LedgeT

Outdoor amenities open seasonally every year. I believe the outdoor pools are open most of the year (albeit, cold). I've also been during times where certain amenities, i.e. outdoor pool bar/grill, are open certain times of the day (lunch only).

There is no ongoing renovation/construction that I am aware of; a majority of the outdoor spaces were recently renovated after the 2010 fire.

Eujeanie

Oh I did not realize that. We usually go to south Florida (both east and west) so this is a whole new animal. Maybe we'll take them in the summer when it will for sure be warmer and we'll have more flexibility on dates rather than their one spring break week?

Is the indoor pool open year round?

LedgeT

I, personally, have never been a fan of the ocean temperature in the Destin area around spring break. YMMV.

The indoor pool is open year round as far as I know.

Eujeanie

Good to know, thanks.

aww3583

The indoor pool is nice, and very well heated. The Gulf temp can fluctuate between mid-60's and balmy bath water.

Their 4th of July celebrations are awesome, but the property is packed. If you aren't at the pool by sun-up, you're not getting a chair.

I think the security and price-point really prevent this property from seeing the shenanigans and hooliganism associated with Daytona and PC spring breaks.

hhoope01

I've been there in February before and the indoor pool was opened. But note it isn't really what I would term a "resort" pool. It is a basic, not too large, plain pool. You can probably find pictures of it online if you do a search.

Also, while going in summer, you will almost certainly have better (i.e. hot) weather, there is a downside, traffic and crowds. Come summer, the whole Destin area will be swarmed with thousands of vacationers. Traffic is a whole different beast during the summer months. And yes, SanDestin is a bit east of Destin and has a lot of amenities right there, but if you want to find a nice dinner restaurant, you might find driving west toward Destin (and then returning back to Sandestin) can take significantly longer than it would during the shoulder or winter seasons. But you will find more places open during the summer months (i.e. Big Kahunas, etc.). So it is really a trade-off that you will have to decide which is more important/better for you and your family.

Eujeanie

Thanks, more to think about.

Watch us end up at WDW again .

hhoope01

I will say I never go there during the summer months any longer. Way to crowded and hot/humid. I'll take the shoulder/winter seasons any day for WDW (or Universal which we try to hit twice a year.)

cmlsu

LedgeT

aww3583

5-year Diamond member. We stay here 2-3x per year, stays are usually 2-5 nights in length. I would not waste time emailing the GM. Many requests can be directly handled via phone or text message through the HHonors app.

We've been upgraded once and it was in the low season (February). We arrived early (1PM for a 4PM check-in) and rather than make us wait for our room, the front desk just bumped us into the Emerald tower.

Our most recent stay included a reservation for both a standard room for 1 night and a suite for the remaining nights. We had to book this way due to using several different payment methods (points, cash, certificate). The front desk graciously upgraded our 1-night-standard-room reservation to match the suite we purchased for the remaining stay. The junior suite has bunk beds which our kids loved.

Please understand this is "high" season. Lots of factors go into upgrade availability. Length of stay, status, etc. At our last stay, they were rejecting all requests for late check-out. They had one convention checking out and another convention checking in behind them. Traffic in Destin is insane with Highway 98 under construction.

cmlsu

LedgeT

aww3583

Went back and checked my pre-arrival emails for our recent stay. The emails included the "upgrades unavailable" language. Interesting!

cmlsu