Great Location on the Beach

I booked a Gulf View King for two nights.  I then tried to apply a free weekend night but couldn't unless I downgraded to a standard King.  I did that and hoped for an upgrade.  It didn't happen.  At check-in the gentleman behind the desk struggled with a split reservation (one night award, one night paid).  He said I needed to come back down the next day and re-key. Had to come back and ask the lady at the reception for my honors benefits. 

The room was nice.  This property has only been open for a couple of months.  A little smaller than I am used to with Hamptons.  Tenth floor so a pretty cool view of everything but the ocean.  It has a big door on hanging wheels that doubles as the bathroom door and the closet door.  Kind of like how Hamptons are in Europe, but a more substantial door and not opaque.   I liked the sliding metal wire baskets in the bureau for clothes.  Bed facing the window, TV on the side.  Comfortable couch.   

There is a bar downstairs which is unique.  You can get a nice frozen rum drink and sip it on the deck overlooking the beach.  Tall 2 story seating area and large breakfast area.  Right outside there is a nice sized pool and a hot tub with lots of seating.  Over to the left was a nice seating area with comfortable deck chairs facing the ocean.  Finally, there is a nice boardwalk over the dunes to a very good sized beach area.  Beach lounges are provided by an outside company with umbrella for a fee.  Lots of room to spread out on the beach front.  Very clean white sand and clear water.  

Parking is in a parking deck across Front Beach Blvd.  There is a skywalk to the parking deck.  Luggage carts are placed on both sides.  There is an elevator in the parking deck.  All of this is set up to make unloading your car/truck/SUV/minivan as convenient as possible.  

The location is about a mile from Pier Park.  Diego Burrito's is directly across the street.  Sharkey's is about 1/4 mile away.  No sidewalks on Front Beach Blvd so walking to Pier Park is doable, just not as safe as I would like .  

Overall, this is a nice addition to Hilton properties in NW Florida.  It is a very casual beach front resort without a lot of fuss.  This property is geared towards families.  You get a typical Hampton breakfast with waffles and lots of kids who want waffles.  Lots of families would get pizza or subs for dinner and eat dinner in the large lobby area.  There is free secured parking, no resort fees, pretty cheap drinks, typical (and not overpriced) pantry items.  

Besides the hassle of checking into the room again, I found the remainder of the service excellent.  Typical clean rooms.  I would return.