hoses, rain barrels, and such, so there are plenty of ways to lend a hand!

Last year was so much fun! Just look at some of the plots we had, and the harvest we enjoyed!

Just one of the beautiful plots last year! Check out the Tybee Community Garden Facebook page for more!

There's nothing quite like getting your hands dirty, working the soil, and harvesting your bounty! Visit Tybee's Community Garden next time you're on the island. Its located between the YMCA and the Old School. Stop by, or better yet, reserve a plot and help keep Tybee green! We'd love to see you there!

Mermaid Sighting: Real Life Mermaids!

This has to be the coolest thing ever! Our friend Rob from Erie, Pennsylvania shared this with us and of course, we had to share it with you!! Real life Mermaids...how exciting!!!

Have you seen a mermaid? We'd love to hear about it! Please send your sightings to diane@mermaidcottages.com and let us share it with our readers right here. We can't wait to hear from you!

Mermaid Tales: Sea Turtle Friendly Cottages

from the Tybee Sea Turtle Project Facebook Page

     It's sea turtle season on Tybee Island, and that means we are more conscious than ever about how our environment affects these amazing and beautiful creatures! It is so very important, especially for cottages right on the beach, to be aware of light pollution. Light pollution- from both indoor and outdoor sources -can have a negative impact on any nocturnal wildlife, especially our beloved sea turtles. Brightly lit areas discourage females from nesting as well as disorient new hatchlings, drawing them away from the ocean and toward dangers-a-plenty. If you are visiting Tybee during sea turtle season from May 1st thru Oct 31st, the most important thing to remember  is that it is Lights Out for Sea Turtles time!

     Mermaid Cottages cares immensely about this cause and we do everything we can to insure our beach front cottages- Doyle's on the Beach and Crabby Jo's -are super sea turtle friendly! We even support the Tybee Sea Turtle Project through sales of our very own Mermaid Morning Bliss Coffee! You know, these precious marine treasures face enough natural dangers as it is, so we need to do everything possible to get them their best chance at a long, healthy life!

     So, how in the world can you make a difference? Well, check out this wonderful list of simple steps from Defenders.org!

from Defenders.org

Having alternative, sea turtle friendly lighting is a great way to have lights where you need them and still be sea turtle friendly, but it's just a good habit to close shades after dark, remove all obstacles from the beach, and turn off lights in rooms that aren't in use. And hey, those good green habits no matter where you are!

We are very proud of our efforts, and the efforts of Tybee Island, to be sea turtle friendly! We hope you are too!

The Making of a Mermaid...Cottage

We'd like to welcome a guest blogger today! She just happens to be our favorite author too boot...please welcome Mary Kay Andrews!

Our beloved Breeze Inn

Before we bought our own Tybee Island beach house in 2008, I conducted my own unintentional research on beach rentals over the space of nearly many, many years. Growing up in St. Pete, Florida, my family rented beach cottages at places like Indian Rocks Beach and Madeira Beach, for many years. Those were basic little mom-and-pop tourist courts, where all seven of us would crowd into a two-bedroom cottage for two glorious weeks at the beach.  Then, beginning in the years when my husband and I were parents with young’uns, we returned to the Gulf beaches with our own children. Those cottages were modest—with butt-sprung old mattresses, formica dinettes, and a motley collection of sofas and chairs, worn linoleum floors and the ever-present scent of suntan oil and mildew.

Miss Molly enjoying her time on Tybee!

In later years, when we’d retreat to Grayton Beach, Florida, renting beach houses with friends for our children’s spring breaks, we found grander places—three story homes with elaborate kitchens, decks, ocean views, heated swimming pools—and grander prices too.
We lived in Raleigh, N.C. for a few years not long ago, and explored the Atlantic Coast beaches, renting tiny motel-room like efficiencies at Topsail Island and Sunset Beach.
All along the way, I was hatching a scheme to someday own my own beach cottage. Our search narrowed in recent years to Tybee Island. It was only a four-hour drive from our fulltime home in Atlanta, and we loved Tybee’s small-town funky, spunky charm.
But when I met Diane Kaufman, who owns Mermaid Cottage Vacation Rentals, my search went into hyperdrive. Diane invited me to stay in several of her cottages for those “runaway weeks” when I’d retreat to Tybee to work on a novel-in-progress. I think the first one I stayed in was either Flip-Flop, or The Shrimp.

Breeze Inn livingroom

Those cottages were an entirely new experience for me. They were small, yes, but oh, so cozy. And adorable. Did I mention they were adorable? Decorated in bright, beachy colors, they spelled instant vacation. They were comfortable too, with lots of comfortable seating, good lamps, free wireless internet, new mattresses—and miracle of miracle—lovely thick, fluffy towels and high thread-count sheets. Seriously—I have stayed in so many beach rentals with nasty, threadbare linens, not to mention pillows that looked like the dog slept on them! Not every Mermaid Cottage I stayed in had a big kitchen—I was stunned to learn that some people don’t actually like to cook on their vacations—but they were all workable. And listen to this—when I opened the cupboards, I found full sets of matching dishes, flatware, glasses and silverware. The pots and pans weren’t the goofy assortment of banged-up thrift-store rejects I found in other beach rentals. I once stayed in a rented beach house on Madeira Beach in St. Pete whose sole kitchen equipment was a lemon juicer, an egg beater and an enormous cast-iron frying pan.

The wonderful Diane Kaufman, Head Mermaid!

Knowing we would be putting our future cottage in Mermaid’s rental program, we sought Diane’s advice during the hunt for the perfect beach house. This one? Diane would discreetly shake her head. The block was too noisy. That one? Eye roll. Only one bathroom, no shower.  How about this one? Too far from the beach. That one? No parking.
Finally, she gave the thumbs up to the stinky, rat-infested rundown wreck that became The Breeze Inn, and gave us advice throughout the year-long renovation process.

One of the bedrooms at Breeze Inn!

Bedrooms didn’t have to be huge, she told us, but they did have to be welcoming. Forget walk-in closets at the beach, use that room to add a bathroom—you can never have enough showers or toilets on vacation. Kitchens needed to be efficient—and fully stocked. Some kind of porch was mandatory—screened-in would be best. All building materials had to be sturdy and low-maintenance, but high quality. We put in all new plumbing and electrical, and paid careful attention to the capacity of the new heat and air unit. Who wants to be hot at the beach?

Having fun at Southern Cross!

While we were renovating, and even now, three years later, we did our market research—by staying in other Mermaid Cottages. I’ve lost count  now, but I think I’ve probably slept in at least a dozen different Mermaids, including Nora’s, Heron Hideaway, Castaway (our closest neighbor since they are right next door) The Enlisted Men’s Mess, Mermaid’s Tale, Blue Heron, Fiddler on the Creek, Fish Camp and Back River Bungalow. For St. Patrick’s Day this past year, while our son, Boomerang Boy, and his post-college crowd stayed at our own house, we bunked quite comfortably at Back River Bungalow, which easily handled the dozen kids who showed up for the Friday night shrimp dinner we served. On our most recent Easter trip to Tybee, when we didn’t act fast enough to reserve The Breeze Inn,  we checked in down the street at Southern Cross, which fit our three generations—including granddaughter Molly, quite nicely. Everybody raved about the generous wrap-around porches and the delightful outdoor spa.
Every time we’ve slept with a new Mermaid, we’ve found great ideas worth stealing. One cottage’s extensive DVD collection inspired me to start my own movie library at The Breeze Inn. (True confession; I rarely pay more than $5 for a movie, buying them at yard sales and bargain bins at discount stores.) At another, I copied the idea of hanging a simple cotton curtain as a closet door, for another, we stole a detail for our outdoor shower. The daybed we tucked into our downstairs stair hall was inspired by daybeds we spied in other cottages.

Breeze Inn Cottage!

At the start of our third full summer of summer rentals, we’re still thrilled to be able to share our beloved Breeze Inn with our guests. When people ask how we can stand to let “strangers” rent our beautiful beach house, we just tell them we don’t rent to strangers, we rent to guests who appreciate and respect our home as much as we do. Yup. We’re still proud to be amongst the Mermaids.

Live Like a Local: The 25th Annual Beach Bum Parade!

     We are so excited! This Friday, May 20th, is the 25th annual Beach Bum Parade here on Tybee! Never heard of it? Well, it's only known as the World's Largest Water Fight! That's right, this Friday you can come to Tybee and get wet! The Beach Bum Parade begins at 6 pm.m, so get here early for a spot along the parade route.

     The parade began in 1987, but it's attendance has grown each year, and now it's a pretty big deal. Last year, it was estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 people joined in and got water logged! The entry fee for the participating floats will have to help with added security costs this year, but in addition, any revenues left over goes right back into the Tybee community to aid the needy and help with other community projects through charity organizations throughout the island. How wonderful is that?! So, if you needed a reason to get wet, there's not a better one! Make sure you visit the picture galleries at Savannah Now to see all the fun from years past!

     Now, we want to make sure this event is safe for everyone involved, so make sure to follow a few simple rules, and use some commonsense guidelines, if you are planning to join in the fun:

• use water guns instead of buckets and hoses...we are a "Water First" community after all!
• try to keep your water fight fun to your private yard until the official start of the parade
• water balloons, buckets, and pressure washers are not allowed. They can damage things and hurt others, and that isn't any fun at all!
• Play Nice, No Ice. Please do not use chilled water or ice cubes!
• use your manners and please restrict your water targets to parade participants and on-lookers
• obviously, the police are there for your protection. It is illegal to squirt of spray them...you won't like the results, and really, it's just plain disrespectful.
• Lastly, please use only water, no other liquids are allowed!

In other words...use your noggin and your manners! The Beach Bum Parade is good clean fun and it has always been the official kick off to Tybee's busy summer season. We can't wait for Friday and we hope to see you there!

Bring your water batter gear and don your bathing suits because it is always a wet, wild, wonderful time!