Destin, FL - A Fabulous Destination

The most memorable highlight of a trip to Destin is the beautiful beaches. We have been all over the Caribbean and to many resort areas in Florida. The long stretch of white sand and emerald waters of the Destin area easily compete with the nicest beaches in other tropical locales. With plenty to do in the area, including, golf, shopping, beaches, etc., our 6-night stay seemed too short! We can't wait to go back to the Destin area!

Quick Tips:

If you are staying at a resort community (we were at the Hilton in the Sandestin Resort) and you plan to rent bicycles more than just a few days, I would recommend renting them at a weekly rate outside of the resort. You can rent a bicycle at a local shop for around for the entire week. At the Sandestin Resort, bike rentals were /hour, /half-day, and for a full day. You couldn't rent them overnight.

Best Way To Get Around:

Because of the great restaurants and things to see, a car rental is recommended. In addition to the numerous shopping areas and restaurants a car would provide access to, a drive down scenic highway 30-A is a must-do activity! There are plenty of quaint towns with interesting shops to stop and see!

The Hilton Sandestin Resort - A fabulous Destin-ation

The Hilton Sandestin Resort is situated beachside within the gated Sandestin Resort community. The Sandestin Resort is a well-developed resort area with several golf courses, an active "town-like" area, bike rentals, putt-putt golf, shopping, and of course, the beach. Hilton Sandestin guests can take advantage of all of the community activities (at a cost).

The Hilton consists of two building - one approximately five stories and the other approximately 15 stories. It is an all-suites hotel. Our room was located in the 15-story building on the 11th floor. Upon entering the room, there were a set of bunk beds. Families travelling with children would enjoy the added sleeping space the bunkbeds provide. We were not travelling with children; however, a parent may be somewhat concerned that the beds are right next to the door, and a child on the top bunk could potentially unlatch the security lock and leave the room.

Our room had a king-size bed, a dorm-size refrigerator, a microwave, and a small sink, in addition to a sitting area and standard television set.

We had a few minor maintenance issues, but they were resolved immediately. The socket blew one night, and we lost electricity - maintenance immediately reset it. The bathtub spout fell off, and it was repaired upon reporting the issue.

This is a convention hotel, and several areas near the pool closed every day at 2pm to set up for patio dinners. This was a minor inconvenience. Although there were chairs around either pool, we were trying to stay away from the loud "Marco Polo" children's games, and the areas they closed offered nice, secluded sunbathing locations. There is an outdoor bar and restaurant, but they do not offer poolside service. One had to walk to the bar to get drinks. The drinks and food were expensive but comparable to other poolside resort prices.

The beach is beautiful. There were plenty of beach chairs. We didn't go into the ocean but walked along the surf.

We used 140,000 Hilton honors points for three nights of our stay and booked three additional nights on hotels.com ($650).

Overall, we had a very pleasant stay at the Hilton Sandestin resort. The concierge was helpful with restaurant and golf reservations. We would return to Destin again and would stay at the Hilton Sandestin Resort again.
For more information, visit their website at: www.sandestinbeachhilton.com

Café Thirty-A: Worth the Drive! Café Thirty-A: Worth the Drive!

Café Thirty-A, although a good distance from the Sandestin Resort (11+ miles), is well worth the drive.

From the ambience to the variety of tasty dishes, one can't go wrong while dining at Café Thirty-A.

We had reservations, but our table wasn't quite ready when we arrived, so we enjoyed a cocktail at the bar. The bar featured a martini menu and extensive choice of wines, in addition to the usual selections. We were seated quickly and didn't have to wait an extended period before we were seated at our table in the "patio section" of the restaurant.

My husband and I shared the "poached beet salad" to start our meal. Neither one of us would gravitate toward this selection, but it came highly recommended so we decided to try it. We are glad we did. It was outstanding.

For an entree, I chose the in-season fish special, and my husband had the margherita oak-fired pizza. We enjoyed both of the dishes.

To wrap things up, we shared a strawberry rhubarb pie (my personal favorite). It was a delicious finale to a great meal!

Visit the Cafe Thirty-A website at www.cafethirtya.com. The website contains the menu, wine list, extensive driving directions, and multiple pictures of the exterior and interior of the restaurant.

Destin Commons - A unique shopping experience and more

The Destin Commons Shopping area is a popular area located at the intersection of Highway 98 and State Road 293. Without pulling into the area and walking around, it looks like a typical strip shopping mall, but once you park and walk around the area, you realize its much more than that.

In addition to many upscale shops and boutiques such as ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, JOS. A. BANK, and BENETTON, there are two large anchor stores, Bass Pro for the sports minded shopper and BELK for those looking for department store goods.

A large stadium-seating movie theater is also in the area, as well as local entertainment (such as a Friday night concert series) planned throughout the peak-season months.

There are currently only a few restaurants, but according to their website ,there are quite a few more scheduled to open soon.

The area included a water fountain sidewalk that the children enjoyed running through and staying cool.

Although the outlet area is okay, I preferred this shopping area, as it had quality merchandise, plenty of people-watching, and entertainment. The shopping area is nicely laid out, and it was definitely the place to be in the evening in Destin.

This is definitely a shopping area worth a visit, and if you are only going to spend one day shopping, go here, not the outlets. Although they have many of the realtors one could find anywhere in the US, the unique shopping area and entertainment still provide an enjoyable experience!
For more information, visit the Destin Common website at www.destincommons.com.

A Visit to the National Museum of Naval Aviation - Worth the Trip

Although the Naval Flight Museum and IMAX theater are over 60 miles from Destin, it was a convenient stop for us, as we flew into the Pensacola airport.

The museum is located within the Pensacola Naval Base. Their website (see below) had detailed directions. Entry into the museum is free, but the IMAX shows require a purchased ticket. The museum includes a variety of aircraft and other naval air memorabilia, but one highlight is the IMAX theater.

When we visited, there were two shows playing, one called "Space Station" and a second one called "Magic of Flight." A new show will be released June 2005 called "Fighter Pilot." We saw "Magic of Flight," and it was $7/pp for each ticket. It was both entertaining and educational. Although there were some "fancy" flight scenes, there were none that caused me to get sick to my stomach (as can happen in some IMAX shows).

If you want to add some education to your vacation experience, or if you are flying through Pensacola, I recommend a stop at the Naval Air Museum. If you are lucky, you will visit on a day that the Blue Angels are practicing (we missed out, but check their schedule - you may get lucky!). The museum is a great tribute to the men and women who served our country and made history in naval aviation.






For more information, visit their website at http://naval.aviation.museum/home.html