Family Vacation in Destin

The outlet mall was about 8 miles from the hotel with many shops. There was also a bass pro shop nearby and a wal-mart only about a mile away. The track with rides, mini golf, go carts, and games is across the street. Also there is a water park across the street. We also visited the Gulfarium in Ft. Walton one day while it was rainy and it was very enjoyable.

Destin is a location I just keep wanting to go back to again and again. I really love the wide, white sandy beaches and all there is to do there. The addition of the outlet mall has been great. I also like all the restaurants, and the people in the town are really friendly and helpful. We also get quick service.

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They have a regular restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner and a bar. The restaurant did not have the best menu, and the breakfast seemed a little costly, since we don't eat much in the mornings. They have kid’s activities every day and also a game room. There is a gift shop with reasonably priced items for the pool and anything else you may have forgotten. The hotel is located right on the beach, with umbrellas and chairs for rent and water activities close by. The beach is really wide and white at the hotel. I would definitely stay here again in the future, especially if traveling with kids.

This is a great place for lunch or dinner. There is usually not a wait for a table during lunch, but there often is during dinner if you do not arrive early. The restaurant is wooden, with wooden tables and windows that open and allow the gulf breeze to flow though. They also have a bar and gift shop that you can take advantage of while waiting for a table. They have a large parking area across the street from the restaurant, and it is located within walking distance from many of the condos and hotels.

I have eaten at this restaurant on almost all my vacations to Destin. During my last visit, we ate there for lunch on the day we arrived. We were seated as soon as we arrived. They had a great children’s menu and regular menu. They have sandwiches, seafood sandwiches, salads, many appetizers, seafood dishes, and a large dessert menu. They also offer a bar with a wide range of frozen drinks.

My son’s food arrived just a few minutes after we ordered it, so he did not have time to get bored or mad. Then our food arrived shortly afterwards. The waiters and waitresses were all very friendly and paid lots of attention to my son. One even stopped by our table to show off a picture of her kids. This is a very good family restaurant with wonderful, friendly service.

After finishing our meal, we were offered dessert and received our check quickly. I will definitely go back on my next trip to Destin.

During our last visit, we arrived around 5pm, were given a number for a table, and were asked to go downstairs to the waiting area and watch the screens for our number. Once downstairs, there was a large bar area with tables, chairs and bar stools, and an outside porch area that also had tables and chairs. There were screens both inside and outside where you could watch for your number to be called. The porch area had a wonderful view of the beach and ocean and a nice ocean breeze. We had about a 15-minute wait until our number was called.

When we arrived back upstairs, we were quickly seated and given our menus. Our waitress took our drink orders and I also went ahead and ordered for my son, who isn’t real good with waits. The adult menu was wonderful, but the children’s menu was really catered toward older children. They did not offer the grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese. They did have burgers and chicken and such, though. The adult menu was full of wonderful-sounding dishes. I chose the parmesan-stuffed shrimp because that is what I had on my last visit, and I absolutely loved it. My son got his order really quickly. I ordered him a hamburger that came with fries. The burger was huge; I don’t know of many adults that could have eaten this entire meal. It was costly, and I could see why for the size, but I would have rather the option of a cheaper price and smaller child’s meal. My food took a while but was wonderful when it arrived. I also got a salad and bread while waiting on my food. The food was worth the wait. Overall, it took about an hour and 20 minutes from the time we were seated until we received our check. It is a little slow.

The restaurant is very nice, with nice, clean, and neat tables with real cloth napkins. It is a little fancier than many of the seafood restaurants in the area. I will be going back again on my next trip; even with the wait, the food is worth it.

During our visits, we arrived early and were either directly seated or waited a few minutes for a table. During the wait, you have the outside play area, a bar area, or a porch area with picnic-type tables. We chose the porch area and were the only ones waiting there, so my son ran and played and we were quickly called for our table. They also offer a gift shop you can visit while waiting or after you dine.

Once we were seated, we received our menus and the children’s menu, which has a coloring book with it. The children’s menu was really good and reasonably priced. My son got the macaroni and cheese both times. The regular menu had many seafood options, appetizers, and desserts. I got grilled shrimp once and shrimp scampi once. They were both wonderful; I absolutely loved the scampi sauce.

After ordering, we quickly received our drinks and my son’s food. Then our food also followed quickly. As soon as we finished, the server took our dessert orders and brought our check. The dessert was also wonderful, although I had to get a to-go box for part of it.

During the entire dining experience, they are playing fast-paced music, and then every so often they will turn the music up loud and all the servers start dancing and even dancing on the tables if there are open ones. My son loved to watch this. It was very entertaining. The entire restaurant is very laid-back and encourages having fun. I will be visiting it again sometime soon.

During our last visit, we got to the hostess desk and were seated without a wait. We did arrive around 5pm, though. They are also open for lunch and have a really good lunch menu. Actually, I usually prefer this place for lunch. During this visit, there were cameras and a film crew because they were actually in the process of filming a commercial.

Once seated, you receive menus that look like newspapers. They have articles about the place and the menu items. They have seafood, salads, and sandwiches. The kid’s menu was good, and we quickly were asked for drink orders and I also ordered my son a grilled cheese. We got our drinks and then his food. Our meals quickly followed. The food was good, but like I said earlier, the menu is more for lunch to me. The service was very quick and always has been on all my visits.

I will probably go back again, but maybe for lunch next time.

They opened at 5pm for dinner, and we arrived just after they opened. We were quickly seated and given a piece of paper with the menu items printed on it. They only have a small selection of items to order and the items changed nightly. I was a little disappointment in the small selection. The children’s menu was really good though. Also children eat free with a paying adult. I ordered fried shrimp and macaroni and cheese for my son. His also came with fries, apple sauce, milk, and an orange push up. Mine came with a side item, salad bar and desert bar. The food was pretty good I’m just not much on fried food. The salad bar was great and the desert bar was okay but didn’t have a large selection. The price was really good for everything we received though.

The service was also very good. Our waitress was quick and friendly and she was really good with making sure my son was happy and entertained. They also had a children’s area in the restaurant with a television playing cartoons a small table and colors and coloring books. This is a good play to bring kids and is convenient if you are staying in the hotel.

This restaurant is located between the pool and beach area at the Holiday Inn Hotel on the beach. You access this restaurant from the outside deck area. They are open seasonally for lunch and snacks. We ate here a few times during our trip. It was very convenient since we were staying in the Holiday Inn and did not have to go clean up for lunch; we could just walk up in our swimsuits, order, and wait for our number to be called to pick up our food. The workers here were always very friendly. They opened at 11am daily and served lunch items like burgers, hot dogs, fries, cheese fries, nachos, chicken sandwiches, salads, chicken salads, and chicken tenders. They also had candy bars, chips, and ice-cream bars. They also severed bar items like frozen drinks and beers. This is a very easy and convenient place to eat if you are staying in the hotel and enjoying time at the pool and on the beach. It is not something you would come to if you were not already saying at the hotel, though. I will continue to eat here when I visit the Holiday Inn.

When we first got there, we had to wait in a huge line to get our tickets and get in. It was a rainy day, so it seemed like everyone picked that day to go. They would only let so many be inside the gates at a time, so we actually had to wait until people came out before we were allowed to enter. This was by far the worst part; it was about a 45-minute wait. Also, my son wanted something to drink and there was no place to buy that until we were allowed though the gate. They did have machines out in front of the building, but they were all out of order and the gift shop we were allowed in did not sell drinks. When you first walk in the door, they also take your picture, and before you leave, you can view and purchase pictures if you’d like.

Once we were in the gate, the fun began. First we walked by some of the fish tanks on the way to see the dolphin and sea lion show. We saw several types shark swimming around in tanks and sea turtles and several other species of sea fish. They also had concession stands once inside where you could get snack and drinks, but they were pretty costly.

The dolphin and sea lion show was great. We all watched and never lost interest. The animals were really talented. The sea lion climbed a ladder, got on a platform like a diving board, and helped a fish into his mouth without eating it. They also told them different commands for different body parts and they would show us. It was really neat.

After this, we looked in the fish tanks some more before going to the dolphin show. This show was also great. They had three dolphins in this show, and they would jump all at the same time and hit balls hanging above them. Then they could just go through hula hoops. The trainer got on a platform really high up and held a fish in her mouth, and the dolphin jumped up and got the fish from her mouth. This is a place I would for sure like to visit again one day. It is really entertaining for all ages.