Those looking for a beach vacation — and isn't everybody? — should be able to find what they want on the southern tip of Alabama.

But where to go: the more popular Gulf Shores on the Gulf of Mexico or the more "Southern" Fairhope? They're 30 miles apart, but are distant cousins when it comes to ambiance.

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Gulf Shores, Ala., is known for white-sand beaches and green water.

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If you're a Jimmy Buffett "parrothead" and love to hit shopping malls, toss steaks onto a grill, stay in a high-rise condo and have a huge choice of restaurants, clubs and activities, Gulf Shores is probably best. The water is greener. And the Flora-Bama, the world's best honky-tonk, is right there on the Alabama/Florida state line in adjacent Orange Beach.

Fairhope, a haven for writers and artists, doesn't have a high-rise in sight. The water is a bit muddy in Mobile Bay, but The Wall Street Journal named Fairhope one of the top 10 places in America to retire. There are inns and bed-and-breakfasts with front porches and flowers are planted along the main street, where — after parking once — you can amble among antique shops, cafes, boutiques, bookstores and ice cream parlors. It is, in a word — or two — cute, adorable, charming. OK, three words. And authentic.

And just down the road, in Point Clear, is a resort hotel that regulars call simply The Grand. Because it is.

Both Gulf Shores and Fairhope/Point Clear a provide real vacation from stress. You can pick one or the other. Or how about dividing your time and trying both?

IF YOU GO TO THE ALABAMA COAST

Alabama Tourism: www.800alabama.com; type in Gulf Shores or Fairhope

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach: (800) 745-SAND (7263), www.gulfshores.com

Fairhope: www.cofairhope.com, click on Visitors Info

Downtown Fairhope Merchants Assn., (251) 929-2928, www.downtownfairhope.com

Where to stay: www.discoverourtown.com/AL/Fairhope/ Lodging-94.html

Grand Hotel Point Clear Resort & Spa Marriott: 17855 Scenic Highway 98, Point Clear, Ala. (251) 928-9201 or (800) 544-9933, www.marriott.com