Ike’s has been setting up chairs and umbrellas on this coast for over 40 years, which in beach-service years makes them the institution. Based on West Beach Boulevard in Gulf Shores — a solid drive west of Perdido Key — but covering Orange Beach, Perdido Key, and Fort Morgan too, they’re the outfit behind a lot of those neat rows of chairs you see waiting on the sand at the resorts.
How it works
Two flavors. At the resorts they partner with, attendants handle everything on-site during the day — book online by mid-afternoon the day before, or find the attendant on the beach for same-day. Everywhere else, it’s local delivery: they drop the gear at your place for anywhere from one to fourteen days, and you can add setup and breakdown at checkout if hauling an umbrella across the dunes isn’t your idea of vacation. One rule worth knowing — everything comes off the beach overnight, dusk to dawn. That’s local law, meant for the sea turtles and the crews that groom the sand, not Ike’s being fussy, and they’re sticklers about it for good reason.
Beyond the umbrella
Kayaks (single and double), paddleboards, regular and electric bikes, volleyball nets — and beach wheelchairs, which matter more than any of it if someone in your group needs one. They’ve thought of most things.
Before you book
Check whether your condo or resort is one of their on-site locations first; if it is, the attendant setup is the easy path. If not, local delivery for the length of your stay beats renting day by day. Their season runs at full tilt from Memorial Day to Labor Day with reduced service in the off-season, so check the site before a fall trip. Flag status changes what you’ll want out there — a double-red day means nobody’s using the kayak — so watch the flags.
