Destin, FL: Our Family Beach Adventure Recap
If I had to sum up Destin-Fort Walton Beach into one word, it would be this: BREATHTAKING. The crystal clear emerald waters, white powdery sand, and sunny weather make it such an easy choice for a family vacation. It’s a dreamy spot for us Dallas folks - very different from what we see at home! Not only is Destin a beach I’ve been visiting since I was a little kid, but it’s also the first beach I ever brought my own twins to when they were ~7 months old. And we haven’t stopped coming here since. There’s so much beauty and so much adventure; it just keeps bringing us back!
We just returned from one of the most thrilling visits to Destin yet. We spent 4 nights, 5 days with our now 6-year-old twins making a sea of memories. Our kids are finally at such a great age to go beyond just a regular beach day and truly explore. If you followed my social posts on Instagram lately, then you know we enjoyed a treasure trove of fun–from snorkeling class to sandcastle-building class to sailing. While the action is a huge part of making the trip fantastic, the accommodations are equally as important to consider (especially when you have little kids traveling with you!) That said, I wanted to dive into the details of where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did with our kids.
We were graciously hosted by Newman Dailey, one of Destin’s longest-operating vacation rental and real estate companies, during our stay. The rental home we stayed in, known as Dolphin’s Cottage in Crystal Beach, is situated just a quick 0.3 mile (4-5 minute) walk from Crystal Beach in Destin. It was simply fabulous. We’ve stayed in Newman Dailey rental homes before during previous beach trips, but this house was by far our favorite one yet. As if the close proximity to the beach, grocery store, and several restaurants wasn’t enough, the house is also spacious. Dolphin’s Cottage is a 4-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house with a full kitchen, huge dining table, dishwasher, washer/dryer, big backyard, and my kids 2 favorite parts: it has 2 bunk beds AND a private pool! This was great because our twins were able to both enjoy sleeping in the top coveted bunk AND they were able to swim (for nearly 3 hours!) each evening after our day’s adventures. ;) The house sleeps 10 people, so you could easily have 2 families stay together there. Bonus points: they had a welcome bag of goodies/snacks on the counter upon our arrival!
Tour of Newman Dailey’s Dolphin Cottage Rental Home in Destin, FL
When it comes to which adventures to participate in, especially with kids, a huge note to mention about the Dolphin’s Cottage house is that it’s located 0.3 miles from a Little Adventures Outpost on the beach! This is where your kids can take water-related classes and be fully entertained while you relax in your beach chairs. The Little Adventures Program was developed in collaboration with local moms that know the area well and they can help you find activities that suit your kids’ interests. They have Little Adventure Outposts along the beaches where your kids can participate in a variety of classes, some of which are FREE. Our rental house was right next to the Little Adventure Outpost #1, right on the beach directly in front of Camille’s restaurant. There, our twins took a 1-hour FREE snorkeling class where they learned how to use the equipment (which was provided), hand signals, and water safety. Then the Little Adventures staff took the kids out into the water to give their snorkeling skills a try! It was so amazing, the staff was very knowledgeable, great with kids, and I couldn’t believe it was free. They also have a Little Adventures website where you can book a variety of other activities and use their live chat feature to talk to one of the expert moms one-on-one about your itinerary. We booked several other Little Adventures activities during our vacation that were close to our rental house. One was a sandcastle class with Dan Castles! He met us on the beach right in front of our Newman Dailey beach chairs and taught our kids for nearly 3 hours about how to build a perfectly sculpted sandcastle. He was so engaging and enthusiastic. It was such a unique experience and the kids still haven’t stopped talking about it! Be sure to book him early, though, because he’s popular and usually fills up several weeks in advance. Another nearby activity we booked through Little Adventures was a 2-hour sailboat cruise through East Pass Sailing Company. It was so beautiful and relaxing. It gave us a new perspective on just how emerald the waters are out there and we even had several dolphin sightings!
As far as our dining experience while staying at Dolphin’s Cottage in Crystal Beach, it was all very convenient. There is a grocery store 0.6 miles away, so we ran there to stock up and cook at the house. The kids loved waking up to a home cooked meal! We also loved walking over to Camille’s at Crystal Beach. It’s a beachside café during the day, and then a refined seafood and sushi restaurant by night. We loved their shrimp, sushi, and hot honey pizza so much that we dined there not once but TWICE. Another nearby great spot was Brotula’s - a fun and rustic, yet sophisticated Southern fish house with a beautiful ocean view. Their crab legs were delicious!
Newman Dailey takes it a step beyond just incredible accommodations and great proximity to all the action. It’s also worth mentioning that they offer 24-hour support from their team. It’s nice to know that there’s someone always on-call for any problems that arise with the rental. Plus, there are so many freebies that Newman Dailey customers get! My favorite one was that most of their vacation rentals include complimentary beach service (2 chairs and an umbrella set up daily on the beach for you!) I have to say it felt rather luxurious to be able to take our short walk to the beach and find our chairs and umbrella already set up and waiting for us. There are so many other Newman Dailey free activities and discount perks that you can benefit from, too. When we come back for our next visit to Destin, I fully plan to take advantage of the newest perk they just added: Newmany Dailey guests now can enjoy 15% OFF each ebike rental + free delivery to your door (use coupon code: NEWMAN15) with Emerald Coast ebikes. The other Newman Dailey perk I plan to enjoy next time is the 15% OFF of any class at Glass Deer Glassblowing Studio. The list goes on.. ;)
There is something to be said for staying somewhere cozy that feels like home when you’re on vacation. That’s why we personally prefer to rent through Newman Dailey with our kiddos. They have a variety of Destin condo rentals, including luxury homes, condominiums, pet-friendly options, and a Gulf-side Florida hotel. Hope you plan your next family vacation in Destin soon and make your own sea of memories, too. Enjoy!
