The Palms of Destin Resort — Hotel in Destin

Where do I start…. No comforter on the beds just a sheet and designer sheet (we had to go buy blankets), you could feel the springs in all of the beds and visibly see makeup stains on the “just for appearance pillows”. No shampoo in the bottles in the showers. No plug/stopper in the drain in the master bath if you dropped something it was gone forever, the shower curtain was dirty, torn and the metal curtain hooks were rusty. The shower with the door didn’t close all the way because it would hit the bottom ledge, the toilet paper holders were loose on the wall and if touched the TP would hit the floor. The floors were sticky, you sank into the couches and dinning room chairs. The “measuring cups” in the kitchen didn’t have measurements. The garbage disposal made a horrific sound - we didn’t even attempt to use it. The door in front of the washer/dryer was suppose to fold but was painted over the hinges so it couldn’t, it wouldn’t even close all the way because it was too big of a door for that space…. It was impossible to throw a load in because you would get enclosed in all the doors, (bedroom/bathroom/closet and washer/dryer door all too close in proximity) the washer ripped/pulled some of the clothes. The dryer took FOREVER to dry. The pots and pans were all scratched and in such poor condition we were afraid to use them. Getting ice from the ice machine on the refrigerator door wouldn’t work because it would shoot ice in every direction other than your cup and the crushed ice didn’t crush. The WiFi didn’t work for the first 36 hours - when I requested assistance right away they didn’t respond until 48 hours but by that time it had restarted on its own just prior to that. (Even after we unplugged and troubleshooted with a “Customer service” rep) There didn’t seem to be too many staff at this “resort” - awfully hard to find anyone. When the sprinklers would turn on it smelled like sulfur and sewage, there was NO beach associated with this place - you have to walk 15 minutes to a public beach that is very small and very over crowded. The owner of the condo we stayed in had one beach chair and some sand toys available which we didn’t use - we rented at the beach instead. There were kids still swimming in the pool at 11pm even though they close at “dusk”, one night we couldn’t get to sleep until after 2 am with the sound of the music/party right above us. The “bistro” closes early and we never once saw anyone eating in there the 5 days we were there. The bar is subpar, doesn’t taste great and overpriced. Overall we were in shock with the state of the condo and the resort ESPECIALLY due to the cost of everything, it wasn’t even hotel quality/clean. We spent so much more money on blankets, bottled water, hand soap, shampoo, Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, beach towels, etc. We donated the hand pump soap, Kleenex, TP and a pool noodle for the next guests. I really do my research when looking for a place to stay and reading of feedback on multiple different platforms so I was shocked when we encountered all of these issues. I even asked questions ahead which still didn’t help. The view was ok - yes you can see a little water from standing on the balcony but not impressive. I really, truly hope someone addresses all of these issues and intervenes to create a better experience for others. If we return to Destin we will choose a different resort for sure. Our family will be buying some new clothes to replace what the washer ripped and the screw tore. The screw is eye level for a child as there is supposed to be a knob on there …. I hope that gets fixed before an injury...

I would not recommend the resort for families looking for convenience. We stayed for 6 days at the Palms of Destin resort, booking through compass resorts. We normally stay beach front, however we were okay with this resort since the pool looked amazing and they shuttle you to the beach. Beware on the shuttle, when we took the shuttle, we were taken to a public beach that was about 700sq feet of space, roped off between 2 private beaches. You had hardly any space between people to even set a bag down. We ended up driving to beaches the remainder of the week. The bistro restaurant located in the resort has the worst service. Your order is never ready on time and you never get the food you ordered. Our first night there, we ordered dinner pool side. It was due to be ready at 5:30pm, and when I went to pick it up, it was not there. I waited around for about 15 mins and the bar tender went to check on it. The cook came out and said they were out of BBQ for the nachos and asked if chicken or beef was okay and I said the chicken was fine. I guess they had just started making the food at the point I came to pick it up or bar tender checked on it. When we ate the food, the chicken was hard and rubbery. And we were missing the fries that came with all the meals. Fast forward to Friday, we gave it a second chance and ordered breakfast. If you used the QR code in your room, they're supposed to deliver it to you. We ordered 3 breakfast meals and 3 orange juices. It was due to be delivered at 8:30am, and by 9:10am, we hadn't gotten it. I walked down to see if by chance it was at the pick up station, and it was not. I asked the woman working the omelet bar if she could check on it and she said they made all the deliveries already and just looked at me. I said, well we ordered it around 8 and was due to us at 8:30 and by 9:10 hadn't gotten it, do you know who I check with to get it. She went in the back and came out with a bag. No apology or anything, just handed it to me and walked away. I took it up to the room, and again, none of the sides were with the food. We received the waffle, one very hard pancake, and French toast. None of the orange juices. I would never recommend the restaurant there. The room concerns, the toilet in the master bath barely flushed. The washer was so loud, we would wait to wash clothes when we wouldn't be in the condo it was so loud. Then to dry them took forever, it generally took 3 dry cycles to get them fully dry. 2 would have them feeling damp. The AC does not keep the unit very cool, and that is with keeping the screen door closed. My last issue, there were many carts when we arrived for luggage. When traveling with kids, you generally have quite a bit. So when leaving and checking out, we went to get a cart. Between the cart area infront of the room tower and the garage there were none to be found. We had to try to carry as much as possible in one load, and then one of us stay with the kids and luggage downstairs while the other go back up and get everything else. Making multiple trips up and down getting things to the curb. I understand the hotel can't follow guests to their rooms and things, but they need a fix in place so guests aren't troubled because other guests can't return a cart. They sell you on convenience of the restaurant and shuttle but neither are great and overall more of a hassle. You're better off paying more and staying at the beach...

The Palms of Destin is an ok vacation property. My family and I have been here for three days, and have 4 more to go. I want this review to be helpful to both future travelers, and the property managers and third party companies that affiliate with Palms of Destin.

Let’s start with the good news The room itself is ok. The beds are pretty comfortable, the living room is a nice size, and the balcony is an added bonus The pool is pretty nice. There are some things I’ll add to the “bad news” list, but in general it’s a family friendly pool with two hot tubs and a bar. The proximity to pretty much everything is great. You can easily get to Walmart (take the back road), go shopping, and eat at one of the great restaurants. Lisa, the employee at the front desk, was really friendly and helped us when we were in need of early check in.

Now what you have all been reading for: Bad news List The Palms staff (excluding Lisa) are often times rude, and condescending. Specifically, a lanky male with a white wedding band, who works at the front desk. We are actually here for our wedding. This particular employee took it upon himself to tell one of our guest how ridiculous it was that they booked their room through a third party, and that’s why they are having trouble with their sink in their kitchen not working. In addition, said employee then bad mouthed about my guest to his other coworker. You enter the premise with a mag stripe card. On a good day, your keycard may work 23% of the time. The other 77% of the time you are running to the rude front desk employee to ask for him to help (spoiler alert, he won’t), or waiting for another person to walk out of the building so they can let you in. While we are on the subject of the fancy keycards (they are literally just a white basic key card), warning to all travelers: each one of the occupants will get a key card and bracket for pool and building access. Except if you don’t return each of them at check out you will be fined $50 a piece. These bracelets are the basic “livestrong” type bracelets that they probably paid $50 for the entire batch ten years ago. I mentioned the location is great, the only problem is you are across the main highway from the beach. Also, Destin is going through a highway construction so getting to the beach is difficult. They have a shuttle company, which we waited for over an hour to come pick us up from the beach. They never came so we called an Uber Also, be prepared for their parking garage. You can only park in it, which is not very close to either condo. It’s also difficult to find a decent parking spot. This is my list so far. I will update it once our trip is done, but I wanted to put down my initial thoughts. Our general consensus so far is none of us would choose to...