I recently stayed at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel in Alabama, as I was looking forward to a relaxing respite for a weekend. The description of the resort property sounded inviting: “Connect with your soul, loved ones, or colleagues in the natural beauty of The Lodge. Shed the stresses of daily life and focus on relationships as you immerse yourself in the seashore and natural habitat of Gulf State Park. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to connect you with nature, and with those you’ve brought along for the journey.”
I was sold. On to Alabama.
My Stay at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel
The description continued: “When it comes to ‘elevated comfort and Southern hospitality,’ there’s nothing else like The Lodge anywhere on the Southern Alabama Coast. We pride ourselves on providing every guest with an unparalleled experience — refined, yet warm and welcoming. The 350 room Lodge at Gulf State Park is a full-service resort with access to an array of amenities, activities and facilities.”
Upon arrival and after parking the car, I checked in at the front desk.
I was given a wrist band so that I can access Gulf State Park Pier nearby at no additional charge. The Do Not Disturb sign reveals that 28 miles of trails await guests at Gulf State Park itself.
The remainder of the spacious lobby had plenty of places to sit — including rocking chairs near a fireplace.
Outside of the lobby was a deck, on which were more rocking chairs that anyone can sit on and face the beach and the blue waters of the gulf.
The Room.
The good news was that the bed was very comfortable…
…but unfortunately, noise emanated from both sides of the room during many times of the day. On the other side of the wall at which the bed was located was a room for employees only where members of the housekeeping staff had items stored — but they continuously chatted very loudly with a cacophony noise from banging the laundry carts both into the wall and into each other. Fortunately, these noises only occurred during the daytime hours — but they were still annoying.
On the other side of the wall of a door that connected to the next room was a guest room which was occupied by a man, a woman, and at least two very young children. They spoke loudly, screamed, yelled and created enough noise to awaken me prior to 6:30 in the morning on both days that I stayed there, which was during a weekend — and they were at it throughout much of both days.
I was unable to get any meaningful rest as a result.
On the side of each night stand on either side of the bed were two electrical outlets and two USB-A Universal Serial Bus ports — but unfortunately, no USB-C Universal Serial Bus ports were available in the room. If your device uses a USB-C Universal Serial Bus, bring an adapter with you.
On each side of the window were a chair and a small round table.
A full length mirror was on the left inside door of the closet, which also included a portable luggage rack, an ironing board, an iron, nine wooden hangers, a plastic bag for laundry, and what was either a spare pillow or a spare blanket. On the left side of the closet were more storage options; and to the left of that was a place on the wall to hang articles of clothing.
On top of the small counter to the right of the closet was a station for coffee and tea.
The room is equipped with a safe and an empty miniature refrigerator underneath the counter — both of which are inside of the cabinet adjacent to the closet…
…but do not expect to find a microwave oven in any of the rooms at this resort property because they consume too much electricity; and management at this resort property strives to be as ecologically sustainable as possible.
The Bathroom.
The bathroom was well lit.
I liked the shower, as the pressure and temperature of the water were very good — but the shower did not have either a rain shower head or a hand-held alternative.
Sustainable toiletries by BeeKind were in bulk dispensers that were attached to the wall of the shower and included:
- Shampoo with honey and organic red clover extracts
- Conditioner with honey and organic calendula extracts
- Shower gel with honey and organic lemongrass extracts
On the counter of the vanity was both a tube of BeeKind body lotion and a small round skincare bar of BeeKind soap with moisturizing aloe.
The View.
Some of the rooms of the resort property included a balcony — whereas my room did not — but part of the window did open partially for fresh air.
The view from the window of my room was that of Gulf State Park; Alabama State Highway 182, which is also known as Alabama’s Coastal Connection; and the driveway to the main entrance of the resort property.
The Food, Part 1: Perch.
Perch and Foodcraft are the two signature restaurants on the resort property that share the same entrance. They both offer fresh local cuisine.
A comfortable couch was part of the area for guests who awaited to be seated at their tables.
A full service bar is located near the waiting area near the entrance of both restaurants.
Perch is located upstairs — hence the name — while Foodcraft is located downstairs.
We dined at Perch for dinner on the first evening. The interior part of Perch was clean and very inviting…
…but places to eat were available outside on the covered deck — and who would not want to dine outside with the breezes and the sounds of the sea?
Music for the evening came from live entertainment, which is not shown in the above photograph.
Group seating was available around fire pits.
A view of the deck outside of the lobby with the rocking chairs was part of the view from Perch — along with the beach.
The Perch Seafood Tower — which serves between two people and four people — was comprised of citrus poached gulf shrimp, a lobster tail, oysters, smoked gulf fish salad, crab ceviche, grapefruit-tarragon mignonette, chipotle-lime cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, horseradish, and lavash crackers. My only complaint was that some of the seafood rested directly on a bed of coarse salt, which I did not like. I had to scrape off the salt. Other than the coarse salt, nothing was left over. $110.00
For a side dish, the Crisp Smashed Fingerling Potatoes were ordered — which was a great accompaniment to the seafood tower. $8.00
After we finished dinner, a man proposed marriage to a woman near a giant cross that was temporarily placed on the beach. She said yes. Many of the people on the outside deck of Perch erupted in applause and cheers.
The Food, Part 2: Foodcraft.
We dined at Foodcraft during the second evening of the stay, which is downstairs from Perch and purports to be fresh, local, and delicious.
As with Perch, the interior was clean and inviting…
…and the main dining area was spacious — even more so that with Perch…
…but once again, we chose to dine outside — this time, on the patio.
We selected a table near the railing, as we did at Perch on the previous evening.
Similarly to Perch, the outdoor space has fire pits for when the evenings get chilly. In the background of the above photograph are additional outdoor seating for Foodcraft — as well as the aforementioned patio outside of the lobby with the rocking chairs.
After we were seated at our table and reviewed the menu, we placed our orders.
Crispy Gulf Fish Bites were accompanied by Cajun citrus aioli, an heirloom tomato salad, and a slice of lemon. This starter was quite tasty; and the batter elevated this dish with an extra flavor note. $13.00
I then noticed a couple of long blond hairs on the table — and nobody that was seated at the table had blond hair. The table was promptly cleaned once members of the staff were called attention to it.
The Crispy Skin Snapper contained parmesan tortellini, dijon crawfish cream sauce, English peas, and crispy prosciutto. Despite the fact that I typically do not like many of the ingredients that are included this dish, I thoroughly enjoyed it, as the flavors blended very well together: the tortellini was the perfect texture; the fish was cooked well and nice and firm; and the dish was appetizingly colorful. I highly recommend ordering it. $27.00
The Daily Gulf “Catch” that evening was fish offered blackened, grilled, or fried, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Garlic Parmesan Risotto. The salmon was blackened and topped with a beurre blanc sauce; and it was very good — as was the risotto — but the Brussels sprouts were somewhat underdone and not cooked enough. $28.00
Peach Crisp was roasted summer peaches, spiced pecans, 0at & brown sugar crumble, which was very good. $8.00
The Signature Key Lime Pie was sublime with coconut graham crust and whipped toasted Italian meringue. $9.00
The Beach and Surrounding Grounds.
Dragonfly Bar & Grill offers casual dining and refreshing beverages by the swimming pool. It is located across from…
…what else — The Dragonfly Boutique, which sells “gifts from the Gulf”.
In the background of the above photograph off to the left is where guests can come up to the window and order Hershey’s Ice Cream, which is not affiliated with Hershey’s chocolate.
The swimming pool was nice; but it was often too crowded with people. For a resort property of this size, this swimming pool is woefully too small. The reason why no hot tub is located anywhere on the resort property is similar to why no rooms are equipped with microwave ovens.
Bicycles were available for riding at no extra cost — which could especially come in handy for exploring Gulf State Park…
…except that the tires on most of the bicycles were balding of their treads — and the mobile software application program to use the bicycles did not work.
A boardwalk — with a gate — allows people to walk between the beach and the resort property.
At the end of the boardwalk is a stand called Barnacle Bill’s, where one can order drinks.
During construction of the resort property, greater than six football fields of coastal dunes and native plant communities within the building site were protected. A roughly equivalent amount of landscape — which was previously disturbed by construction activities — has also been restored.
In addition to engaging in volleyball and other activities on the beach, guests can get a workout in the fitness center at the resort property — but no photographs were taken of it — nor did I have a chance to photograph the meeting rooms, for that matter.
In the distance is Gulf State Park Pier, at which guests of The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel have free entry with their aforementioned wrist bands. Otherwise, admission for access to the pier is ten dollars.
Outdoor showers help guests rinse the sand and sea off of their bodies prior to heading back to the resort property.
Final Boarding Call
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel is adjacent to Gulf State Pier on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico — err…Gulf of America — just two miles east of central Gulf Shores in Alabama.
I used a free night certificate that I earned with my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to pay for the first night of my stay; and because The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel is one of at least 294 resort properties that qualify for a resort credit of $200.00 for people who have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card — and that $200.00 was deducted from the cost of my stay. Because the front desk removed the charge of dinner at Foodcraft on the second night as a result of my feedback with regard to the aforementioned constant noise in the room, the grand total for my stay — including all taxes, fees, and meals — was $386.29.
By the way, I did not ask for any compensation.
In addition to the resort property itself, guests also have the option to stay in a cottage at Eagle Cottages at Gulf State Park. I did not have the chance to see them for myself.
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel is not the only lodging option with Hilton in Gulf Shores, as this area in southern Alabama is emerging as a compelling alternative to more traditional winter meeting destinations like Denver. Its quiet charm, walkable town, mild winter weather, and off-season serenity means that Gulf Shores is a hidden gem for planners who are looking to escape the chill without sacrificing convenience or quality.
As an example, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Gulf Shores Beach Resort hotel property is a beachfront retreat on the gulf coast of Alabama, which just opened after my aforementioned stay had concluded. It is ideal for corporate offsite meetings, leadership retreats, or team bonding getaways. As event planners look to energize winter meetings with fresh, new destinations that inspire connection and downtime, Embassy Suites by Hilton has a growing portfolio of beachfront properties that deliver the perfect blend of business productivity and beachside bliss — including Deerfield Beach, Saint Augustine, and Panama City Beach. These properties reflect the growth and evolution of the brand, which brings the signature hospitality of Embassy Suites to destinations where business travelers and event attendees can recharge, refocus, and reconnect while offering meeting and event planners flexible space and support for seamless event planning and execution.
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, a Hilton Hotel
21196 East Beach Boulevard
Gulf Shores, Alabama, 36542
United States of America
+1-251-540-4000
pnslg_hotel@hilton.com
Room rates for the remainder of 2025 range from $93.00 per night to $530.00 per night at the time this article was written. Taxes are not included.
No mandatory fee is charged to stay at this resort property.
Five dining options are available at this resort property — but keep in mind that although Woodside Restaurant at Gulf State Park is supposed to be a great place to dine, that restaurant is off property; not within walking distance of the resort property; cannot be billed to the room; and is ineligible for the daily food and beverage credit that is a benefit of members of the Hilton Honors membership program who have earned elite status.
- Dinner is available from 5:00 in the afternoon through 11:00 in the evening Wednesdays through Sundays
- Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
- Breakfast is available from 7:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the morning seven days per week
- Lunch is available from 11:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon seven days per week
- Dinner is available from 5:00 in the afternoon through 10:00 in the evening seven days per week
- Brunch is available from 11:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon Saturdays and Sundays
The cost for parking is as follows:
- $15.00 per day for self parking
- $22.00 per day for valet parking
The permeable parking lot is not paved — rather, it uses TrueGrid technology to allow rainwater to drain into the ground.
Guests can walk to Gulf State Park — but the distance may be too long for some people to walk. Click here for a schedule of the complimentary tram service and its stops between the resort property and Gulf State Park.
Pets are not allowed at this resort property.
All photographs and videos ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
