The pictures online showed the wonderful beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Our room overlooked a bay with trees between us and the bay. The 2400 acre complex is a mostly condo neighborhood with many people living there full time. Some buildings have hotel like setups but the rooms are condos owned by others. There are restaurants and shops on the premises but it is sometimes confusing learning where they are and how to get to them. There is a shuttle that transverses the resort, but we waited 52 minutes for a shuttle that was supposed to run every 30 minutes. The ride back from the beach at sunset was very crowded and we got to know the people next to us a little too well, if you know what I mean. We had a car but we could not find parking except for some decks that are not close to the restaurants and shops.

My father and I were in Destin looking at second homes and decided to stay at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort to also look at possible purchases there. We stayed at the Sandestin Village of Baytowne Wharf at the "Pilot House" which was right next to the shops/restaurants. What a great location! Restaurants at our fingertips, and if you want to head to the beach, there is a daily shuttle tram that can take you there. We were there Wed - Friday and on Wednesday they had a band playing at the Village which was a nice treat. There is also a boardwalk at the Village that has spectacular sunsets! Our room was really nice. We had a one bedroom with a pullout sofa that was actually comfortable. We had a huge balcony that was also secluded so we could sit out and not have people staring at us. A great place to vacation with lots of children activities as well.

We had a great long weekend in Sandestin. We rented Luau 6825 studio through VRBO and we had a great experience. The room was on the eighth floor and had an ocean view. We had plenty of room with a king bed, loveseat, fridge and microwave. Luau has a really nice pool and a five minute walk to the beach. We would not hesitate to rent in this complex again. Only negative would be the sorry TV.

I love the Sandestin resort. I have been there many times. I have stayed on the beach side and on the Bayside. While we were there we biked, walked, swam in the pool and played tennis. Be sure to make reservations in advance online for the dinner on the boat that is near the bike rental shop on the village side. I highly recommend Carraba's Italian Restaurant off of the resort. We ate at a few places at the resort like the pizza place and Poppy's Seafood factory. Poppy's was ok and didnt quite meet my exceptations. This was because there was no sea bass with mango sauce on the menu anymore and the red fish I ordered was ok. The potatoes were just too oily. The pizza plAcedidn't tell us they only serve pizza and not their sandwiches, etc on the menu after a certain time. It was a ood place to watch the football game.