My family and I are very disappointed with the beachside 2 condo we rented. The fire alarm was sitting on a table with no batteries in it, the shower drain didn't work properly, the bed wasn't comfortable, the screen door didn't work. and the hotel dumpsters were located right in front of our front door. After two days of trying to reach the manager, my husband had to drive over to the office and insist on seeing him. The beach was great, but very crowded.

We just got back from a week stay at Beachside I in Sandestin - we stayed in a ground floor 2BR unit - 4017 and rented it through Gibson Beach Rentals. It was great to be on the ground floor because I didn't have to worry about my 3 year old jumping off the balcony! It was very roomy and cute - also very nicely furnished with a remodled kitchen and tile floors. It has plenty of bath towels and bed linens. The condo came furnished with its own bikes and beach chairs, so we did not have to pay extra for bike or beach umbrella rental. They even had boogie boards and beach pails and shovels for the little ones. The unit has a nice patio with patio furniture, AND a full size picnic table just steps from the patio. The condo unit is a very short walk to beach and pool. The Beachside II pool is nicer, but the Beachside I pool is heated and never real busy. You can take the tram to the Village at Baytowne where there is a big playground for kids, plus restaurants and shops. In addition to the tram, the Sandestin web site advertises a ferry that can be used to transport you to the Village. But the ferry was always closed, despite perfect weather. Go to the Gibson Beach Rentals web site where you can view pictures of the units. It was self checkin - very very easy to deal with. Finz pool is also close - just next to Beachside II. While the Beachside Towers Pool was heated, the Finz pool was not - so the kids liked the pool closest to our condo.

We stayed at Beachside 2 at Sandestin last June and loved, nice location directly on the beach. Nice pool, nice restaurant, private beach, private gated community. We rented from vrbo.com and had great
success. I would definity recommend this condo, we will be going back
in May of 2007.

We recently returned from our 3rd trip to Sandestin. We love the Florida panhandle and vacation there each summer (for the past 15 years). Sandestin is one of the nicest, if not THE nicest, on the panhandle. We usually make our reservations at least 4 months in advance but this year decided to go on the spur of the moment and booked through an agency. Though our unit was nice (Beachside One), we have much better luck booking directly with owners on VRBO.com. Our owner units were much nicer with extras such as premium bedding & linens, beachside service included, assigned parking, etc.

Sandestin's beaches are WONDERFUL! The sand is white and soft. The beaches are cleaned daily so no empty bottles or bits of shells, just soft, powdery sand! Sandestin is pricier than most on the panhandle, but well worth it. There is something for everyone with the beach, Village, Silver Sands, etc. We will be back, but will book directly with an owner next time.