Travel

Spring Break for Families – Sandestin, FL

18 Comments 20 March 2009

Sandestin

There are several benefits to living in the South. One is that you can wear flip flops almost all year round. Another is that convertibles only have a couple of useless months. Yet another is smelling barbeque in the air around your neighborhood almost every Sunday. One of the best perks, though, has to be living close to the beach. Granted, I’m technically only an hour from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but that water? It isn’t pretty water. It’s just pretty gross. However, a short 4 hour drive away? A little slice of heaven I like to call the Emerald Coast. Ok, well, other people call it that, too. Either way, it’s awesome.

My family and I were fortunate enough to stay in Sandestin, Florida for 4 days and 3 nights last month. If you aren’t already familiar with it, Sandestin is a 2,400-acre premier destination resort located in Northwest Florida, between Pensacola and Panama City. It truly is an incredible place, with

“…seven miles white sand beachs and bayfront property, four golf courses, 15 tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 98-slip marina, water sports, children’s programs, a fitness center and spa, and a pedestrian village featuring a host of boutique shops, casual and fine dining restaurants, nightclubs and bars that come alive with strolling musicians, street performers, dancing fountains and lively festivals and events.”

Sandestin Florida

We stayed at the Grand Sandestin – the resort’s answer to hotel-style dwelling. Hotel? Ha! We had a huge 2 bedroom condo that was, in all seriousness, the size of or perhaps a bit bigger than my house. We had a wrap-around balcony that went from the back balcony, along the entire side of the building, right around to the front balcony. It. Was. Huge. And quite spacious. Heck, if it hadn’t rained the entire time we were there (Murphy’s Law always tackles me hard in Florida) I probably woulda been down at Baytowne Wharf flagging people down for an inpromptu porch-party. It was that big, and that cool.

Oh, and Baytowne Wharf? HEAVEN! Shopping, restaurants, a ZIP LINE (Yes, I wanted to try it, NO, I didn’t get around to it) that zips through the center? The shopping is fabulous, the food is good, and it’s all pedestrian-only. There is a park/playground for kiddos, a place to paint your own pottery, and, when we were there, there were stilt-walkers making balloon animals, spacewalks, games, etc. Lots of fun things to do with kids and families, and Little AG adored the pink poodle that the “tall” guy made for her. If you do go, don’t forget to eat at Another Broken Egg Cafe – we have the original Broken Egg Cafe here in my hometown, and their Baked Brie is to die for (and can/should be eaten as a meal!). Oh, and there is a Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf as well — thankfully I didn’t have to live without my Chai Latte!

Baytowne Wharf - Fun, Food, Nightlife

Baytowne Wharf - Fun, Food, Nightlife

So, remember how I tend to obsess over swimming pools? This resort has a ton of them. I cursed the weather multiple times for smiting me – because we had a fabulous infinity-edged pool AND awesome toddler pool just an elevator ride away. Little AG would have been in heaven. It’s ok though, we went to the indoor pool, where she “kick, kick, kick”ed her little heart out. We walked on the beach, which, even chilly and overcast, was still a BEACH. Oh, how I love the beach. There was, of course, one crazy dude swimming in the waves – you can see his picture in the slideshow below. Gotta love the crazies, right?

On our last day, I got to take a tour of the entire resort. The most pleasant surprise was, by far, this little gem of a condo at the Fairways. When we pulled up to it, from the outside I thought, “eh, this must be the older part of the property.” I was right. But I wasn’t prepared for what I saw inside. It was fun, it was stylish, and it even has it’s own tanning deck on the water outside. My only complaint was that it wasn’t on the beach, but I MAY even be able to deal with that. Check out the pictures of the inside of this condo — isn’t it adorable? It was open, bright, spacious… I loved it! (Sandestin Fairways 279, if you’d like to request it, FYI.)

Sandestin Fairways CondoSandestin Fairways

View SandestinSandestin Fairways 279

I’ve been traveling to Destin for vacation since I was a teenager. I had my 16th birthday party there, and I am firmly rooted in those sugar-white sands. But now as an adult with a family, I see a huge draw to do the non-spring break, spring-break thing. There are watersports, free bicycle rentals, canoes, kayaks, tennis, swimming, trails to explore, playgrounds to play on, the possibilities are endless and truly make for the perfect family vacation. If you’re still searching for that perfect place to go this Spring with your family, or even this summer, consider heading to Sandestin. The people there all bent over backwards to accomodate us, with the people at the front desk going as far as to lend us a DVD to watch in our room when the rental machine wouldn’t work (again, Murphy’s Law). Everyone was courteous and hospitable, and NO, those people didn’t know I’d be writing about them. Which says a lot, right? So yeah, check it out, I know you won’t be disappointed.

At the very least, you’ll leave with a tan and a smile. Oh, and some fantastic memories.

Your Comments

18 Comments so far

  1. Great post. I found it to be very useful. I will have to bookmark your site for future reading.

  2. I’m from Brooklyn, NY and have been to Florida so many times, but I have never even heard of Sandestin! I love swimming pools too. This definatly looks like a place I would love to stay. I’m going to have to look into it for next winter.

  3. Celeste says:

    That is a great beach! I live in Florida and have been there many times.

  4. JFK says:

    Wow, the Sandestin Resort looks so awesome, I am so jealous! I did a lot of traveling to Florida when I was a kid and I miss the beaches SO much now. Thanks for the interesting post!

  5. rachel0 says:

    I keep hearing about Destin and never get around to going. I love your pics!

  6. Marianna says:

    Beautiful!!!!!!! I’m jealous! We’re taking a “mountain trip” instead of a “beach trip” this year.

  7. michelle says:

    Wow, that place looks beautiful. Nice vacation. I am looking forward to ours. Well, possible vacation. My husband my be working in the Bahamas next month for 10 days and he wants us to tag along. He definitely doesn’t have to ask me twice! He will be staying at the Atlantis…so we will too! I have always wanted to go there, my daughters will love it too!
    yzgirl4[at]verizon[dot]net

  8. Finally getting through a long New England winter, these pictures are giving me such warm-weather envy right now! And the Sandestin Resort looks A-MA-Zing. Thanks for sharing – going to have to put this place on my “must-visit” list!

  9. wanda says:

    Wow….I’m from Florida. I live in Indiana now…but all my family/people are still there.
    We love to go to the beach in Panama City or Destin. We call it the Redneck Riveria.
    We could sure use a TRIP there now.
    We have 3 teens who would all like to bring along a guest. I’m wondering about the room to hold us all?
    Thanks for making me dream…

  10. Katja says:

    Amazing photos! Thanks for sharing your vacation, sounds so much like fun.

    The resort is awesome, we’ve never been to that one, but when we lived in Alabama, we spent every other weekend somewhere on the beaches of Northern Florida, from Panama City to Destin, and I love and miss that area.

  11. Christine says:

    Wow, Sandestin looks like a wonderful place to visit. And, the resort – beautiful! Ray and I are always looking for fun places to take our kiddos… Maybe someday we’ll end up at the Grand Sandestin! Thanks for introducing us to another place to add to our “must-go-to-destination” list. :)

  12. Wow, what a gem! Being from the west coast and now living in the Midwest, I had no idea beautiful places like this existed in the South. How totally stunning, we have to try to get our family there somehow!!

    It’s so nice to hear about the great service too, sometimes pretty places don’t always translate into a pretty experience. Thanks for this, now I can go dream of warmer weather (still a cold “Spring” here in Chicago!).

    `Arianne

  13. Wow, that shoreline is absolutely gorgeous! And the condo is just spectacular. I’ve actually never been to Florida! {gasp} We’re still deciding where to go on vacation this year, so I’ll be adding the Sandestin Resort to our list of locations to consider.

  14. Wow! This looks like an amazing trip! Can I tell you a secret? We have NEVER been on vacation in our 16+yrs of marriage:( Sad I know but we hope to take on this year after August. I’m thinking this would be a nice little spot reckon??

    You did an excellent job at capturing it all….makes me feel like I’m there!


Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Kids Spring Break | Bring On BINGO! | Cape Cod Hotels - Bayside Resort - March 31, 2009

    […] Family Spring Break at Sandestin Resort in Florida | Chic Shopper … – Finally getting through a long New England winter, these pictures are giving me such warm-weather envy right now! And the Sandestin Resort looks A-MA-Zing. Thanks for sharing – going to have to put this place on my “must-visit” list! … […]

  2. Kids Spring Break | Bring On BINGO! | Cape Cod Hotels - Bayside Resort - March 31, 2009

    […] Family Spring Break at Sandestin Resort in Florida | Chic Shopper … – Finally getting through a long New England winter, these pictures are giving me such warm-weather envy right now! And the Sandestin Resort looks A-MA-Zing. Thanks for sharing – going to have to put this place on my “must-visit” list! … […]

  3. Spring Break Vacation | Face Painting, Balloons, And Laughs | Cape Cod Hotels - Bayside Resort - March 30, 2009

    […] Family Spring Break at Sandestin Resort in Florida | Chic Shopper … – There are several benefits to living in the South. One is that you can wear flip flops almost all year round. Another is that convertibles only have a. […]

  4. Spring Break Vacation | Live Entertainment And Games During Kids Vacation Fun Week | Cape Cod Hotels - Bayside Resort - March 23, 2009

    […] Family Spring Break at Sandestin Resort in Florida | Chic Shopper … – I’ve been traveling to Destin for vacation since I was a teenager. I had my 16th birthday party there, and I am firmly rooted in those sugar-white sands. But now as an adult with a family, I see a huge draw to do the non-spring break, … […]

Share your view

Post a comment

Let’s Connect!

Erika Lehmann on Twitter Chic Shopper Chick on YouTube Erika Lehmann on Facebook Erika Lehmann on Pinterest Chic Shopper Chick RSS Feed

Archives

© 2017 Chic Shopper Chick. Powered by WordPress.

Daily Edition Theme by WooThemes - Premium WordPress Themes