Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort: A Fabulous Florida Gulf Coast Vacation!

Although I was hosted at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort Spa, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. This post contains affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are original. If you click through on a link, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll receive a slight commission which helps us keep this information available to you. Thanks!

 

The Location: I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort and Spa Florida located on the Florida Gulf Coast. I traveled there in February for some fun in the Florida sun! It was the perfect place for a girls’ getaway. This was my first time visiting the Florida Gulf Coast. It is known for beautiful beaches with soft white sand. The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Beach Resort & Spa Florida is an oceanfront property on Miramar Beach in South Walton. It is actually the largest full-service beachfront resort on NW Florida’s Gulf Coast. Have you heard of the 30A highway? It connects 13 coastal communities along the Florida Gulf Coast. The Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa Florida is part of this scenic route. From Atlanta it was a quick one hour direct flight to Destin/Fort Walton Beach airport (airport code is VPS). The resort is also assessable from the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City. It is approximately a 5-5 1/2 hour drive from Atlanta.

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The Accommodations: The Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa Florida has multiple types of accommodations to choose from. There are two primary towers. The spa tower caters to adults. The guest rooms are very spacious and they all have a view. Choose from a king size bed or two double beds and enjoy the relaxing living room area. There is a full bathroom plus a separate vanity area. I definitely enjoyed the ocean views and cool breezes on my balcony. In addition, the refrigerator and microwave in the room was very convenient. The spa tower also has two presidential suites measuring about 1600 square feet! They are located on the 6^th and 7^th floors. The presidential suites contain four poster king size beds, double balconies and marble bathrooms. If you are traveling with children consider the deluxe junior suites. Each of these suites has bunk beds for children. Or, maybe a parlor suite is more to your liking. The parlor suites measure about 768 square feet and have a separate bedroom and bathroom.

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The Restaurants: Whether you are staying at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort or staying elsewhere, I recommend coming here to eat. We had the pleasure of dining at 3 of their signature restaurants:

1. Sandcastles: Sandcastles serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual but sophisticated atmosphere. There are private dining spaces available. The lounge in front of the restaurant offers late night snacks. I heard great things about their breakfast buffet but I was always too full from dinner to try it. On the first night of our girls’ trip we were treated to a selection of fresh seafood dishes. Everything was delicious especially the crab cakes and the Mahi-Mahi. We ended our meal with a trio of assorted desserts. The white chocolate cheesecake was my favorite. All the baked goods are made in-house daily. If you don’t make it to the breakfast buffet at Sandcastles, head over to the coffee shop to try some pastries. I recommend the banana nut muffin and the croissants.

2. Hadashi Sushi Bar: On our second night we dined at the swank sushi bar located in the Sandcastles Lounge. Sushi Chef Jin Kim’s creations are as beautiful as they are tasty. It was honestly some of the best sushi I have ever had.

 

3. Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood: Seagar’s is NW Florida’s first and only AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse. It is a gorgeous steakhouse with excellent service. With private and booth seating areas, it feels intimate and romantic. There was a pianist which added to the ambience. The award-winning wine list at Seagar’s has 600 labels. During our dinner we were treated to several items from the menu. The appetizer of jumbo lump blue crab, tomato and eggplant napoleon is a must. The Caesar salad is made table side. I enjoyed the filet mignon with sides of macaroni and cheese, truffle fries and Brussels sprouts. This fine meal was paired with a Pinot Noir from Monterey County. Seagar’s offers bananas or peaches foster. We had the peaches foster, which was also made table side. The Grand Marnier soufflé was to die for! It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.The Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa Florida also offers 24 hour in-room dining, a beachside bar and grill and a poolside market.

The Amenities: As the name implies, the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa Florida has several sought after amenities. Besides the beautiful beachfront, there are three pools including an indoor pool. There are a few whirlpools as well. Guests at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort have access to four award-winning golf courses, 15 tennis courts as well as bike rentals. There is a 24 hour fitness center with a yoga room. We were able to take a morning yoga class and it was a great way to start the day. The Serenity by the Sea spa is one largest I have seen in a hotel. Besides the treatment rooms, there is a whirlpool, a dining area and a full service salon. We had lunch in the spa followed by massages and facials. These were followed by dips in the whirlpool and relaxing in the sauna. This is the type of spa that deserves a full day and day packages are available. The Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort has both indoor and outdoor meeting facilities. It is also a popular place for weddings and I can see why. In addition, the resort offers both daytime and evening programs for kids. Movies are shown over the summer and babysitting services are available. You can even have a bonfire on the beach during your stay!

The Area Activities: One of the nice things about our girls’ getaway was having a chance to explore the local area. We visited the largest factory outlet in the area called Silver Sands Premium Outlet. We had a lot of fun shopping at Saks Off 5th. There are several other designer stores located there so make some time to go shopping. One of my favorite activities from this girls’ trip to Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort was taking an art class in Santa Rosa Beach. The Shard Shop is a very unique place. Artist Mary Hong creates artwork from recycled items. We were given the opportunity to make our own one of a kind piece of art. My husband loved the red glass heart I made him for Valentine’s Day. We walked around the area filled with quaint shops and restaurants. Be sure to stop in Modus Photography. After our art class we had a scenic and delicious lunch in Eden Gardens State Park. During the summer they have several water activities on the lake.

As you can tell, we had a fun, informative and relaxing girls’ getaway to the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort. I will return for the soft white sand and clear turquoise waters. Or, maybe I will return for their fine dining. Or should I return to pamper myself with a day at the spa and salon? How about all of the above? The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa is a fabulous destination for your next vacation. Have you been to this resort? If so share your thoughts with us below. For more information be sure to visit their WEBSITE.

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