When the Weather Outside is Frightful – Come to Florida for the Holidays!

The Holidays are about Family

Spending time with loved ones is a wonderful and important tradition for many families, especially around the holidays. And what better place to make these memories than warm, sunny Florida?

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort provides the ideal setting for families to gather and spend quality time together, with enough activities to guarantee the entire clan enjoys themselves! But it’s really the old-town feel that breaths warmth and life into the vacation, as Sandestin emanates a true family atmosphere and community spirit. Whether you’re young or old, revive the feelings of wholehearted contentment gained from living in a small town where everyone smiles and a Friday outing for ice cream was a weekly highlight. The memories that make you smile, no matter your generation, can easily be given new life here at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

 If you crave those small town feelings of warmth and tradition while also hoping for an exciting vacation experience, the 28 acres of the Baytowne Wharf village located at the heart of the Sandestin Resort of the Choctawhatchee Bay can be your balm. All year round Baytowne village lights up in the evenings, but the firework shows of July 4^th and New Year’s Eve are worth a special trip. If you love nighttime fun, you might enjoy a romantic dinner cruise on the Solaris or an evening of experiencing the night life. If you’re looking for afternoon activities, you should try the zipline and get a birds-eye view of the village and Marina, or check out the miniature golf course. There’s also a laser maze and shootin’ gallery at our exciting new arcade if that’s more to your fancy. From sports like golf and tennis, to water activities such as wind surfing and paddle boarding, everyone can find something fun. And if you’d prefer to be less active, there are theatres and museums to explore as well as free admission for kids at the Destin History & Fishing Museum from Dec. 21^st until the new year.

 

Celebrate the New Year!

There are a lot of fun things to do in Sandestin, particularly around the holidays. Below are just a few of our exciting offerings for New Year’s Eve entertainment:

A popular activity is to ring in the New Year with the Baytowne countdown! Dance the night away at the village of Baytowne Wharf’s end-of-year party. Completely free, you can enjoy live bands and breathtaking fireworks as they illuminate the sky and sparkle over the lagoon. The fun starts at 7pm, and free resort wide transportation is available for all guests.

If you’d like to venture a little further out, you can dine, drink, and dance in the New Year in Destin Harbor. Full of restaurants and bars, Destin’s Harbor Walk also hosts a free headline concert. Enjoy live music on the village stage as you watch the fifth annual harbor ball drop, and say farewell to 2012 with the yearly fireworks display.

If a romantic dinner is your idea for a perfect night to close out the year, we suggest you sail into 2013 on the 125ft luxury yacht Solaris. This gourmet dinner cruise features a four course meal, live entertainment, party favors, and a champagne toast. Capped with a festive fireworks display and only $105 a person, it’s the dreamiest way to celebrate.

Another way to enjoy new beginnings in 2013 with those you love is at an exclusive New Year’s Eve event at Seagar’s restaurant, right on the beach at the Hilton in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Be serenaded by live piano music throughout your dining experience, which will be followed by a lively jazz band and a hopping dance floor. Reservations are available from 5-10pm (call 850-622-1500).

The holidays are a time for family and fun, and for revamping traditions to create fond memories that will last a lifetime. So let Have Travel Memories Vacations turn your vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacation memories. The family that travels together, stays together, and we’d love to help you out here in Sandestin.

Take a Trip With HTMV

Remember that free Have Travel Memories Vacations sticker you got during your last stay?

We’re always excited when we see that customers have placed the sticker on their cars, their boats, their vacation photo albums…and now we want to give everyone a chance to show off!

If you send us a picture showing us where you’ve placed the sticker, you can be entered to win a free 4-day stay in an HTMV property, or a 4-day cruise for two*! Get creative and clever!

The contest will run all throughout the winter, spring, and early summer, so that as many customers as possible have a chance to grab their sticker and put it up. We’ll announce our winner by late summer 2013.

You can enter by e-mailing your photo to jason@havetravelmemories.com or tweeting your photo @HaveTravel.

Good luck! We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

 * Taxes and fees not included. Certain dates may not apply.

Livin’ La Vida Local: Our Favorite Beaches Near Destin

We’d be the first to say that all the Emerald Coast beaches are world-class, but like any locals, we certainly do have our favorites. In this post, we wanted to take you through a few of the highlights from each beach in the area, so that you can better select where you’d like to stay. We manage properties in all of these areas, and we live in Destin, so we’d like to think we know our stuff!

Santa Rosa Beach (located on 30A, about 10 minutes from Sandestin)

Santa Rosa Beach is where it all started. Founded in 1910, this quiet stretch of sand has expanded into a bustling community with luxury beach houses, great dining, and a unique, Caribbean-style artist colony. Brimming with jewelry, pottery, wearable art handbags, local photography, watercolors, and other one-of-a-kind items, this colorful market is a must-see for visitors to the area. Add in pristine beaches and sweeping dunes, and it’s no surprise that Santa Rosa Beach was named one of Yahoo! Travel’s 10 Best Beach Destinations for 2011.

A charming Santa Rosa cottage

You can really embrace the artistic spirit in one of our quaint cottages on Santa Rosa, located in Old Florida Village. Beach access and Goat Feathers Seafood Market are only minutes away, so the ocean is right at your fingertips!

Panama City Beach

One of the best-known and most beloved beach resorts in the world, Panama City Beach combines an amazing assortment of water activities with the hottest party spots you'll find anywhere. From family-friendly attractions to Spring Break nightlife, it's always an exciting time in Panama City Beach!

The white sands and turquoise surf of Panama City Beach

In addition to its more recognized modern attractions, Panama City Beach is also a natural wonder. Its sugar-white sands are actually composed of finely ground quartz crystals, which have been naturally bleached and polished by the Gulf of Mexico over thousands of years, and its waters boast one of the highest concentrations of bottlenose dolphins in the world! St. Andrews State Park and Camp Helen State Park flank the beach with forests, marshes, hiking trails, and sand dunes, while adventurous underwater enthusiasts will be floored by this area’s historic shipwrecks, artificial reefs, and the only deepwater diving museum in the U.S. Check out Have Travel Memories’ great high-rise condos for your stay in Panama City Beach!

Miramar Beach

On a sliver of land between the Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Miramar Beach feels like the classic, cozy beach towns of your childhood. Scenic coast roads, surf shops, beachfront homes with wide decks and verandas, condos with panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico—you’ll get that warm, nostalgic feel no matter where you are in this town.

But just because it feels like a town from another time doesn’t mean you need to feel trapped in 1955: Miramar Beach is outfitted with all the latest modern amenities, from fine dining to water sports. It’s even home to the nation’s largest designer outlet center, the Silver Sands Factory Stores. 

Have Travel Memories offers accommodations across Miramar Beach to suit any tastes. Drink your morning coffee while watching the Gulf of Mexico every morning. Bask in the sunlight on your wraparound deck every afternoon. Head out to fabulous restaurants every night. It’s your vacation—make the memories you want!

The soothing views from some of the balconies in our Miramar Beach accommodations.

Sandestin (located in Miramar Beach)

There’s always something to do in Sandestin! From championship golf courses and world-class tennis courts to spotless pools and AAA Four Diamond restaurants, this golf and beach resort is the ultimate in affordable luxury vacations.

Seagoing yachts stream in and out of the Marina in Baytowne Village, hailing from Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, and other international destinations. Meanwhile, the Grand Boulevard is thronged with shoppers, diners, theatergoers—and even zip-liners!—on their way to a plethora of excellent entertainment options. Dinner-and-dance cruises head into the harbor with guests in search of a good time, and onshore, the clubs open up for natives and visitors alike to let loose and party into the night.

The Grand Boulevard in Sandestin

Have Travel Memories has dozens of accommodations in Sandestin. Whether you want to stay beachside or bayside, there are rental homes, condominiums, villas, town homes and a wide variety of luxury hotel accommodations to choose from.

Some of the accommodations we offer in Sandestin

No matter where you choose to stay in the area, you’re sure to make some wonderful memories—and isn’t that the point of traveling?

Fall-ing for Florida

Here on the Gulf Coast, we’ve got a saying about autumn: “You can tell it’s fall in Florida when the license plate colors start changing.” Now, that might sound like a complaint. We don’t enjoy the same vibrant foliage or seasonal harvests that they’ve got in other states, and sometimes it’s tricky to tell that the season’s even changed at all. But that’s actually one of the best things about fall in Florida!

Do you like our white-sand beaches, but hate fighting crowds for a spot for your towel? Want to enjoy the sun, but avoid the humidity? Love staying at our world-class hotels, but hate paying peak season prices?  Then you should vacation in Florida in the fall. Destin and Sandestin offer all the same great benefits as in the summer—beautiful beaches, warm water, awesome amenities, delicious food—but you don’t have to share!

What’s the weather like? In Destin, the high temperature for a typical day is 88° F in September, and 80° F in October. To put things in perspective, during Spring Break season we’re usually looking at highs of 76°-83°, and daily highs in the summer months hover between 88° and 90°.[1] So autumn still offers that signature, summery Florida warmth.

An Autumn Sunset in Florida

Plus, here in Destin, there are a ton of fun fall events! Amateur anglers and pros alike pour into town throughout October for our famous Destin Fishing Rodeo. This month-long festival has been going on for over 60 years, bringing in more than 30,000 competitors each year. It’s free to enter, but entrants are eligible for over $100,000 in prizes.

Destin during the Fishing Rodeo and Seafood Festival

Of course, once all those prize-winning Mackerels, Marlins, and Groupers are caught, somebody’s gotta eat ‘em! Luckily, there’s the Destin Seafood Festival at the beginning of October. If you’re on the hunt for fresh, local seafood, the Emerald Coast certainly has you covered. This weekend festival showcases the best of Destin’s arts, music, entertainment, and, of course, seafood—did we mention the fireworks?

Add to this calendar the Destin Festival of the Arts, the Emerald Coast Boat Show, the South Walton Celebrity Golf Classic, and a score of other cultural activities, and you’ve got one great lineup to make for one great vacation.

Book your fall in Florida now!

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[1] These stats came from three sources: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USFL0114, http://destinflcoc.weblinkconnect.com/visit/average_weather_statistics.aspx, and http://goflorida.about.com/od/floridaweathe1/qt/Destin-Weather.htm.