wakesetter93

The Future Mrs. WS93 and I are off for a week of sun and sand in Destin, Florida. While some may call it the Gulf Coast, Emerald Coast or a host of other things, my friends and I have always referred to it as the Redneck Riviera. The stretch of beaches between Gulf Shores and Panama City is no stranger to me as we spent many Spring Breaks at LSU down there. All I will say is that good times were had by all.

This trip is going to be a bit different than my previous visits to this stretch of beach as my parents along with my brother and his wife will be joining us for the trip, instead of every fraternity and sorority in Baton Rouge.

When we initially planned the trip a few months ago my fiance was on what seemed like her hundreth round of interviews with a large tech company down in Austin. As luck would have it, she got the job and the trip fell perfectly in between her last day in consulting and her first day in her new role. My parents, brother and sister in-law would be making the 8h 45m drive from Shreveport to Destin which would route them through Baton Rouge on game day (what could possibly go wrong) while the fiance and I opted for a direct DFW-PNS-DFW flight on Southwest. While I needed a couple of extra segments on DL for my status match promo, we opted for the WN direct as we didn't know at the time of booking if we would be in Dallas or Austin and WN gave us the most flexibility. Plus, Southwest is better than 11+ hours in a car. With a very active hurricane season in the Gulf we were excited to see the weather shaping up well for this trip, highs should be in the 80's with lows in the 70's which will be a nice break as it is currently monsooning here in Dallas.

While you won'f find any suites or first class lounges in this trip report, I hope you all enjoy following along!

In this Trip Report

• DAL-PNS on WN
• Adagio Resort - Santa Rosa Beach
• Seaside, FL
• Our Week in Destin
• Rosemary Beach, FL
• PNS-DAL on WN

Links to Previous Trip Reports

• On Our Way to See the Tigers Play!: Weekend in Los Angeles
• Especially in Michigan: 48 Hours in the Great Lakes State
• A Semi-International Vacation: Long Weekend in the US Virgin Islands
• Searching for Snow: Skiing in Colorado Again and Again
• Sun, Sand and Surfveza: Christmas in Tulum
• South Texas Road Trip: 36 Hours in the Gulf
• Crisscrossing the EU: Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal
• On my way to see the TIGERS Play: National Championship Weekend in New Orleans
• Heaven to Hell and Back: Colorado, Chicago, and the Cayman Islands
• Traveling for Turkey: Thanksgiving in Western North Carolina
• Christmas in Europe via AA, BA, and AF

roadwarrier

As usual, looking forward to your TR!!

wakesetter93

We’re sitting at the bar at Cool River waiting on boarding to start! Vacation is a go

chicagoyeti

Hey B-

Enjoy the redneck riviera and looking forward to the trip report!

wakesetter93

The fiancé and I were up at 8:30 to finish packing a few last minute items and then we were out the door with Gumbo headed to Las Colinas. We met her parents at a park there and, after having a quick breakfast, dropped Gumbo off and headed back to the house. After grabbing our bags we called an Uber to Love Field, which, thanks to surge pricing, was over $20 and a 12 minute wait for a ride that is roughly 3 miles. As our Uber was less than a minute from the house, she inadvertently cancelled on us and it was another 10 minutes before our new driver arrived. A few questionable driving maneuvers later and we were curbside. Since my fiancé decided she needed her entire closet for a week at the beach, we had to check bags. The bag drop line was long and with only 30 minutes until boarding I headed off through security to grab us a snack.






TSAPre had no line but the screening process was taking forever. I was through in about 5 minutes and headed for Cool River Cafe to grab us a snack and found a couple of seats at the bar so we could watch the Texas/TCU game. We split an order of sweet potato fries and a DosXX while we waited for boarding.







Southwest Airlines
WN 3088
DAL-PNS (Dallas Love Field - Pensacola International)
Seat: 19F (Economy)
B737-700 (N912WN)
Scheduled: 12:50p-2:30p
Actual: 12:45-2:11p

Our flight was departing from nearby Gate 8 and as our boarding time came and went we headed down towards the gate. They were already boarding the C group when we arrived even though the display said “Boarding soon”. Fortunately, we still managed to grab a window/aisle pair at the rear of the plane. Just prior to pushback, a WN captain boarded and my fiancé slid to the middle so he could join in our row.







“Aircraft is thoroughly cleaned between flights”

We pushed back a few minutes early and had a short taxi to the runway. We got some of the jokester pilots today who kept cracking jokes throughout the flight. While it was enjoyable for a flight to Florida that was mostly families, I’d really hate the schtick if it was 7am on a Monday. They were hitting us with things like “We’re gonna go so fast it’s gonna feel like you’re flying.” and “Flight time is 1h 15m but we feel confident we can get it done in 75m”.

We had a decent amount of chop on the climb out and lasted for the first 15 minutes or so of the flight before smoothing out as we crossed into Louisiana. Southwest has started back with limited beverage service offering Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, coffee and water. I had a coffee and settled in by watching some football. The bumps returned as we started our descent near Mobile and lasted almost until touchdown. After a quick taxi we arrived at the gate 20 minutes early.

Since we were at the rear of the plane it took us a while to exit the plane and with Texas/TCU being a 5 point game we stopped into the Pensacola Beach House restaurant to catch the tail end of the game.




Downtown Dallas

Once above the clouds it was a beautiful day for flying


Mobile and Mobile Bay





Local themed tile on the floor




Yes, alcohol on the plane is the problem

By the time the game ended and we made it to baggage claim, our luggage had been pulled off to the side. After grabbing our bags we headed over to the National counter where there was no line. We grabbed the keys and headed out to the garage where we found our Land Rover Discovery. The vehicle was great but fairly high mileage with 37k on the odometer.





Hello wayward bags




After leaving the airport our first order of business was caffeine, we stopped at a Starbucks near the airport to fuel up on caffeine before making the 1.5h drive to Destin.







After making it out of the Pensacola weekend traffic, it was smooth sailing to our exit in DeFuniak Springs where we stopped at a Winn Dixie to get some initial supplies before making the final drive to the condo.



Just a couple carts of items


One more turn until the beach!

We made it to the condo and we’re given our parking passes at the guardhouse. It was finally time to start relaxing on the beach!

wakesetter93

After our 1.5h drive from Pensacola, we arrived at our home for the week. We pulled into the drive of the Adagio Condominiums on 30A and after verifying our reservation, the guard provided us with our parking passes and directions to our unit. Our unit was located on the second floor in the very back of the complex overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We reserved the unit through Your Friend at the Beach vacation rentals who could not hav been more accommodating. Upon check in we found that the can-opener in the unit was broken and the management company promptly dispatched us a new one. You can find more info on the condo at the link below.

Adagio B201 Santa Rosa Beach

We deposited the Land Rover in the underground garage, in our reserved parking space and headed upstairs with the luggage. While each unot comes with two parking spaces, only one is reserved in the underground garage, the other is open parking in the surface lot which is something to keep in mind as most places have covered parking for all vehicles. The elevators were located right by our parking space and led up directly to our unit which was nice and allowed us to quickly unload our luggage and groceries. Luggage carts were also available for loading/unloading.


Entrance gate

Front of building

Reserved parking

Front door

We had a corner unit on the second floor that had fantastic views of the beach. Upon entering there was a foyer that had a bedroom coming off of each side of a long hallway. Further down was a full bath and a bunk room before the hallway opened into the kitchen/living area. The master bedroom was located off to the right with a large balcony spanning the rear of the unit. At 2200+ sq. ft. it was a large unit and we had plenty of space to spread our and not bother one another. The unit could easily sleep 12 which made it very spacious for our group of 6. The bunk room even ended up as our kayak storage room as my brother and his wife brought theirs down for the trip.

The living room became the focal point of our social activities as we were able to watch many college football games and had plenty of space to spread out in the process.


Adagio Kitchen

Adagio Kitchen

Adagio Kitchen

Adagio Dining Area

Adagio Living Room

Adagio Living Room

Adagio Living Room Bar

Adagio Balcony

Adagio Balcony

Adagio Balcony View and Beach Pool


Adagio Master Bedroom

Adagio Master Bedroom

Adagio Master Closet

Adagio Master Bath



Adagio Double Full Room


Adagio Full Bath

Adagio Bunk Room



Adagio Laundry Room

Adagio Queen Room


Adagio Queen Bath


After settling in, we went for a stroll around the rest of the property. The complex sits on top of some of the largest dunes in Florida so there is a steep staircase that takes guests down to the beach. The water was fantastic for our stay and we ended up spending quite a lot of time down on the beach.

In addition , there was a large main pool that had multiple tiers as well as a large hot tub area that the majority of the units faced. There were also complimentary bikes for rent as well as beach chairs and umbrellas available steadying at $45 a day for two chairs and an umbrella.



Adagio Beach


Adagio Pool



We're looking forward to settling in and enjoying our week at the beach!

wakesetter93

For our first full day at the beach my brother, his wife and my fiancé and I set off for the village of Seaside, a quick 10 minute drive from our condo. Seaside is best known as the filming location for the movie The Truman Show and was one of the first communities in the country designed in the principles of New Urbanism. The town is centered around a large square ringed by shops and restaurants with the beach located just across 30A.

Traffic was heavy when we got into town and, because of the narrow streets and large number of reserved parking places finding a space on a Sunday was difficult. We ended up letting the ladies out at Bud and Alley’s while my brother and I went in search for parking. We found a public lot at the edge of the village and made the short walk back to the restaurant where the girls had already secured a table on the patio.



Traffic in Seaside

Residential streets

Walking back to the restaurant.


There was a 45 minute wait for a table inside, which is the only place on the second floor they served food, as the outdoor tables were bar service only. We grabbed a round of drinks and enjoyed the views over the Gulf while we waited for a table to become available.



Bud and Alley’s Seaside




Before long, our table was ready and we lucked out and got one right next to the open Windows so we were able to enjoy a nice sea breeze while we ate. The menu wasn’t extensive but everyone found something that they could enjoy. We started with an order of the tuna dip and for our mains I had the bacon cheeseburger while my fiancé had the gumbo and my brother and sister in law had the fish sandwich and crab cake respectively.

The food was good and was made better because of the views out over the ocean. The town is very dog friendly and we saw many things set up for our four legged friends. The ladies sitting next to us even had their dog in the restaurant and he was well known to all the staff. After lunch, we had a round of peanut butter bushwackers before heading out to explore more of the village.



Bud and Alley’s Lunch Menu


Bud and Alley’s Drink Menu



Tuna Dip

Bacon Cheeseburger


After lunch, we spent a couple of hours strolling around the town square and the girls popped in and out of various shops. Bud and Alley’s was located just across 30A from the square and, in addition to the main restaurant, had a taco stand, pizza parlor and shrimp restaurant. On the square there were many airstream trailers that had been converted into various food stalls. Circling the amphitheater we’re shops and the town post office. The town was bustling but at a very nice, laid back pace fitting with the town motto of “A simple, beautiful life.”



Taco Bar

Shrimp Shack

Food stalls


Town Square

Amphitheater

Post Office




After exploring Seaside, we made the quick trip back to the condo where we spent the afternoon on the beach, taking in the fantastic weather as there was rain in the forecast for the coming week.






After dinner, we strolled down the street to the Creamery Shake Shack where we grabbed some ice cream to wrap up the day. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with that idea as the line stretched out to the street. After a 30 minute wait we finally got our frozen treats which proved to be well worth the wait. With our bellies full it was time to call it a night!

gaobest

Gorgeous TR - peanut butter whiskey! Never saw that one.

enviroian

Nice report! Looks like a pretty cool town. Was that restaurant's seafood all sourced locally (I assume)? Like how they mention "King's Hawaiian Bun".

wakesetter93

I first had it on a ski trip back in February, it's dangerously good.

Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey

Yes, they locally source most of their ingredients, the local suppliers they use are listed at the bottom of the menu on page 2. The town was awesome and you could definitely get "lost" there and forget that the outside world existed.

tennislover9

Very nice setup there. Embarrassed to say as a FL native never been to the Panhandle beaches given its the same driving distance from South Florida to Kiawah/Hilton Head (!).

Your condo setup looks great and very similar to a resort we stay at on the Atlantic side called Hammock Beach Resort located in Palm Coast about an hour south of Jacksonville.

T8191

Thank you for your efforts in putting this TR together. Well illustrated and informative!

We love visiting the USA, and this reinforces (sadly) why we never go near FL … too many tourists, for a start! And the prices … eeek! Things have sure changed since we became US regulars back in 2000. Still, hoping to hit AZ again early in 2021, staling with friends near PHX.

wakesetter93

I get it, I've never been to Kiawah/HHI/or really anywhere on that part of the Atlantic despite the fact my dad grew up in South Carolina and they have a place in North Carolina. We all stick with what we know when it comes to family beach trips it seems as we have been coming to the Alabama/Florida coast since I was a little kid.

The condo layout is very similar to others that I have stayed in at the beach including The Beach Club and Turquoise Place, it's all about maximizing that ocean view!

Thanks T8191, hopefully you all get to make that Arizona trip as I always enjoy your TR's. While the restaurant in Seaside and the ice cream shop were both packed, we haven't had much of a problem with crowds on the beaches as they are private and only for the residents of the various neighborhoods/condo assciations. Not sure what the crowds are like on the public beach.

PoincianaKings

I thought the exact same thing about Hammock Beach when I was reading this review!

Great TR, once again, wakesetter93! When the trip report royalty on here start commenting on your TRs you know you have made it.

wakesetter93

Thanks PK! Next part should be up later today!