# Destin



## rachel1998 (Apr 23, 2008)

I have some really good things about Destin Florida. Can you tell me which RCI resorts are the nicest? Also is the weather there as bad in the summer as Southern Florida in regards to the heat and humidity?


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## jercal10 (Apr 23, 2008)

Very popular in summer , as it's the "redneck Riviera". Yes Hot & humid.
I've only stayed @ Majestic sun, which is nice.

Just stayed @Wyndham Panama City--great location, which you may want to consider.


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## mshatty (Apr 23, 2008)

Other than Majestic Sun mentioned before:

The only TS resort actually on the Destin beach is Holiday Beach Resort.  It has one brand new section with 3brs and an older section with studios, 1 and 2 brs.  I believe the older section was a converted motel.  However, it is rare to find any RCI exchanges for Holiday Beach Resorts.

There are other TS, Bay Club, Bay Club II (a little newer).  These are both in Sandestin and on the bay side of Destin, not the gulf beach side.  There is the Wyndham Beach St. Cottages and Club Destin.  Beach St. Cottages are studios, 1br and 1br+, no 2br.

Club Destin is a converted motel and is right on Hwy 98, right in the middle of Destin, probably the most convenient to everything but not the nicest place.

ETA:

Comparing the two cities, Destin is much more upscale than Panama Beach City.


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## dsfritz (Apr 24, 2008)

*Destin resort*

We stayed at a Woldmark (forgot the name).  It was great.  It's not on the beach, but had a shuttle that took you whereever you wanted to go.  I would go back there in a heartbeat!


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## EAM (Apr 25, 2008)

Wyndham @ Majestic Sun is very nice.  It is across the street from the beach on the grounds of a large residential/condo/vacation home development with golf, tennis, and several outdoor pools.  Note that the Fairfield/Wyndham section of Majestic sun is perpendicular to the beach while the residential condo section faces (and is parallel) to the beach.  However, when we were there a few years ago, all of the deluxe Fairfield units had water views from the balcony.  

Wyndham does not deposit this resort in RCI very often.  It used to get into the RCI system when owners deposited their ARP weeks (it had good trading power).  Now your best chance of getting it is to rent a week from a Wyndham owner.

Finally, some times are better than others for visiting Destin.  Here's a link to what you might expect in the way of weather, seaweed, insects, ... at various times of year: http://www.graytonbeach.com/weather.html


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## mshatty (Apr 25, 2008)

dsfritz said:


> We stayed at a Woldmark (forgot the name).  It was great.  It's not on the beach, but had a shuttle that took you whereever you wanted to go.  I would go back there in a heartbeat!



This is actually the Wyndham Majestic Sun, an associated/affiliated resort between Wyndham and WorldMark.


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## tombo (Apr 25, 2008)

Destin is fabulous. The white sand is powdery like sugar,and the water is clear and as blue-green as the pictures in a postcard. There are a lot of great restaurants in the area and plenty of touristy things to do. Drive to the town of Seaside and see the idyllic town where the Truman Story starring Jim Carrey was filmed.

I have stayed in the Bay Club at the Sandestin resort and it is in a resort with 72 holes of world class championship golf, bicycle trails, a marina where you can rent boats,tennis courts, 1 oceanfront pool, and 3 pools on the bayside including one that has an awesome view of the bay as it is built right up to the water's edge (this was my favorite and right by the resort). There is a free shuttle service which will take you to the beach (and beachfront pool). You can rent chairs and beach umbrellas by the day or week on the prettiest white sand beach I have ever seen. 

There is a large restaurant/bar complex inside the Sandestin Resort called the Baytown Wharf. There is live music, fireworks, shops, bars, food, and fun no matter what your taste is. The Baytown Wharf is so popular that on weekends people have to park in a lot far from the complex and take a boat or bus to the food, drinks, and fun. You will have a short free shuttle ride there and no worry about driving after drinking as the shuttle will bring you home for free until 3 or 4 am. This place shuts at about 4 am if you can hang  in there that long.

 Also in this resort is the Bay Club II and a Club Intrawest resort. Club Intrawest is brand new and I took the timeshare tour and it is super nice. Both the Bay Cub and bay club II are nice resorts, but not 5 star. The Sandestin resort has so much to do without ever leaving that I will stay there again and again and again. I have also stayed at the onsite Sandestin Hilton on a convention and I payed $300 a night for a hotel room with no kitchen. If you can get any of these 3 locations you will love it. The only complaint is that these timeshares aren't oceanfront, however no timeshares in Destin are oceanfront with the exception of the Holiday Beach Resort.

For more info and pictures of the Sandestin resort here is their website, http://www.sandestin.com/default.aspx .


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## Happytravels (Feb 8, 2009)

*Holiday Beach resort*

I just put one one hold.  It is a one bedroom sleeps 4.  Due to the queen size bed.  Really need a king for my 6'4" husband.......:rofl: 

Does anyone have recent pictures of the place?  Also what would be the best unit number?  I have looked at the website and figure anything in the 101-121 or 200-221 range should be good.  

Does RCI confirm the unit number or does the resort asign you one when you check in?  The week I have on hold is for March 2010.......

Any and all information is greatly appreciated!!! 


mshatty said:


> Other than Majestic Sun mentioned before:
> 
> The only TS resort actually on the Destin beach is Holiday Beach Resort.  It has one brand new section with 3brs and an older section with studios, 1 and 2 brs.  I believe the older section was a converted motel.  However, it is rare to find any RCI exchanges for Holiday Beach Resorts.
> 
> ...


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## dioxide45 (Feb 8, 2009)

---Deleted----


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## Bigbird130 (Feb 8, 2009)

*Destin-Holiday Beach Resort*

I'm an owner there and have been since they opened
I have a studio unit and have been more than happy there every year.
It's a small resort-The older part is 84 units and it's a little family-just about everyone knows each other and when an exchanger comes in we all try to help any way we can.
The beach is beautifull and there are a large amount of places to eat and things to see.
The staff will help you with any questions you have.
It's kept up very well and there is no high pressure salespeople to bother you.
You will get to meet Robin the salesperson at some of the functions but all she will do is introduce herself and if you want to see her she is available whenever you want.
Any questions just let me know and I'll do my best to answer you


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## DianneL (Feb 10, 2009)

*Holiday Beach One Bedroom*

I own at Holiday Beach Resort, a one bedroom every year and a three bedroom every other year.  Many of the one bedroom units do not have a view of the beach and water.  As I recall, most units with that view are studios.  The three bedroom units are in the newer building and do have a view of the beach and water.  I always trade my one bedroom and plan to use my three bedroom for the first time in 2010 (I just purchased it).  The beach is beautiful.


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## Lee B (Feb 14, 2009)

To the original post, I want to say that Destin and other FL panhandle towns have climate more like the rest of the U.S.  Winter days are cool to cold and summers are more tolerable than further south.


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## Egret1986 (Sep 3, 2009)

*Tombo, your help, opinions and suggestions in the past have helped me greatly!*



tombo said:


> Destin is fabulous. The white sand is powdery like sugar,and the water is clear and as blue-green as the pictures in a postcard. There are a lot of great restaurants in the area and plenty of touristy things to do. Drive to the town of Seaside and see the idyllic town where the Truman Story starring Jim Carrey was filmed.
> 
> .................
> 
> The only complaint is that these timeshares aren't oceanfront, however no timeshares in Destin are oceanfront with the exception of the Holiday Beach Resort.



When I was looking for a place this past year to go to on the Gulf of Florida, you suggested Panama City Beach.  Fortunately, soon after that, I snagged a 2BR at the Landmark for this past August.  It was a fantastic vacation.  Our family thoroughly enjoyed our PCB vacation.  What made this a great vacation was the powdery white beaches, the turquoise waters, the incredible views from the unit and balcony, and the beach rentals on site.

You have also spoken fondly of Destin many times.  Last night (not looking for Destin, but saw it), I confirmed Holiday Beach Resort Phase II for 7/3/10.  The beach and views, and relaxing at the beach with some water sports thrown in would be the main focus for another vacation to this area.

Which would YOU go for?   A week at Holiday Beach Resort Phase II or the Landmark?  Would you have any concerns for the timeframe?  July 4th week?  June Grass (seaweed) was mentioned in another thread.

I really would appreciate reading your thoughts and opinions.  Thanks!


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## akp (Sep 3, 2009)

*Good snag!*

I was eyeing that Holiday Beach Resort for July 3 for myself last night!  I actually pushed the button to confirm to see if some sort of magic would happen with borrowing so that I could cover the points.  But alas, i was just window shopping! 

Anita


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## tombo (Sep 3, 2009)

Egret1986 said:


> When I was looking for a place this past year to go to on the Gulf of Florida, you suggested Panama City Beach.  Fortunately, soon after that, I snagged a 2BR at the Landmark for this past August.  It was a fantastic vacation.  Our family thoroughly enjoyed our PCB vacation.  What made this a great vacation was the powdery white beaches, the turquoise waters, the incredible views from the unit and balcony, and the beach rentals on site.
> 
> You have also spoken fondly of Destin many times.  Last night (not looking for Destin, but saw it), I confirmed Holiday Beach Resort Phase II for 7/3/10.  The beach and views, and relaxing at the beach with some water sports thrown in would be the main focus for another vacation to this area.
> 
> ...



I have stayed at Holiday Beach Resort Destin in phase one units in both one bed room units which has no ocean view and in studio units which are ocean front with a great view. These are converted motel rooms, but they did a great job with the limited space. The one bed room units are larger than the studios but the view is of the parking lot/pool. Phase 2 units are much larger and newer from the sneak peak I took when a maid was cleaning a room. The furnishings are much newer and plusher than Phase One and they are nicer than the furnishings at Landmark. The higher units will have a view of the ocean and beach. The location of Holiday Beach resort is the best of any timeshare in Destin. The resort is older but the staff does a great job of keeping the resort well maintained and they have nice get togethers and activities. If you have kids there is a waterpark across the street from the resort. There is an activity room with pool table, air hockey, etc.

The rooms at Landmark are a lot bigger than the phase one units, but I am not sure they are bigger than the Phase 2 units at Holiday. Every balcony at Landmark is oceanfront with that unobstructed ocean view that you are familiar with. None of the views at Holiday are as good as Landmark because the resort is farther removed from the ocean with a large lawn and a big expanse of sand dunes between Phase one and the beach. There are 2 boardwalks to the beach at Holiday and a nice wooden gazebo you can sit on watching the ocean, at Landmark you walk out the door onto the beach. Landmark's close proximity to the beach/ocean and the unobstructed views from every balcony makes Landmark the hands dwn winner for watching the sunset. The balconies are bigger at Landmark, they have better views, and they are higher so people aren't walking by looking in your room. Phase 2 balconies are across the parking lot looking over or around the phase one building at the ocean.
Here is a sales video:
http://v1.as48.com/hxpp1.asp?MSGID=84760B2A-EDD6-413C-99B4-70BDDEB22E0F
The video of the 2 stories with grass lawn is phase one but the taller building is phase 2 and the view from the balcony is a high unit phase 2.

About the resort:
http://www.holidaybeachresort.com/about.asp

Weekly activities:
http://www.holidaybeachresort.com/activities.asp


Here is a map of the resort:
http://www.holidaybeachresort.com/resort_layout.htm

The beach, sand, and clear ocean water are the same in Destin and Panama City.  The restaurants and golf courses are much nicer and more numerous (and more expensive) in Destin. There are more charter and party fishing boats in Destin. There is a sand bar on the bay at destin under the bridge where people congregate and party. You can rent a pontoon boat and cruise the bay for a few hours or for a whole day. I like Destin the city better but I like Landmark better as a resort because of the views. 

4th of july is a great time to be at Panama City or Destin if you want to eat in your room or don't mind long waits at restaurants. Everything will be crowded, but everything always is crowded in June and July when the kids are out of school, however 4th of July is probably the most crowded. I would take the phase 2 Holiday Beach Resort 4th of July week and be very happy! That is a great exchange. Once you have visited both you will have been to 2 of the best beaches I have seen anywhere in the world, and you will have stayed ocean front both times. You either have some really strong tiger traders or you watch RCI like a hawk to get exchanges like these. 

Congratulations! Go to Destin and be prepared to love it. Let us know what you think after you return. Please feel free to ask any other questions you might have.

P.S. There are reserved beach chairs and umbrellas to rent by the day or week at Destin just like there were at Landmark.


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## Egret1986 (Sep 3, 2009)

*Yeah, I had to borrow and I really didn't think it would happen...*



akp said:


> I was eyeing that Holiday Beach Resort for July 3 for myself last night!  I actually pushed the button to confirm to see if some sort of magic would happen with borrowing so that I could cover the points.  But alas, i was just window shopping!
> 
> Anita



....but it did!


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## Egret1986 (Sep 3, 2009)

*Once again, you are so helpful!!!  Wow!!  Thanks!*



tombo said:


> The beach, sand, and clear ocean water are the same in Destin and Panama City.  The restaurants and golf courses are much nicer and more numerous (and more expensive) in Destin. There are more charter and party fishing boats in Destin.
> 
> 4th of july is a great time to be at Panama City or Destin if you want to eat in your room or don't mind long waits at restaurants. Everything will be crowded, but everything always is crowded in June and July when the kids are out of school, however 4th of July is probably the most crowded. I would take the phase 2 Holiday Beach Resort 4th of July week and be very happy! That is a great exchange. Once you have visited both you will have been to 2 of the best beaches I have seen anywhere in the world, and you will have stayed ocean front both times. You either have some really strong tiger traders or you watch RCI like a hawk to get exchanges like these.
> 
> ...



I'm still indecisive though.  But I was equally indecisive when I was asking for opinions and asking questions regarding my first visit to Florida's west coast.

We were lucky enough to spend last Easter in Sanibel and this past August at the Landmark.

While we enjoyed Sanibel and would definitely go back during a similar timeframe in the futue, it wasn't quite as satisfying as our stay at the Landmark in PCB.  When we first arrived (after a day of traveling), I was less than impressed with the Landmark.  However, that all changed the following morning when I woke up.  I am a big "beach" person.  It's really all about the beach for me when I visit a beach area.  Restaurants and activities in the area are a second.  We've never rented beach chairs and umbrellas at the beach before because we never could figure out the need.  We rented them at the beginning of the week and it was the best!  The beach was uncrowded the first week of August and the Vendor renting the chairs indicated that August and September were great times of the year to come, but that July was not because of the crowds.

Prior to going to the Landmark, we purchased a 1BR week 29 at Escapes! to Tropical Breeze.  Since we already had the Landmark reservation and needed the extra bedroom, we rented the TB unit out.  While at Landmark, we went to TB and checked out the resort and unit.  It was very nice and had a new feel to it (I guess because it is relatively new).  My husband and I discussed going there next year, just the two of us.  

Golf, charters and restaurants are better in Destin; however, with it being July 4th week, restaurants will be packed with long waits.  I don't currently golf and we're not interested in fishing charters.  My husband isn't a big beach person, but indulges me and I believe he actually enjoyed the Landmark vacation.

I know it is a terrific exchange and I've heard so many good things about Destin that I want to go.  The PCB area really has no draw for me except that gorgeous beach and the beautiful views, and staying somewhere that is in close proximity to the beach.  That would be enough for me, as long as there was good weather and beautiful seas.


"You either have some really strong tiger traders or you watch RCI like a hawk to get exchanges like these."

I watch RCI like a hawk.  This is the only area of my life that I feel I have an obsessive/compulsive disorder.

I haven't deposited any weeks into RCI for a couple of years (about the time I got into RCI Points).  RCI Points has opened up a whole new world to me, as far as exchanges (and I feel I have always gotten good exchanges during the last 25 years).  But now I see everything that is available in Weeks and in Points, which has only made my disorder worse.

Thank you for your help and opinions!


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