Pros:
On the second floor parking level so no need to use elevator.
Pool and Fitness room access is on the same floor and very easy to get to.
Gulf front view (although you are on the second floor, so it isn't panoramic)
Washer/Dryer in room, beach chairs and umbrella in room - very nice to have.
All appliances worked well and the layout is good (rooms separated by kitchen and living area).
Love the keyless entry
Westwinds is a nice building. Public areas are cleaned daily.
Air conditioner works great.
Nice granite counters in kitchen.
Comfortable leather couch and chairs in living area.
Paved trail system that goes from gulf side all the way over to Baytowne (2 miles one way). Great for running, walking or biking.
Close to good restaurants, shopping and all the area has to offer.
Baytowne is a great place for the family to hang out, eat and be entertained.

Cons:
Master bedroom can be noisy because window is by the pool.
View is a little restricted because of low floor and the lattice that goes out over the fitness room/pool area
The condo was not very clean. Carpet and rugs really dirty. Showers had mildew, one of them lots of mildew. ( I did call to complain about this and they showed up probably within the hour to clean it on a Sunday, that was awesome.)
Bathrooms need updated.
The area Westwind guests are allowed to use on the beach can get very crowded. You are not allowed to sit across the rope line on either side of Westwinds designated beach area even if not one person is out on the beach.
Treadmills are very loud! Only two of them. But, at least they had something...

We recently stayed at the Westwinds condo tower for a long weekend getaway with our son, who is 2 1/2 years old. We rented a 1 bedroom condo, which was surprisingly spacious and accommodated our family quite well. Here are the pros and cons of our trip:
Pros: LOVED the location-you can't beat being right on the beach. We had a nice balcony overlooking the ocean, and even saw dolphins swimming one morning! The room was clean when we arrived, and was a little plain, but everything worked fine. We opted to stay in a "classic" room rather than a "premier" room, so the premier rooms may be a little nicer, but ours suited us just fine. The pool was nice, and heated so it wasn't too cold to swim. There was a little bar at the pool area that served drinks and snack type items, and the food was good, although quite pricey. We took the tram around the resort a couple of times, which was very handy. We also tried out the bicycles, which was fun, and biked into the Village area to look around one afternoon. The bicycle rental guy was really friendly and helpful.
Cons: The front desk check-in attendant was not too friendly towards my husband, as we arrived early and our room was not ready yet. She gave my husband some attitude about us arriving so early. Housekeeping never came back to the room. We were informed of this before the trip began, so it wasn't a problem, but for those liking fresh towels or a cleaned up room, beware. Everything on the resort is expensive! To cut down on some costs, we fixed a couple of meals in the room, but if you plan on eating out, be sure to factor that into your budget! We ate at FINZ restaurant for lunch one day and paid almost $80 for a cheeseburger, a salad with fish, a kids meal, and 2 drinks!
Overall we had a great time, and I would absolutely recommend this property and would stay here again if we went back to Destin. The beach and the property were beautiful and well maintained, and overall we were very impressed.
Cons:

I recently stayed at the Westwinds in unit 4706. This facility is beautiful. It is very secure (guard at front gate, have to have keycode to get anywhere on the property, cameras, etc.). Unit 4706 had everything we needed. However, it really could use an update as far as decor and small things. The pool is huge, very clean and super nice. The beach area in front of the hotel is very nice. All in all, I would definitely stay at the Westwinds again.

We've been traveling to Sandestin every July for most of the past 10 years, and have stayed at Westwinds for all but one of those visits. (We stayed in Seaside for the other visit, which is another great place to stay.) On the most recent visit we found that Westwinds continues to deliver great value for a family beach vacation. My daughter (almost 12) prefers the pool area, while my son (14) prefers the beach. Westwind's location gave us the option to keep both of them happy.

The property is fine, and is a good value for the money. It's hard to go wrong with rooms: the lower floors give you the option of using the stairs and avoiding the elevators, while the upper floors give you better views of the gulf and a little less pool noise. Either way, we recommend renting directly through Sandestin in order to get the resort amenities card - it gives you access to the tennis complex, kayaks, parasailing, sailing, miniature golf, etc. We used each of these during our week, and it made all the difference. (When we stayed in Seaside we didn't have the card, and consequently didn't have as many recreation opportunities.) A full kitchen and a full-size washer & dryer help make our vacation as smooth as possible. (Note: unless you want to see major damage to your credit card, be careful with the poolside food & drink service; a frozen margarita for me and a smoothie for my daughter ran close to $20 after tip. There is no problem with coolers, so I recommend a visit to the wine/liquor store in the Grand Avenue market, a mile or so east of the resort.)

Dining has improved significantly over the past 10 years, but 2 restaurants are worthy of special mention for their continuing excellence. Seagars in the HIlton hotel is a real gem, a 1st-class NY steakhouse within walking distance of Westwinds. My bone-in ribeye was incredible, and DO NOT under any circumstances skip the bananas foster! Our second recommendation is Vin Tij, a small wine store and restaurant on US-98 about 1 mile west of the resort. The crowd, if you can call 9 or 10 tables a crowd, is mostly made up of locals and long-time visitors. Fresh seafood and a very reasonable corkage fee (I believe it's $5, although you can also select a bottle from their excellent selection) make for a very pleasant experience without the feeling that you've been ripped off by a 100% markup on a bottle of wine.