Emerald Dunes Destin - Salt Water Vacations — Attraction in Destin

This is more a review of a gulf beach versus an atlantic beach and a rather long review that I actually posted to my Facebook. I call it Destin versus Folly. I will say this about my experience in Destin vs my experience at Folly. The sand is sooooooo much cooler in Destin, at Folly this time of year it burns my feet to walk on. It may or may not have something to do with the angle of the sun's rays or something but I can't find a totally legitimate answer for this query. Also, the water is much more clear. I could see fish swimming beneath the water it was so clear. The sand has a light, sugar like consistency vs Folly where it is packed down and thick, heavy consistency. I think maybe because I'm pregnant and uncomfortable anyway Destin was a better idea than Folly because it can be considered a tourist trap ( tbh it's a lot like Gatlinburg with beaches if you haven't ever been here) so everything is overpriced (i.e. hotels, soda, food) but they have showers to rinse the sand off and nearby bathrooms from the beach with little shaded picnic areas. Here comes the versus Folly used to Folly had an area like this but they had to tear it down for some reason unbeknownst to me but that is the one amenity that really helps when your a little chubster like Elizabeth and me. However, Folly has so much more history surrounding it (main reason it is my favorite place-you can always learn something new, or interesting about a place that has been around that long), it's not much of a tourist trap and it is disconnected from the hustle and bustle of city life (Charelston). Time seems to fly in Destin, whereas it really, really slows down in Folly (I can't really find a reliable source on why this is but my reasoning is because it is so much more of a disconnect from Charleston to Folly whereas in Destin everything seems to be right there on the island. At Folly there is one hotel on the beach and just a few local shops and restaurants (no chains) and in Destin there is literally an outback steakhouse right beside our hotel and many shops including a Wal-Mart supercenter. Thus supporting my hypothesis about the disconnect from city life. It's like Destin is a #vacationdestination where you spend all day in and out of shops, sitting on the beach,going to a water park, fun in the sun place but #Folly is a suprise, spur-of-the-moment weekend trip, family and budget friendly, go camping, biking, or walking destination. Also, Folly just has that lowland country, laid back, southern lifestyle and yes, while Jimmy Buffett may preach upon the wondrous lifestyle that is Florida-I love my muddy waters and hot sand😊. It's like my home away from home and although it's been nothing but fun here in Destin I will have to say Folly is still my special, favorite place. #FollyBeach #versus #beachreviews #Destin #vacation...

This place is HORRIBLE!! Aside from the real "lived in" feel, It was so dirty upon arrival I had to wash the sheets myself because it was clear from all the sand in the beds, they had not been done after the last guests. There was an ungodly amount of hair on the floor around the toilet and stuck to the tub and seashells in the tub....also makes me think the bathroom wasn't cleaned either! The tile floor was covered in sand and various food debris, so much on the floor, i had to sweep before we brought our bags in from the car. While my kids were asleep in the bunk beds a light fixture FELL out of the ceiling and shattered on the floor next to them. The beach service wasn't paid for by the owners as promised amd wasnt resolved until 2 days into our 5 day stay. There was no internet our entire stay. An exterminator insisted on treating our unit when we were trying to leave to go to the beach. And the real icing on the cake was the horrible lady that lives upstairs continuously harrassing us and making unfounded accusations about people smoking, parking, and various other rants. She makes it REAL clear tourists aren't welcome! Oceanreef management did NOTHING in a timely manner to fix any of this. The housekeeping staff came at 6pm the next day to clean the bathroom and ONLY cleaned up the hair, maintenance came and took a picture of the light fixture and left without fixing it and we still have no internet. One day left...

Management staff SCREAMED at us like we had ran over their first born child not once, but twice. My children 15 y.o. were afraid to even walk down to the pool or beach alone because management were so rude!

They like to be enforcers, but do not seem to like to follow rules themselves. Elevator was quite sketchy, broke down for over half a day at one point and also one of the emergency exits stairwell were blocked the entire time we were there. Elevator continued to get slower and slower as the week went on with no ventilation what so ever! The scariest part is the elevator certification was expired. None of the fire extinguishers had visible monthly inspections documented, no emergency exit plan posted anywhere, and stairwell without non-slip surface, people coming in and out of pool and beach dripping water, very dangerous. My husband slipped and fell on stairwell due to this and the slope at the top of the landing!! I could list many more issues! Will never return! It looks good on the surface, but make no mistake, they will put profit over...