Best Things Nearby:
Destin Harbour, Kokomo Snorkeling -- next door -- shops within walking distance (including the Spunky Monkey next door, the Seafood Market just down the street, whose daily specials included red snapper for $3.95 per pound, or 16 - 20 count shrimp for the same price), water park (also reasonable -- $15 per person, but not open during the winter months), and restaurants galore. Day trips to the casinos in Biloxi are available for $5 with coupon ($7 without), and include a free buffet lunch or $10 in gaming money.
Best Things About the Resort:
It's a small resort -- only 11 apartments (nine two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom units), so the pool will never be too crowded. It's right on Destin Harbour, and a boat slip is included with any exchange. The pool is a nice size. An elevator is being added and will be working by March 1, 2003 at the latest. The view is spectacular. (We watched dolphins in the harbour right from our balcony the first morning.) The night view is wonderful.
Resort Experience:
The building was built in 1969 as two-bedroom apartments. (The office and the two one-bedroom units were added later.) It became a timeshare in 1981. Therefore, don't expect the level of luxury common in the resorts being built now.
There is only one bathroom, and no jacuzzi. The apartments are 750 square feet. (The one-bedroom apartments are also 750 square feet, so these apartments are more spacious, with a really nice kitchen.) Each apartment has a balcony overlooking the pool and Destin Harbor. The resort staff is small (1 person), and there are not many activities on site. Furnishings are replaced when well-worn.
On the other hand, the place is very homey, and the view is spectacular. (For my money, better than a view of the gulf, particularly when dolphins are in the harbor or at night.) Only about half the units are ever traded, and everyone is very friendly. If you come in by boat, you can manage pretty well without a car, either walking to shops and restaurants or getting there by boat. The resort is centrally located, as the area grew up around it.
If friends are visiting, the Harborside Inn & Marine next door rents rooms with a kitchenette for $40 - $80 per night. A water park ($15) is down the street, as is a go-kart / mini-golf park called "the Track." The beach at the State Park (on the gulf) is very large and very beautiful, but swimming in the gulf can be hazardous throughout the area. (Colored flags are posted denoting swimming conditions.) For very small children, there is a tiny beach at the resort (crystal clear water and very clean when we saw it), but the dock placement makes it unsuitable for older children who know how to swim. But, there's a very nice pool, and not many apartments to share it.
The waterside area is very well laid-out overall, with grills and picnic tables, and more tables around the pool, but it is small. (On a boat tour, we were told that there is one harbourside lot remaining undeveloped, and that it is listed for $40,000 per foot of waterfrontage, so the small size of the resort property is certainly understandable.) Laundry is available on-site (75 cents for washers, 50 cents for dryers). For these things, the small size of the resort is a plus.
- Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
- Activities: Fair
- Amenities: Very Good
- Unit Satisfaction: Good
- Family Friendliness: Excellent
- Service: Excellent