My Sandestin Trip!

I'm back from the beach, and am sharing a few (ok, a LOT) of pics from my trip. Get comfortable and come along with my on my trip to Sandestin! My favorite time of year for the beach is in the fall. Always has been--think smaller crowds, 80s temps, and plenty of fun in the sun. This is going to be so hard to narrow down my pics!

Thanks to my recent trip, I'm rocking the salty beachy wavy hair and have a little sand still on my shoes to prove it. I was going to just share pics of the beach, but had such a great time doing other things that I had to share (almost) all of it. I got to stay at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in South Walton, FL, and it was spectacular. I want to go back riiiight now. You will too.

First off the beach: the water was gorgeous--several shades of sparkling blue--and the sand is the softest I've ever walked on--like powered sugar. The Florida Panhandle has the prettiest beaches in the US, hands-down. Love that Emerald Coast.

The resort itself is HUGE--over 2,400 acres. The staff was stellar (shout out to Shaye and Sara) and were so helpful. They seriously had thought of everything--no worries! You can rent rooms or condos and there are even owners there as well. I'm not doing this the amount of justice it deserves--it was just wonderful. Trust me.

There are the typical fun resort activities to do besides the beach, like bike rides, pools, tennis courts, gorgeous golf courses, water sports, a marina and a lot more. There's also a resort app (I'm a sucker for an app) that was very helpful.

But what I loved was the Baytowne Wharf. If I wasn't at the pool or beach, I was hanging out here--it was a short walk from my room but there were shuttles if needed. It's a village right in the resort. It had plenty of activities for the kids, restaurants (with some of the best food I've ever had), a thriving nightlife, and shopping.

Oh, the shopping! Let me break down why I loved shopping here:

• constant circulation of new items--I've been to resorts where they have a store or two and the items are usually the exact same every time you visit. That's happily not the case here! 
• there's something for everyone--from the young to the young-at-heart, they have an impressive inventory. PLUS they have items for every budget. I loved that!
• they ship--the stores also feature items you just can't find in stores. The variety was awesome! 

Here are just a few of the many stores at Baytowne Wharf:

One of my fave stores was Barefoot Princess--a Lily Pulitzer store (might have gone a little crazy in this section) that also has plenty of other brands I enjoy. I loved the Southern brands that featured lots of game day apparel. You know Southern girls dress up on game days!

Next up I gotta recommend Coconut Kids/Toys and Treasures. Having nieces (another one on the way!) and nephews means I am all too familiar with babies' and kids' clothing stores. I usually see the same stuff offered in every store, but I found plenty of things I hadn't seen! They've got clothes, accessories, and TOYS for babies, girls, and boys--all price ranges. They also rent (and sell) strollers.

One more place I have to mention is the Sandestin Clothing Company. If you're looking for resort wear, this is the place. They had really cute stuff--not cheesy--that would make a nice memento of your trip. And again, the items change, so it's not the same items every visit. They have the logo (in different designs) on apparel, tote bags, hats, cups, and much, much, more.

Ahh, looking at this pic is making me want to go back right now! I collect sunsets, you know. The weather was perfect, the beach was beautiful, the staff was great, and I loved village. There was no need to leave the resort and go anywhere else. It was a spectacular vacation and I cannot wait to go back to Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Who's coming with me?