Vacationed with two children under 4 yrs old and it was fabulous. The condo amenities were average but comfortable. What was outstanding was the view and location. Lanai overlooked the beach, we could smell, hear and see the beautiful Gulf from our room. Just to be able to ride the elevator down and be right on the beach was fantastic, especially with young children who tire easily. Environment is very family oriented and most everyone we met were families with children and were friendly, warm and congenial.

Supermarkets and shopping are within minutes. Entertainment and awesome food is just across the street at the Baytowne Wharf Village. Another Broken Egg and the Acme Oyster House were our favorite restaurants.

Enjoyed a very special vacation relaxing, having fun and being together as a family. Would definitely recommend the Beachside II and will definitely remember this as a destination to return to. Reasonable rates during the early fall season when the weather is still plenty warm.

I've stayed at SanDestin Resort numerous times and am just now getting around to writing a review, but each year, some friends and I head down there for Memorial Day weekend (which I'm assuming is their busiest weekend of the year). I've stayed in Beachside II on at least 3 different occasions in different condos - - all of which were great, albeit one was in a little worse condition than the rest.

Please note: My positives and negatives below will pertain to my 3 rentals in the 2 BR, 2 BA units in Beachside II. My friends were in Beachside I this past year and did not have as nice of a condo. It was less convenient and had no view (they were only on the 3rd floor.) I've also stayed in one of the Beachwalk Villas, which are fabulous in terms of space, but don't expect to actually be able to walk to the beach if you plan on carrying chairs, coolers, umbrellas, etc. and you're not convenient to a pool. And, finally, I've had friends stay in a condo over at the Village - - great for the nighttime - - but obviously not that convenient for the beach, although they do run a shuttle. Ideally, when a group of us go down there, we have at least one group staying at the Village and at least one at Beachside II to get the best of both worlds.

Now - back to Beachside II:
The Positives:
- Great gulf front location with tremendous views from the Master BR and balcony.
- Large Master BR and bath with a separate door leading to the toilet and shower dividing them from the sink (nice if you're staying with a group of friends)
- Full kitchen with everything you could possibly need. (However, only one of our units had a blender - - we like to make daquiris.)
- Free shuttle to the Village where all of the restaurants and bars are
-2 pools right out back - - one quiet one for the families and one for the party crowd with bands playing and a bar, etc. There's also a snack bar out there serving burgers, etc. which comes in handy.
-Fantastic/Beautiful white sand beach (hard to walk on, though unless you're right at the water's edge)
-twin beds in the 2nd bedroom

Negatives (or unknowns):
-Watch the billing by SanDestin. 2 years in a row, I've had to question some form of the billing. One year, someone (not in my group) had charged drinks to my room and the next year, SanDestin charged for a rollaway despite being told that they would not charge. We had the rollaway brought in when there was no pull out sofa in the unit (despite being told that the unit would sleep 6). It took a bit a doing, but both bills were corrected. Also - - the billing, in general, seems to be a bit disorganized. With the deposit paid well in advance, then with additional deposits (for armbands) being due at time of check-in, and final billing being completed after you get home, you really need to watch what they're throwing on there. My friends in another condo also had issues - - they were charged extra fees that had not previously been disclosed.
-SanDestin is great and I continue to go back for the facilities and the fact that it's "the place to be" on Memorial Day weekend for 30-somethings. But, it IS expensive. And, they penny pinch - - rocketing up the prices at the restaurants for the holiday weekend not to mention the extraorbinant cover to get into the Village Door nightclub and charging extra fees for resort activities regardless of whether you participate in those activities or not. For example, they charged an activities fee this past Memorial Day to pay for things like the fireworks they had planned to have. Only problem - - the dry conditions (and risk of wildfires) forced them to cancel the show - - they did not, however, refund the activities fee.
-Each condo is different as they each have a different owner. Usually, the furniture and fixtures are just fine regardless - and don't worry - the basics will be there. However, a few units' owners have clearly chosen the very cheap route when selecting furniture. And, the last condo didn't have a DVD or stereo, whereas all of the others have.
- And my last negative isn't really the fault of the resort, but given the very few cabs available in Destin on a holiday weekend, the location of the resort is only good if you plan to stay at the resort in the evenings. If you plan to be drinking - - it's too far to head into Destin proper without appointing a designated driver.


Overall, I'm sure that I will stay here again.

Overall experience was great! Room was clean but curtain in master bed was down(broken). When we called for extra towels they came timely, when we called for blankets, they never came and we had to call again, then they were very prompt. Really enjoyed the complimentary bikes and 'mini golf'. Loved that our room overlooked the beach with the ocean only a few feet away. Having hotel's service providing umbrella/chairs was very much appreciated, but a bit expensive. The time of year we went seemed better than prior week, busy-wise. Enjoyed Baytowne Wharf's shops and restaurants, but $$ at restaurants really adds up! Staff was courteous.

We stayed at Beachside II at Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort in July of 2007. We are a family of four (2 adults & 2 children). We thought the place was fabulous. We rented privately through Gibson Beach Rentals. They are a private agency with many rentals in Sandestin. Visit their website at gibsonbeachrentals.com. It would have cost us about $600 more if we had booked directly through Sandestin Resort.

Now, this was our first trip to Sandestin and trying to figure out the resort and it's setup was confusing at first. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sandestin, here's the scoop. The resort of "Sandestin" is actually an area of over 2,400 acres. It's basically a huge residential feeling area with different sections. Some are condo's, some are villas, some are houses, and then there's the main Sandestin Resort. The main road into Destin divides the area so if you're staying in Beachside II you would drive out of the residential area, cross the main drag, and cross over into another residential area. It's way too far to walk. Be very careful about finding out if your place is on the beach, on the golf course, on the bay, or just a place to stay. There are only a few locations in Sandestin actually on the beach. You have beach access from all of them, however, from many of the places it's at least half a mile if not more to the beach. Beachside I, Beachside II, and Westwinds are directly on the beach. No matter where you stay within Sandestin, you'll have access to pools, the beach, bike trails, the golf course, shopping, etc.

Ok, now for the specifics of Beachside II. The majority of the condos are individually owned so it's hard to say what the interior will look like. Our unit was very nicely appointed and had just been renovated. Check the pictures or ask about your unit. Some are a little outdated. It's so nice to stay in one of the units with a family because there's a kitchen and a washer & dryer. It's like being at home! We were very comfortable there.

The grounds were very clean, the beach was absolutely beautiful (the whitest and softest sand ever with a calm blue ocean), the elevators were quick, the pool was heated and clean, and everyone, including other guests, were super friendly.

We went over to Baytown Wharf for an evening and it was great. Neat shopping, activities for the kids on Tuesday nights, and good restaurants there.

The resort is convenient to many many restaurants, the outlet mall, and grocery stores. There's a Publix less than a mile.

We love it and would go back in a heartbeat. It's a very relaxing atmosphere. Nothing loud and not much partying going on. Just a good place to relax, enjoy the beach, and let the kids play. Watch the sky.....we saw five shooting stars while we were there!

Enjoy!