FC27,
Fairhope is a nice city with pleasant surroundings. I usually scout the two tournaments down there during the spring and in the past they have been pretty competitive with good teams. Not alot to do outside of eating good seafood and shopping in some of the newer malls, though.
Daphne and Fairhope have several hotels I would recommend, rather than lodiging on the west side of the bay (Mobile). Travel from there is more difficult and while Mobile is not a high crime area, there seems to be more police calls in that area than east of the bay.
Enjoy your stay in Alabama. By the way, I live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for six years and loved it!