Destin or Okaloosa Island??

Hello there. Hope someone here can help me out.

My family (Dh,me,DD14,DD11,DS7) want to vacation NEXT year during our spring break, April 14-April 21. I am wondering about a few things.

1) I think we are leaning toward Okaloosa Island since I don%26#39;t want a crowded place and it%26#39;s a little cheaper. BUT, I%26#39;m finding information on the beach refurbishment for Destin/South Walton, but this doesn%26#39;t effect Okaloosa, right? Are the beaches in Fort Walton ok? Or, since the beaches in Destin will be extended, is Destin the place to be? I like nice, wide beaches. :D I don%26#39;t know if the FtWalton/Okaloosa area was affected by the hurricanes, I%26#39;m assuming they were.

2) If we do go with Ok., will the traffic be bad coming over to Destin to shop/eat? I know we have a late spring break compared to other states, so that might help. Just wondering if it would be better traffic wise also to stay in Destin.(ie. closer commute to places)

3) If we go with Destin, I am looking at a place called the ';Sanddollar townhomes'; right next to Pompano Joe%26#39;s. Is that a good area? Will it be weird being right next to a popular restaurant/traffic?

Thank you in advance for your responses and sorry for the length. As you can tell, I%26#39;m really in a quandry here. :D

Destin or Okaloosa Island??

1) By next year, refurbishment should be a moot issue....unless that area takes another pounding. Not to scare you away from Destin, but if $$ is a consideration, maybe think about FWB or even Pensacola Beach?

2) Define bad traffic? Most likely it won%26#39;t be as bad as the summer traffic. There is a way to see when spring break is for southern schools. Maybe find out from CoC?

3) can%26#39;t help you with sanddollar

Destin or Okaloosa Island??

disgal,

I agree with many of the comments on previous post. Sounds like a good place for you on Okaloosa, is down at the far west end, where the El Matador resort is the very last resort, %26amp; only miles %26amp; miles of undeveloped beach from that point on. It is government owned beyond the El Matador, but you can walk for MILES!

In my opinion, traffic is always busy in Destin. But you are correct in thinking your spring break week may be just the right timing, as to avoid the worst crowds. We stay on Okaloosa %26amp; drive over to Destin often. But there are also some very good restaurants %26amp; things, near the Pier on Okaloosa!

Sorry, I%26#39;m not familiar with Sandollar. Much more familiar with Okaloosa.

I%26#39;m sure you will enjoy your vacation, wherever you decide to stay!!!!

If you are looking for a quite condo on Okaloosa Island...try Seacrest. They are very nice, really clean well furnisched condos and a less crowded beach. (It%26#39;s at the very end of the road). We stayed there during hurricane Katrina as evacuees and they were great. I found out that it is MUCH cheaper to rent from the owner of the condo itself rather than from resortquest (they have to make money somehow). We are renting from an owner at Majestic Sun in Miramar Beach in May. 800/week. Just search for Flordia rentals on google, but make sure to speak over the phone to be sure they are reputable!

Thank you all SO MUCH for all of your help.

There is just one question no one answered that I need help with; the beaches........how are they on Ok. Island? Were they affected by the hurricanes? And if so, will they have a refurbishment plan like Destin/South Walton?

Thank you.........:D

I was on Okaloosa in Feb %26amp; beaches were beautiful. They aren%26#39;t as wide as they once were, but if you have never been, you wouldn%26#39;t know that. Still gorgeous! The dunes had been replaced, too. We plan to go back first of May. We have a condo that we rent on www.vrbo.com %26amp; I network with some other owners that I know maintain quality %26amp; clean units, too. If you want to keep my email on file for the future: pw423@comcast.net.

Thanks. I will. I do like wide beaches, but just as long as there is plenty of room to put your chair on the beach during high tide, there shouldn%26#39;t be a problem.

What do you guys think of places like Island Princess, Islander Beach resort, Emerald Towers West? The last two are pretty far down........do I want to go that far?

How long of a drive is it from these places to Destin Commons......20-25 minutes in medium traffic?

We have some friends that own a unit in Island Princess %26amp; it is beautiful! But remember each unit in each resort is individually owned %26amp; decorated.

Being at the far end has advantages... fewer people %26amp; closer to the end where the miles of undeveloped part of the Island is...

Don%26#39;t hesitate to ask owners for more pics, whether they are direct Gulf front or side view, etc, etc....

I%26#39;m sure you won%26#39;t have a problem finding a nice spot on the beach....

We never go down during Spring Break or summer. Like to go during the fall, winter %26amp; first week of May. We are always amazed at the lack of people on the beach during those times!

Let%26#39;s all pray this hurricane season is a quiet one

Sorry, can%26#39;t help with distance to Destin Commons.

We just got back from Destin, stayed at Pelican Beach which is in the heart of Destin, just east of the bridge. I can assure you that the beaches in Destin are beautiful. They are some of the nicest anywhere! The water was turquoise and clear. I was very impressed with how clean and maintained the beach was in our area. We were near Jade East, Emerald Towers, sterling Shores......all very nice, but as previous posts, each is individually owned, ask for pictures or rating! I think Fort Walton Beach may be a little cheaper, but haven%26#39;t been there for some time.

Destin Commons was only about 5-10min from our condo. Good luck.

Great news. Thank you everyone.

I saw a place called Waters Edge condominiums on vrbo.com and I think we might look into that one as the time gets closer. They have 1 bedrooms that sleep six that are around $900-$1000. We might be a little cramped but it has a great pool and full size kitchen etc.. And if we come into more funds, we can always book a 2-3 bedroom (can%26#39;t remember if they only have 1 and 3 bedrooms or not).

I just wish I could get some recent pictures of the beach in that area. I%26#39;m sure most pictures on vrbo.com are not recent.

I%26#39;m getting really excited about planning this trip! I wish it were this year! :D