After sitting for hours leaving on Saturday, we leave by 8AM.

On Saturdays I usually leave around 3pm and don't have much trouble. I don't know if that's too long a day for you to hang out somewhere. I think afternoons are easier than mornings.

I've never experienced much traffic coming back on a Saturday. It's usually Sundays that are congested.

Enjoy a leisure departure without rushing out.

Realistically we won't be out of our place at the crack of dawn. We will need every minute to try to cram all of our kidstuff into our tiny car. We will probably drive to another beach to pass the time. Can we safely head back in the early afternoon or will it suck just as much?