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Many of the lodging selections here revolve around extended-stay options: resorts, condos, and time-shares that allow for a week or more in simple efficiencies, as well as fully furnished homes. There are also cabins, such as the ones that rest between the dunes at Grayton Beach. In any case, these are great for families and get-togethers, allowing you to do your own housekeeping and cooking, and explore the area without tour guides.
Local visitors' bureaus often act as clearinghouses for these types of properties, and you can also search online for vacation rentals. On the coast, but especially inland, the choices seem geared more toward mom-and-pop motels in addition to the usual line of chain hotels. During the summer and over holiday weekends, always reserve ahead for top properties.
Back-to-nature enthusiasts love these two-bedroom, tin-roofed duplexes—each named after a different species of tree and each sleeping up to six—set among the state park's sand pines and scrub oaks, a five-minute walk from the beach via a private boardwalk. Although the cabins are basic, they do have central heat and air-conditioning and full-size kitchens. Gas fireplaces, barbecue grills, and screen porches are homey touches.
Although Sandestin’s lakes make its four golf courses challenging, they also provide serene natural settings for its villa communities, where properties come in a variety of sizes and configurations. Many are even right on a course—perfect those who plan to spend a lot of time teeing off. Choose from villas in communities that include Baypine Cottages, The Bungalos, Crystal Cove, Crystal Lake, Laurel Grove, Magnolia Bay, Prestwick Place, Turnberry Villas, and Villa Lago.
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