Vacations at Destin

08/03/2024

Latest storm’s path. It will not reach to Hurricane status and will not be close to Destin.

03/16/2024

03/01/2024

We have just updated our Webcams and Beach-Cams. If you are about to go to Destin area, do check them to be mentally prepared and be in the Wave-zone.

Destin, Sandestin, Ft Walton Beach, Miramar Beach webcams for Pelican Beach Resort, Waterscape, Majestic Sun Resort and Sandestin Resort Luau and Greater Destin area.

02/15/2024

Another picturesque Destin sunset.

02/06/2024

A typical Destin sunset.

02/06/2024

A typical Destin Sunset

02/05/2024

Okaloosa Island pier. Destin is perfect in all seasons.

01/26/2024

Destin sunsets - Always the best.

01/26/2024

We just found a nice place to have morning coffee by the beach at Okaloosa Island. If you are at Waterscape Resort, it is a short walk from the beach right next to the Pier. You may want to try it. Oasis Cafe.

01/26/2024

This is our latest Destin - Things to do list. We also send this list to our guests before check-in.

We suggest you visit Destin Marina and Harborwalk Village. They have great restaurants with harbor views. There are also fun activities for kids and water sports to enjoy. At night, you can watch their weekly fireworks, and the sunset there is beautiful. Another recommendation is to take a Dolphin tour. Morning tours are better for seeing dolphins up close. You can even spot dolphins from a Jet Ski. There are about 4-5 tour operators for dolphin tours at Destin Marina.

You may rent Pontoon boats or other motorboats with your driver's license and explore Crab Island or the bay area. Kids love the playgrounds at Crab Island. You can read reviews about these activities on the Destin activities webpage we provided. Our favorite restaurant at the harbor area is Dewey Destin's Harborside.

Henderson Beach State Park is a simple park with restrooms and grilling areas, but it has a nice beach. Topsail Hill State Park is larger and more diverse, with walking trails and bike rentals around the lakes and shore. The entrance of Henderson Beach State Park is from W County Hwy 30A. The bike rental closes at 5 o'clock, but you can return the bikes even after they've closed.

Don't miss the Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin Resort, especially at night. There are activities for kids, a big playground, great restaurants, and shops. Some nights they have live music and entertainment, plus fireworks. The marina at Sandestin is also a wonderful place to watch the sunset. We enjoy at Hammerhead's Bar and Grille while listening to live music by the marina. We think Slick Lips has the best seafood, and Village Door next to Hammerhead's Bar and Grill has lovely local live music and a great marina view.

Our favorite restaurants in the area are Back Porch, Crab Trap, Acme Oyster House, Bayou Bill’s Crab House, Boshamps, Dewey Destin's Harborside, Stinky’s Fish Camp, Boathouse Oyster Bar, and Aegean (Greek) Restaurant. For steaks, McGuire's Irish Pub is the best. We also enjoy Louisiana Lagniappe for high-quality seafood. The Pancakery is a short walk from Pelican Beach Resort and perfect for a quick breakfast.

We highly recommend installing the Yelp app on your phone. It helps you avoid long wait-lists at restaurants where you can't make reservations, like Another Broken Egg Cafe and Cracklings. Thanks to this online waiting list system, we never wait in line for breakfast! Unfortunately, not all restaurants offer this online waiting list. Donut Hole is another local favorite for breakfast but be prepared for a bit of a wait since it's quite popular.

For discounted designer brands, check out the Silver Sands Premium Outlets.

For entertainment, you can visit Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, Gulf Breeze Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Eden State Gardens, and Big Kahuna's Water & Adventure Park.

If it's rainy, these family activities are recommended: Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone, Emerald Coast Science Center, Surge Trampoline Park (Ft Walton Beach), Playzone Xtreme Destin, Movie Theatre at Destin Commons, Escapology Escape Rooms Destin, Fudpuckers, Fudpuckers Gator Beach, Uncle Buck's Fishbowl and Grill, Destin Historical Fishing Museum, Rainforest Blacklight Golf & Arcade at Miramar Beach, The Redbird Art Experience, Air Force Armament Museum, and Rock Out Climbing Gym at Destin Commons.

Near Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, there are 4 restaurants. Our favorite is The Crab Trap. All these restaurants have ocean views. Angler's Beachside Grill offers breakfast on Saturdays and brunch on Sundays with an ocean view.

For longer stays, you may visit the village of Seaside to the East of Sandestin and taste the many food trucks at the main square. Some are quite delicious, there may be long lines in busy times.

There are two horseback riding ranches in the area that you can find online.

01/25/2024

Our 2023 best performing unit at VRBO is this 1 bedroom condo at Waterscape with an unbelievable 5.0/5 guest rating.

This family-friendly Fort Walton Beach condo building is located on the beach, within a 10-minute walk of Okaloosa Island Beach and Emerald Coast Convention Center. Wild Willy's Adventure Zone and Wayside Park are also within 15 minutes.

01/25/2024

Our 2023 best performing unit at Airbnb is this Sandestin Bahia Studio with 4.94/5 guest review ranking.

Sandestin Bahia 2nd flr Studio - Baytowne Wharf

01/24/2024

We continued to win awards this year. Our best performing units are at Waterscape in Booking .com and it won Traveller Review Award with a score of 9.3 out of 10.

08/29/2023

Destin area is again very lucky with Hurricane Idalia. It is going towards Cedar Key, FL which is about 280 miles East of Destin, FL. We expect light winds and some rain on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and nothing more.

06/10/2023

Pelican Beach Resort is recently painted. We love the new colors.

06/10/2023

Here is an updated link for top Destin activities woth booking links and reviews.

Find 20+ top attractions & tours in Destin, Florida with photos, rates & availability. Book the best things to do today, this weekend, or in June.

11/09/2022

We are once again very lucky. West Panhandle where Destin area is located, is out of the path of current storm system.

09/28/2022

Sandestin Beach-cam right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tampa Bay and below as Hurrican Ian moves directly to those areas.

09/27/2022

Right now in Destin/Miramar Beach.
You may watch it from Sandestin Resort beach-cam at:

http://205.215.252.13/

While Hurricane Ian is heading towards Tampa, it is quite peaceful at Panhandle.

02/19/2022

We have updated our 11th floor and 5th floor Pelican Beach Resort units and Sandestin Bahia and Grand Sandestin studio units. Destin is inviting to the ocean!

11/29/2021

Destin Sunset last week

11/20/2021

Destin Sunset.

07/03/2021

Our latest guidebook.

05/07/2021

We love to check out the beaches in Destin. The link below is one of our favorities.

http://205.215.252.13/

05/07/2021

If you are renting from us at Pelican Beach Resort, Please note:

This resort is very popular and has a relatively smaller beach space. Beach vendor takes all 4-5 rows closest to the ocean.

We provide 2 beach chairs and an umbrella in the unit however these are required to be set behind the rental umbrellas.

If you prefer front or second row seats, we recommend that you rent umbrellas/chairs from the beach vendor ahead of your travel, 1-2 weeks before your check-in. Weekly rentals of an umbrella and two chairs are about $175+tax. Daily rentals in 2021 are priced at $35. You may reserve in advance of your trip at their web page at https://www.ldvbeach.com and selecting Destin and Pelican Beach Resort or by calling LDV at 866-651-1869.

La Dolce Vita is the premier water sport and beach service company in Destin, Florida and along the beaches of the Emerald Coast including the beaches in Miramar Beach and along Scenic Highway 30A in South Walton.

05/07/2021

Here is our current Destin recommendations

We recommend a visit to Destin Marina and Harborwalk Village; there are nice restaurants with a view (AJ’s is the most famous one but we recommend Dewey Destin's Harborside), kids activities as well as water sports. At nights, you can check their weekly fireworks. Sunset is great there too.

We also recommend the Dolphin tour. We heard that morning tours are much better. You may see the dolphins up close also with the Jet Ski’s too. There are 4-5 tour operators for the dolphin tours at the Destin Marina.

You can rent Pontoon boats or other motorboats with your driver license and sail around the Crab Island (under the bridge) or around. Playgrounds at the bay (Crab Island) is a huge hit for the kids. You may check their reviews from the web page I provided at the end of this mail.

Henderson Beach State Park is a park with limited facilities (restrooms, grill area) but a nice beach. Topsail Hill State park is a larger national park, where you can walk in the woods or rent bikes around the lakes and to the shore. Entrance is from W County Hwy 30A. Bike rental closes at 5 o’clock but you can drop your bikes back after they are closed.

Visit Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin Resort preferably at night, there are kid’s activities, a large playground as well as great restaurants and shopping. There is live music and entertainment during certain nights. Also do not miss the fireworks. Sunset is also great there at the marina of this Sandestin entertainment and dining village. We love to eat char grilled oysters at Hammerhead Bar and Grille with live music by the marina.

Our favorite restaurants in the area are Back Porch, Crab Trap, Acme Oyster House, Bayou Bill’s Crab House, Boshamps, Dewey Destin's Harborside, Stinky’s Fish Camp, Boathouse Oyster Bar and Aegean (Greek) Restaurant. Best steak restaurant is McGuire's Irish Pub.

Highly recommend installing Yelp app to your phone. You can enter your name while you are at the condo and avoid long wait-list in restaurants where reservations are not accepted (i.e Another Broken Egg Cafe and Cracklings) - because of this online waiting list system, we never wait in line for breakfast! - unfortunately not all restaurants support this online waiting list. Donut Hole is another local favorite for breakfast -prepare for some wait time since it is very popular.

For designer brands shopping at a discount, we recommend a visit to the Silver Sands Premium Outlets.

Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, Gulf Breeze Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Eden State Gardens and Big Kahuna's Water & Adventure Park are other entertainment facilities that can be visited in the area.

Following family activities are particularly recommended during rainy weather:
Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone, Emerald Coast Science Center, Surge Trampoline Park (Ft Walton Beach), Playzone Xtreme Destin, Movie Theatre at Destin Commons, Escapology Escape Rooms Destin, Fudpuckers, Fudpuckers Gator Beach, Uncle Buck's Fishbowl and Grill, Destin Historical Fishing Museum, Rainforest Blacklight Golf & Arcade at Miramar Beach, The Redbird Art Experience, Air Force Armament Museum, Rock out climbing gym at Destin Commons.

There are 4 restaurants next to the Fishing Pier at Okaloosa Island. Our favorite is The Crab Trap. You will love eating in all the restaurants, they all have a nice ocean view. Angler's Beachside Grill offers breakfast on Saturdays and Brunch on Sundays with ocean view.

There are two Horse back ride ranchs in the area, you may search for them online.

Click http://affiliates.tripshock.com/go/375 and put your dates in and enjoy the convenience of booking online with promotions.

Find 20+ top attractions & tours in Destin, Florida with photos, rates & availability. Book the best things to do today, this weekend, or in May.