hhoope01

Thanks for the update. I'll be there next week and am definitely looking forward to it. ^

hhoope01

I just received the "Your upcoming Stay" email from the hotel. It mentions that for $15/day (or $40 for 3 days) you can get access to the Spa Facilities (fitness center, pools, saunas, etc.)

As a Diamond are those complementary or would I still have to pay?

Mustang1

Should be complementary. How was your stay?

hhoope01

Sorry for not posting a stay report.

The hotel stay was excellent. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite as good as it rained almost every day. They upgraded us to one of the end Oceanfront rooms with an extra large balcony. ^ And no, I was not charged for the Spa access. Diamonds get complementary access.

They gave both of us free continental breakfast in the restaurant to which we could upgrade for a nominal charge to the full breakfast. I only did it one morning though as their steel-cut oats were actually pretty good. I did rent a car, but was not charged for parking. There is what looks like a very nice steak restaurant, but we didn't eat there (though I've heard it is very good.)

Overall, my wife loved it enough that in the future when it is just the two of going, she wants to stay there. It is really about the only Full Service Resort hotel in the whole area.

I'm getting ready to head back down for the annual extended family visit (my grandfather started taking my dad down in the 40's when there wasn't anything but a couple of fishing stands there and the whole family has been coming down annually since.) If I can get my 2 Citibank weekend night certs in time, I'm going to try and get a couple of rooms for a night in the Pensacola Beach Hilton resort to check it out. And see which my wife likes better.

aww3583

Enjoy the Penscola Beach Hilton. We frequent it several times a year. We've had varying experiences there. Sometimes it's phenomenal, other times make me believe it is the most over-priced and over-rated Hilton in the US. The rooms in the shorter/older tower leave a bit to be desired. The breakfast is one of the better I've had. The pool deck is nice, but is dwarfed by that of the Holiday Inn next door.

We're going to try the Sandestin Hilton next weekend. Got a beach view room on points on an off-season Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an upgrade.

Any tips for a couple with a 13-month old baby? Splash pad? On-site and off-site restaurants?

aww3583

Just got back from a quick weekend here.

I kept an eye out online and saw suites disappearing as the weekend approached. At the same time, the pricing (points) for an Ambassador Suite kept dropping. I waited til the price was 60,000 points and called and upgraded myself. 10,000 extra points was WELL worth it.

We had the Ambassador Suite on the 1st floor at the very end of the western-most tower. The room is actually two connected rooms and had a full sitting area (couch, 47" TV, sink, fridge, microwave), a separate bedroom with a king-sized bed and sitting area. The bedroom and main room were connected by a long balcony with several chairs. The bathroom was as big as the bedroom and had a jetted tub, a separate room for the toilet, and a shower with a frameless glass door built into the wall. There were dual vanities and another sitting area in the bathroom.

The weather was great, if not a little chilly with the winds out of the north. The outdoor pool deck was a little cold for our daughter, so we hung out at the indoor pool. The pool was heated and seemed to be a favorite of many families with kids. There are multiple pools outdoors, including a kiddie-pool and splash pad.

Our vouchers covered two continental breakfasts. I upgraded to the full buffet for $7.50 which I thought was very reasonable. The server said the "normal" price without the voucher is $18, if I remember correctly. The continental buffet had a large selection of fruits, pastries, cereals, and yogurt. The full buffet included an omelet bar, sausage, bacon, grits, eggs, hash-browns, and corned-beef hash.

Self-parking was free and the main lot is very convenient to the tower we were in. Valet is available, but we didn't find it necessary. The wireless network was in-line with most other Hilton properties, which is to say, very slow.

All-in-all, this was a great stay. Apples-to-apples, for the same amount of points, this property is miles ahead of the Hilton Pensacola Beach. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again!

hhoope01

Glad you had a great stay and I definitely agree with your comparison with the Pensacola Beach Hilton which was not anywhere close to the level of the Sandestin Resort.

And sorry I didn't see your earlier post. Depending on what type of restaurants you like, I could have made a few suggestions. Did you happen to try out the hotel's steak restaurant (ground floor)? I had heard it is very nice, but we didn't try it out during our last trip.

aww3583

We split our weekend getaways between the W=A Roosevelt in New Orleans and the Hilton Pensacola Beach. We'll now put the Hilton Sandestin in the rotation. They're all Level 8 rewards hotels, but the experiences you get for 50,000 points varies GREATLY between the three properties. The Hilton PB is great because it's the closest and for the Blue Angel air show, but there's really no reason to visit outside of that one weekend each year.

We really tend to avoid the hotel restaurants when we're on vacation. We like to get out and eat where everyone else eats. Nothing personal against the Hilton restaurants, but there's something to be said for fresh, local seafood when you're literally feet from the Gulf.

We ate at Stinky's Fish Camp, Local Catch 30A, and Surf Hut.

They were all great, and I'd rank them in that order from most favorite to least. The food was better at Stinky's, but the drinks were better at Local Catch. The view from Surf Hut was perfect as the patio walked right out onto the beach.

stvr

Quick update from Sandestin, Destin, FL.

Positives:
-free parking
-nice room upgrade to bunk bed hideaway junior suite (as Diamond)
-nearly direct ocean view
-closest full service property to our destination, Seaside FL and Rosemary Beach, FL
-pretty quiet (very off season)

Negatives:
-whole property has an intense mold smell, from lobby to hallway to room
-room was never serviced even though we were gone for six hours (this is the off season but yeesh)
-free continental breakfast was whatever, a real sugar carb fest, I recognize this is the brand standard, but the offering is on the lower end of what I've experienced as a Diamond, allowing us to use the credit at the coffee shop is good and flexible, only serves to highlight what a weak offer it is
-the deal breaker: incredibly slow, unusable internet. They did waive the resort fee after I pointed out how galling it was that they would charge $25 for internet they haven't invested a dime in since 2003.

Sadly there isn't much competition in this market. For the price we paid, despite the flaws...

Eujeanie

Would this place be subject to Spring Break craziness at the end of March? (same timeframe as our young grandkids' break, don't want to run into Girls Gone Wild).

hhoope01

Given there are numerous lower cost options in the area and that the Destin area isn't quite the Spring Break destination other areas are, you should be fine.

Note I was just in Destin for a week (business and pleasure) and it was actually pretty quiet. (No I didn't drive down to Sandestin this past trip to check out the Hilton specifically, but I have stayed there in the March/April time frame before.)

Also just in case you aren't familiar with the area (FL panhandle) the weather can be "variable". One day it might be sunny and 80, the next it might be rainy and 50s. And the gulf water will be chilly to get into, but I do see folks swimming and playing in the gulf. So it can be tolerable by some.

LedgeT

The Sandestin property, inclusive of all the condos, private houses, the Hilton, etc., require that the registered guest be 25 years of age with proper ID. They do not allow beer funnels, excessive drinking, etc. on the beach and enforce these policies well.

That said, the city/area of Destin/FWB will generally be busy as it is spring break. I would not expect anything like a Panama City Beach/Girls Gone Wild week.

Eujeanie

Thank you both. I was wondering about the weather, that's why we were thinking of the Hilton since it also has the indoor pool.

LedgeT

The indoor pool is nice and should be open by then. Note that some of the hotel's outlets (outdoor dining, beachside bar, etc.) may not be open yet. A call to the front desk will yield this season's opening dates for the venues.

Eujeanie

If we go it will be March 2018, are you saying different amenities open seasonally every year or that they have been under construction/renovation and might not yet be open for this year (2017)?