Memorial Day Weekend in Destin, Florida

Beautiful Summer Days In Sandestin, Florida. This is the newly remodeled pool deck at the Beach Club in Sandestin.

Turtles

South Walton’s sugar-white sand beaches are a big draw for visitors, but they’re also home to some of the area’s tiniest residents. During the months of May through October, endangered sea turtles build nests in that sand, and need the help and consideration of human beachgoers in order to thrive and survive.

The two most common species of turtles in South Walton are Green Sea Turtles and Loggerheads. In the late spring and early summer, female sea turtles that were born in South Walton return to build nests. Later in the summer and in the early fall, the turtle eggs in the nests begin to hatch, and the hatchlings use light reflected off the surf to guide them into the ocean. South Walton has a dedicated team to help identify and protect the turtles, but there are things that beachgoers can do to make sure their efforts are a success:

• Prevent all lights from illuminating the beach– Turn off balcony and porch lights and draw blinds each night. Use only flashlights with red film covers (which are available at area businesses and the Visitor Information Center) as sea turtles become disoriented on their crawl back to the surf.
• Look but don’t touch – Do not disturb or handle any sea turtles, their eggs or their nests. All are violations of both federal and state laws.
• Don’t leave holes – Fill in any holes you dig including holes left from sticking poles and beach umbrellas into the sand. This will ensure others don’t get injured and that you don’t create obstacles for nesting sea turtles.
• Keep the beach clean – Reduce litter by disposing of your trash properly and removing all personal items from the beach each night.

Visit South Walton is a proud sponsor of these efforts. To find out more, visit southwaltonturtlewatch.org.

Beautiful Day in Destin, Florida!

Even with Debby out in the Gulf it is still beautiful in Destin, Florida!

Destin, Florida Crab Island

It is a little crowded on this Memorial Day at Crab Island. I think I will wait until next weekend to boat!

National Geographic Lists DESTIN as one of top Ten BEST FALL TRIPS!

National Geographic has just put out it’s Best Fall Trips 2011 lists, and names The Emerald Coast as one of it’s choices! Among the reasons this area was chosen are the comfortable temperatures that are perfect for swimming and fishing in the emerald green waters, and for golfing among the areas beautiful golf courses. More than 30,000 fishing enthusiasts visit in October for the Destin Fishing Rodeo, and The Destin Seafood Festival is also in October. Discounts can also be found at local condos and hotels in the fall.

The other places listed on the Best Fall Trips 2011 include Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, Switzerland, Cannstatter Volkfest, Stuttgart, Germany, Columbus, Ohio, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, Dublin, Ireland, White Mountains, New Hampshire, Shoreline Highway, Marin County, California, and Day of the Dead, Puebla, Mexico.

Destin Named Best Place To LIve and Boat

Magazine names Destin the best place to live and boat

May 28, 2011 7:18 PM

Katy Houghton

Florida Freedom Newspapers

TOP PLACES TO LIVE AND BOAT:

1. Destin, Fla.
2. Long Island, N.Y.
3. Newport, Ore.
4. Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
5. Chattanooga, Tenn.
6. Phoenix
7. Seattle
8. Columbia, S.C.
9. Green Bay, Wis.
10. Traverse City, Mich.

SOURCE: Boating magazine

DESTIN — The area has another feather in its cap after scoring the top spot in Boating magazine’s Top 10 Best Places to Live and Boat.

“Once people go boating in Destin, they’re hooked,” said Fred Pace, managing partner for Legendary Marine.

When deciding the best places to set sail, Boating magazine considered “livability, public access, convenience and also relaxing getaways …”

“Destin has great cruising ability and it’s a terrific place to fish,” Pace said. “There are so many places to boat. There is Crab Island, the magnificent waterways … I’m not sure there is a close second.”

Among the local landmarks for the magazine were Crab Island, Choctawhatchee Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway and the “plentiful” vacation rentals.

Peter Wright, owner of the Ship’s Chandler in Destin, said he thinks there are a couple of reasons Destin took the top spot on the list.

“It’s a big vacation area. A lot of people from cities that placed on the list come here,” he said. “There are places you can catch bigger marlin and more shellfish, but if you drew a five mile circle around the East Pass, you will catch such a variety of fish unlike anywhere else.”  

Wright moved to the Emerald Coast in the 1970s with his family and got his first job on a fishing boat in Destin.

“This is going to help everybody out, especially the charter boat captains who took one on the chin” during last year’s oil spill, Wright said. “For boat dealers like myself, we’re starting to pick up that pace, but there is still a lot of work to go. I’m just glad the fish are biting.”

Shane Moody, president and CEO of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce, said even after living here for nearly eight years, being on the water is still a magnificent experience.

“The colors, the clarity, the marine life — we see dolphins near or around the boat every time we go out. You can’t get that anywhere else,” Moody wrote in an email. “You have Crab Island, the most unique boating destination
I’ve ever seen. You have the Intracoastal Waterway and the sound where you can pull your boat up on one of numerous islands or beaches and have a day-long outing.”

He also noted Destin’s location on the Gulf of Mexico and its great fishing.

“Destin’s history is full of boating, from charter boats to commercial fishing to recreational boating,” Moody wrote. “It’s not really part of our lives, it is our way of life, and that’s what makes living and boating spectacular in Destin.”

Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/destin-40589-live-magazine.html#ixzz1YPMDh4NW

Experience Paradise in Sandestin, Florida!

If you have not visited Sandestin, Florida, you are missing a visit to Paradise!  Sandestin is in Northwest Florida on the Emerald Coast. The floral beauty is unmatched except for Disney World!  Sandestin has beachside condos, bayside homes and condos, townhomes, and single family homes. The Hilton Hotel is on this property along with a private beach club and an awesome Baytowne Village with shops and restaurants. Every Season is a festive occassion with floral displays, decorations and entertainment. I am fortunate to live and sell real estate here in Sandestin. I would love to show you how wonderful it is to experience this little Paradise!

Click to see EVENTS on the Emerald Coast!

Events On The Emerald Coast!

NEW LISTING in CARIBE - Caribbean Village By the Gulf!

 New Recent Listing In Caribe!

243 Rue Martine is a lovely cottage home in a village by the Beach!

Call us for more information!