LedgeT

A Diamond usually stands a good chance of an UG to this room or better.

Seasonal impacts come into play with UG chances if the property is fully booked which is normal from spring break time (now) through September.

krloach

I am curious how much was your Priceline stay??

krloach

I agree, the Hilton Pens Beach is very nice and friendly hotel. I usually get junior suite which is nice however I recently was there off season and got the 3 bedroom suite you referring to.

It was massive just like you said.

krloach

I am only Gold however I get the 2 bedroom junior suite everytime (3-4 times).

There seem to be a lot of the junior suites so I think thats why I always get uograded. I use points for the cheapest avail room and I have always got upgraded to Jr Suite

Mustang1

Anyone stayed here recently? Thinking about taking a trip with son.

csutter

I was last there in early 2013 (as well as many times as a kid throughout the 90s) and it was lovely, despite the renovations going on then. Probably hasn't changed too much since then - I just booked another stay for this March!

Milhous Gloriosus

How are diamonds treated? Is there an executive lounge? If so, how nice? Are the restaurants good?

Mustang1

Just got back from a 5 night stay using points. They waived the resort fee & self parking charges which was nice. Sushi in the lounge by the lobby was decent & we also enjoyed eating lunch out by the pool. Having the beach right past the pool is verrryyyy nice. Hope to make it back again soon.

P.S. Renovations appear to be complete. Spa area was impressive.

hhoope01

I'm planning on 5 nights in mid-April there so appreciate the update.

Are you a Gold/Diamond(hoping that is why they waived the resort and parking fees)? If so, what did they offer for breakfast? Since I don't see mention of a lounge on their website (nor do I see CL rooms listed) I'm assuming they don't have one.

YariGuy

Oh boy, I just saw your question (posted April 2013) to a post I made ten years earlier (May 2003). I will answer now (March 2015). The lag time is getting shorter!

I don't know how much I paid. I logged in to Priceline and they didn't have this record. I can't even search email because I didn't have gmail until 2004.

BUT, estimating from market and my economic condition at the time, I would guess somewhere between $130-$160.

gqZJzU4vusf0Z2,$d7

It's a nickel and dime operation. Beware of resort fees and beach equip fees.

Rather than pay $40 (or was it $50) per day for beach chairs, we bought two chairs and a nearby discount store and just lugged'm back & forth each day.

Mustang1

Yep, full day is a bit on the high side. I think it was $26 for a beach setup after 1pm.

travelexpert

Would you say this is now a WOW property?

And if anyone can advise on whether it is better use of HH points to go for a five night stay to the Curio Diplomat in Hollywood FL versus Hilton Sandestin, will be most appreciative.

In particular would like to see a comparison of:
1. Quality of rooms.
2. Beach/pool.
3. Proximity to restaurant and shops.
4. Ease of flying in to both.

hhoope01

I've not stayed at either yet (though I have a stay at the Sandestin property quickly coming up in April). But I've traveled to both areas frequently.

So to answer your 4th question on flying in. For Sandestin, you have 3 airports fairly close, but all are small "regional" airports (Pensacola, Ft. Walton, and Panama City). I'm not sure if any of the airlines actually fly into all 3 (i.e. AA doesn't fly to Panama City, Southwest doesn't fly to Ft. Walton, etc.) So being small there aren't too many flights a day and unless you are starting from an airline hub location (in the Southeast) you will probably have to connect to get there. But the good side on being smaller is car rentals are closer/quicker (and may be cheaper too). Crowds will normally be smaller, etc.

For the Diplomat, you have 2 airports that are larger (Ft. Lauderdale and Miami) with Miami being a pretty large and sometimes very crowded airport with a good chance of flying there with more options (i.e. maybe more award availability too.)

Personally, I've had no problems finding award availability for either locations though in the Florida panhandle, if you are trying to go in the summer months, you may have more trouble doing so.

The question is when are you planning on going? South Florida in the winter will most likely have better weather with the panhandle getting downright cold at times (and even for spring break can be a bit too chilly to swim as much.) But I like the panhandle beaches better. The sand is a more powdery white and wide. Also, what do you like to do while there?

Note that there isn't as much right there in Hollywood, FL though it doesn't take too much time to get up to Ft. Lauderdale where there are more options/restaurants/shopping/night life. Also, Sandestin is just east of the main part of Destin, but there are restaurants and shopping close by.

fried.food.is.good

Ditto on my experience with points - no resort or parking fees.

- Breakfast: As a gold, you get a coupon each day for continental breakfast which covers 2 people or you can use it for 1 full breakfast (I think an upgrade to full breakfast is like $9 or $10). Fruit, bread, muffins, cereal, yogurt and the like for continental. Sausage, bacon, eggs, omelette station, corn beef hash, potatoes, etc for hot breakfast. Freshly squeezed OJ was great. Kids 5 and under eat free. This was a higher class breakfast buffet than what I'm used to at most Hiltons that I go to for business travel but standard in my opinion for a Hilton resort.

- Rooms: I used points and was upgraded to a junior suite with an ocean view. The nice thing about this room was the bunk beds for kids. You can put the kids down for the night and still do other stuff as the bunk beds and the adult bed is separate by a hallway. The room also has 2 sinks - one inside the bathroom and one outside which is convenient if the bathroom is occupied. Plenty of space in general. Mini fridge on the adult side of the room with a small sink on granite countertop. Perfect to store cold beverages.

- Gym: Has everything you need from cardio machines to dumb bells and weight benches. Lots of extras (yoga mats for sit ups, foam roller, medicine balls, trainer machine w/ pull up bar, half sphere balance ball, etc). The gym is a bit of a trek from the East tower.

- Grounds: If you walk out of the hotel to run or walk, you will find a long sidewalk that will take you to Baytowne Wharf. No need to cross the busy US98 (Emerald Coast Parkway) as there is an underground tunnel (short) that connects the two sides. There are some beautiful places there (golf course, piers onto the water, a small island with picnic tables, restaurants, shopping, etc). I wouldn't recommend walking over with a family for dinner as it's a nice jog but too long for young kids to walk in my opinion.

- Pools: 2 outdoor pools with plenty of space and one indoor pool for when it's raining or cold. The ocean is accessible from at least 2 walk ways (there may be one more but I did not try it) and the sand is white and the water is crystal clear. Each walkway has a shower for body and feet.

- Spa: Near the gym. Spacious with personal lockers and shower area. Heated dip pool and steam rooms. Beyond that, there are multiple private massage rooms that are cozy and quiet. Not sure what it looked like before but looks and feels high quality.

- Kids club: There is a kids club that looked fun but we didn't try it. I think there needs to be a minimum of 4 or 5 kids in order for them to move forward with the activities for the day. Most programs run a half day (morning and afternoon) and are about $50/kid.

- Random thoughts:
-We've been to Destin a few times for vacation and this is the first time that we've spent on the East side. There is less traffic and less of a tourist trap commercialized feel.
- Walmart is 5 mins away from the Hilton (think water bottles, cheap beach toys, etc).
- Ft. Walton Beach (VPS) airport is 30 mins away ($65 flat fee by taxi plus tip).
- Uber shows coverage in Destin but they don't have any cars driving. A rental car is a necessity in my opinion. Even if you have to pay the $10/day parking fee, it's worth it.
- No issues with internet access or coverage. There are 6 public terminals connected to a single printer.

Overall, great renovated property!

Hope this helps someone on their next vacation to Hilton Sandestin.