Destin and Fort Walton Beach Hotels

The area has a vast supply of condominiums and cottages for rent. One good-value example is Venus by the Sea. The visitor information offices will provide lists of others. The largest rental agent is Resort Quest, 3500 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin (tel. 888/909-6807; fax 850/654-2937; www.abbott-resorts.com), which publishes a magazine-size annual brochure picturing and describing its many properties throughout the area.

The Flamingo Cottage, on Santa Rosa Beach (tel. 832/309-5866; www.flamingocottage.com), is perfect for families or groups (it can sleep up to 16), with fabulous features such as stone tiles, 9-foot bead-board ceilings, crown moldings, an oak staircase, and a master suite with Jacuzzi and private covered balcony. In addition to a large den and kitchen, laundry room, and outdoor gas grill, the cottage has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Rates are $250 to $340 nightly, or $1,475 to $3,400 per week, depending on the season.

There are several commercial campgrounds here, but the best camping is at Henderson Beach State Park, in Destin, and at Grayton Beach State Park, in south Walton County.

State and local governments add 11% tax to all hotel and campground bills.

Luxurious Cottages & Luscious Surroundings — Rosemary Beach, at the east end of C.R. 30A just 8 miles east of Seaside (tel. 888/855-1551; www.rosemarybeach.com), a newer, smaller, and, I think, better, seaside-style community, has a collection of about 300 luxurious Pan-Caribbean-style cottages and carriage houses (from studios to six bedrooms), all of which are nonsmoking. This is another pedestrian-friendly community — almost everything on the 107 acres is within a 5-minute walk of the town center — and most of the homes are owned by people who live here part-time and lease to vacationers the rest of the year. The white-sand (and soft as talcum powder) beach here is ridiculously gorgeous, though guests can also choose from among four pools. Nothing on the architecturally stunning and strikingly planted property here is higher than four stories, and all the homes telescope in from the beach so everyone can have a view (or partial view) of the Gulf. Other amenities include a health club, bike rental, racquet club, 2.3-mile fitness trail, spa, shops, town hall, post office, and a few very good restaurants, including the delightful Onano Neighborhood Café. Cottages are individually decorated, so check online to see pictures of the properties before deciding. Though all come with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and TV/VCR, some have added amenities such as a Jacuzzi or private pool. There is also a B&B, the Pensione (tel. 850/231-1790), on the premises and the town is building a full-service hotel. The B&B’s daily rates are $200 to $215 spring and fall, from $215 in summer, and $150 in winter. Opening in early 2008, Hotel Saba (tel. 800/310-5768; www.thehotelsaba.com) is a 56-room boutique hotel in Rosemary Beach’s Town Center.

Picture Perfect — Designed by renowned architect David Rockwell, the WaterColor Inn, 34 Goldenrod Circle (tel. 866/426-2656 or 850/534-5000; www.watercolorinn.com), is a stunning 499-acre beachfront boutique hotel. With just 60 rooms, it feels more like a private beach house than a hotel. A ground-floor library with club chairs and a cocktail lounge opening onto the pool deck drive home that feeling even more. Guest rooms feature a pantry, a walk-in shower with views to the beach, and Adirondack chairs on the balcony. Six ground-floor bungalows have outdoor showers enclosed by striped tents, lending a very French Riviera feel à la F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night. Rotunda guest rooms in the center tower provide stunning 180-degree views from massive balconies. Access to WaterColor community facilities, such as the Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek Golf Club, 6 miles east, is another bonus. Five Har-Tru tennis courts are also available. A Gulf-front beach club (complete with pool deck, children’s pool, and beach services including complimentary boogie boards, Hobie kayaks, surfing kayaks, beach volleyball, and snorkel equipment), as well as a lakefront boathouse (with sailboats, canoes, kids’ activities, and fishing), will keep you from ever wanting to leave this fabulous piece of paradise. Rates range from $300 to $645 for a double, $670 to $745 for a suite. In addition to the 60 rooms at the Inn, WaterColor offers a large selection of rental homes, ranging from one to six bedrooms. The rental homes are very popular with families and groups of friends traveling together. Rental guests can use all of the resort’s facilities, and just like Inn guests, kayak, boat, and fishing gear rental is complimentary.

Destin

The local Motel 6, 405 U.S. 98 E. (tel. 800/466-8356 or 850/837-0007; fax 850/837-5325; www.motel6.com), across the highway from the harbor, has rooms that are generally larger than those at other members of this cut-rate chain. There’s also an outdoor pool on the premises.

Fort Walton Beach

The managers of Venus by the Sea also run the Sea Crest Condominiums, next door at 895 Santa Rosa Blvd. (tel. 800/476-1885 or 850/301-9600; fax 850/301-9205; www.seacrestcondos.com). The 112 units in this seven-story building aren’t as spacious as those in Venus, but they’re considerably more luxurious, and those on the higher floors have great views toward the west. The complex has indoor and outdoor pools (actually one pool — you can swim under a glass partition between them), and it sits next to a county park with a boardwalk leading over the dunes to the beach.

Among the chain motels here is the Hampton Inn Fort Walton Beach, 1112 Santa Rosa Blvd. (tel. 800/426-7866 or 850/301-0906; http://hamptoninn1.hilton.com).

Southern Walton County

If you want to stay near the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort without paying its prices, there’s a modern Sleep Inn, 5000 Emerald Coast Pkwy./U.S. 98 (tel. 800/627-5337 or 850/654-7022), just a mile west. Opened in 2007, Emerald Grande (tel. 866/755-7824; www.legendaryresorts.com) is a luxury condo/hotel situated on 15 acres in Destin Harbor. While most units are owned by individuals, some are available for nightly (minimum 3-night stay) and weekly rental. Amenities include a recreational sun deck resting 63 feet above sea level with luxurious swimming pools, the new location of beloved waterfront eatery Harry T’s, a full-service spa and fitness center, 24-hour concierge, and more.

Seaside

Mayberry meets Metropolitan Home here in this pastel-hued community, where life is a dreamlike state of mind. If you decide to rent a home or a romantic honeymoon cottage in this quaint village, contact the Seaside Cottage Rental Agency, P.O. Box 4730, Seaside, FL 32459 (tel. 800/277-8696 or 850/231-1320; fax 850/231-2293; www.seasidefl.com). The agency has several hundred cottages in its rental inventory, from one to six bedrooms. The beachside cottages are one of Florida’s best getaways for newlyweds or anyone else looking for a romantic escape, though if you want a little more privacy and less action, you might choose Rosemary Beach instead.