Hotel Effie Sandestin, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Miramar Beach

My daughter and I recently stayed at this property from March 14-17 for a Mother/Daughter trip. I had followed up with the Manager and sent an email on March 22nd and still have received NO RESPONSE whatsoever. ||The evening of our arrival, there was no WiFi in our room. I placed 3 phone calls over about an hour and a half, each time guarateed that somebody from Engineering would come up to our room and help us troubleshoot.|The third time that I called down, the Front Desk (I forgot his name- super nice guy, had a ponytail) told us that Engineering had come by and we weren't there.|This is not true. We were there. Waiting. There was no "do not disturb" sign on our door. Our room was quiet. We were literally just sitting there waiting for somebody to come by|The front desk apologized and we were offered a $50 credit for our inconvenience.|They said that they would have somebody come up on Saturday since it was so late at night.||the evening of our arrival, I ordered room service for my daughter and myself. I specifically asked for no shitake mushrooms along with a couple of other things to leave off of our pasta for our order. My daughter has food allergies. |The order arrived and the pasta had that on there. I reached out about that and was told it would be "handled."|Nothing ever came of it. No response from the hotel/room service department and nobody ever said/did anything about it. |We did not eat that food because of the issue, but it was completely wasted money.||Saturday, went to the Front Desk about the WiFi issue and they told me to go back to my room and somebody from Engineering would come and meet us there. A gentleman came by and he tried to troubleshoot the WiFi in our room. Tried resetting it, tried my iPad, tried my iPhone, tried his phone. His conclusion was that it was broken and he would have to submit a ticket off-site to IT or somebody and because it was the weekend, it wouldn't be fixed until Monday/early the following week.|I went back to the Front Desk and the gentleman offered to move us to another room that had WiFi.|We moved rooms.|The WiFi did not work in that room. Same exact issue.|We moved back to our original room.|Front Desk offered to waive the resort fee for while we were there due to this ongoing issue. ||A week prior to arriving at your hotel, I called and spoke with somebody (a gentleman, did not get his name) and asked several questions to prepare for our upcoming stay. I asked about the shuttle to the beach, towels, etc.|I also asked about reserving an umbrella/chairs at the beach.|He told me that as long as we show our room key at the stand where you reserve umbrella/chairs, there is no charge at all for hotel guests and the umbrella/chairs are free and included with our stay.|I was surprised by this because other resorts we go to there is always a fee. I asked him again and he guaranteed me that was the case. |On Sunday we came downstairs to get our towels and get on the shuttle to head to the beach and the Front Desk lady told me that once we got to the beach, we could get an umbrella/chairs and it would only be $25.00.|I told her about my phone call a week prior and she said that she was sorry, I was told the wrong information.|She said it is indeed $25 and that is a discount from the normal rate they charge for guests who aren't staying at the hotel.|Ok. Fine.|My daughter and I arrived at the stand to get our umbrella and chairs and the young man working there told me it was $75.00.|I told him I thought it was discounted and his response was, "That is with the discount."|I asked him why and he said their rates had "just gone up" and the other rate was the "older rate."|So I ended up paying $75.00 for the umbrella and chairs that I was told by the staff would be "free". ||*Upon check-out, I reviewed my bill at the Front Desk and let the lady know that was checking us out that we were not supposed to be charged the resort fee and told her the whole reason why. She was very confused and said that was not typical.|I assured her I was telling the truth.|She said she would credit us.|Upon arriving home, I see that she credited us for 2 of the days/resort fees, but not all 3. ||This whole experience was super frustrating. My husband and I do our research before traveling and I specifically selected this property based on it being a more upscale boutique type hotel that would provide the perfect Mom/Daughter vacation for us. |The staff at the hotel clearly needs some training on what to communicate to guests about everything from WiFi, changing rooms, not serving food for room service containing allergens, telling guests fees that are completely wrong, not arguing with a guest at check-out about charges on their statement, etc.||This ended up not being a relaxing vacation, but a lot of work.|I am very upset that I reached out to the Manager of the property and heard nothing back. Really really...

We just stayed at Effie, Sandestin's newest hotel. It is described as a luxury hotel featuring a spa. I thought it'd be fun for us to be some of the first guests, so I booked the promotional rate for SOA. After our 5-minute drive from across HWY 98 we arrived at the hotel. We were promptly greeted by hotel staff that were eager to assist us with our luggage and valet parking. Valet parking is the only option at Hotel Effie. The traditional style doors were opened for us and we checked in with ease. Everyone was very kind and excited to welcome guests. There was an issue with their credit card system, but I just overlooked that as first day issues. I asked about a pack-n-play for our 10-month old, but they didn't have that option yet. No problem. We enjoyed the new lobby and walked to the elevator. The elevator had blemish marks all over the brass trim along with a cracked interior glass panel. Again, first day stuff that'll be cleaned up. The light fixtures and decorations were impressive in the lobby so I was excited to see our room. However, when we exited the elevator on the 9th floor we were blinded by the light. I know, a good song, but seriously, I felt like I was walking into surgery. It was so bright! I appreciate good lighting, but my goodness. I think they overdid it a bit. No biggie. I checked out the ice and beverage room which is located by the elevators but it was empty except for a tiny ice and water dispenser. I assume that will improve. Our room was large and spacious however incomplete. It lacked the basics; an ice bucket, coffee maker, trash cans, art work, ironing board, luggage rack, do not disturb sign, etc. I attribute this to the rush to open on time. I really think it will improve. I tried to phone the front desk to inquire about missing items but the room phone wasn't yet connected. There wasn't even a cord. The bathtub was unfinished and still had a silicone around the drain and an unattached plug. They rushed it. The bath towels were new. So new that they'd never been washed. Towel lint was everywhere. The shower was a standard shower with nothing exceptional. It was just a regular shower you'd find in any hotel. The soap, shampoo and conditioner were very nice. I was disappointed to see a standard shower curtain instead of glass. My wife loved the vanity, mirror and lighting. The toilet was usual. What I mean by that is that it's not a soft-close lid which we are used to at home. I'm thankful it didn't break from all the slamming. The floor of the room is faux wood which is good for allergies but a little tough on bare feet. Our room, 921 had the TV offset from the bed. It's not pivitoval and made it awkward to watch from bed. The room had a nice view of the nearby Baytowne neighborhoods. We then went to check it all out. The rooftop pool is chic! It is really nice with incredible views. There are cabanas and ample seating. The pool bar looked amazing but wasn't yet open. We descended to the gym on the 3rd floor. It was one of the best quality hotel fitness facilities I've ever seen. Top notch really. You can tell they bought the best equipment. Then, as a "luxury hotel" I was super excited to see the spa. It was disappointing. There are no amenities. No sauna, no steam room, no whirlpool, salt room etc. It's basically a Massage Envy in a hotel for more money. You can get a massage or have your nails done. I invisioned a mini Vegas Venetian or Ceasars Palace spa. Honestly, this really was a negative for me. Spa boutique hotel isn't really a fitting description. Ovide. We loved it! Something completely different. Again, the restaurant team members were polite and kind as we experienced with the rest of the hotel crew. The restaurant is boutique. Art, lighting, and the rest were well done. We dined in Ovide both nights and tried four entrées. We were not disappointed. It was a unique dinning experience I'd expect in a large metropolitan city. The bar delivered delicious cocktails and we enjoyed the...

Wow. Where to even begin? I just took my wife and two kids here for one night this past weekend, and at end of the first afternoon, my wife looked at me and said 'I think this is the best family vacation day we've had.' I think that's worth way more than I spent. If you're thinking about doing Sandestin in the low season, DO IT! And this is the hotel. Read on for more details about how to do this right.

We booked in the low season for one night with an American Express Platinum deal that came with a $200 rebate, a $100 resort credit, free breakfast for two, guaranteed early check in, and late check out. But even if we do not have those benefits in the future, I will return and pay rack rate. It was that good. Remember, folks, this hotel is only 18 months old, has at least 4 stars (feels like 5 the whole time you're there), and is a participant in the Fine Hotels and Resorts program. It shows.

Bring your own beach chairs and umbrella. Otherwise, the beach rental equivalents will cost you $55/day.

Plan to valet park. They are 100% valet -- but the price was low, so I started bracing, but then was put at ease.

Eat at the hotel's restaurant, Ovide. The food was excellent. The portions were so, so generous. Our server was Courtney. She was so good to our kids. They ate. I won. The leftovers are still feeding them two days later.

If not eating at the hotel, go down the street to the Black Bear Bread company in the bottom of the Hyatt Place. Fresh sourdough breads, niche coffees, sandwiches. All farm to table stuff. Very reasonably priced.

The room. So new. So clean. Not a hair out of place. No off-putting smells. Fantastic view. The bay view was a $20 upgrade. Complimentary welcome gift was a bottle of wine and mixed nuts. Very nice. I inspected the glassware in the room. Not a fingerprint on anything. Clearly being changed out between each guest. My wife got on the bed for the first time and I held my breath. "Wow. This is a comfortable bed!" (Win!) Large TV with Disney channel in for the win, again! Nick the bellman was genuine, kind, motivated, conversational without being pushy. Younger kid. His parents should win an award.

To do: (1) The beach in the off season on an unseasonably warm weekend. It was 79 on Saturday, and 85 on Sunday. We basically had the place to ourselves. Low season extends till the end of March. The kids dug in the perfect sand all day. Not a cigarette butt in sight. (2) St. Rita's Church. We went to a Sunday morning Mass there and the place was packed. Standing room only. The priest gave a momentous homily, and the music was by volunteer members of a local professional chorale. (3) Baytowne entertainment area - kids hit the arcade, carousel (which we had to ourselves Saturday night), and the robot diner for hot dogs delivered by a robot table side.

Not to do: Talay Thai. We tried it. Overpriced and not good. Camille's coffee shop -- not anywhere near as good as Black Bear - head for the latter. The Hilton Sandestin -- I walked over to buy some Tylenol and to check out the rival hotel. Ouch. The Effie Sandestin is kicking the Hilton's butt left, right, and all the way to Sunday. Rust was streaming down the front of Hilton's cement monolithic tribute. The lobby was quite tired. Definitely worth the inconvenience of a shuttle ride or 3 minute drive to the beach to be back at the Hotel Effie.

I've stayed at the finest hotels and resorts all over the world. And I can't believe the value at the Effie I got last weekend. The best hotel in Birmingham this weekend is the Autograph at $700+ per night. Rack rate at the Effie in Sandestin the same weekend is $245. And the inside of the Effie and the attitude of the staff kind of reminds me of the Palazzo in Vegas when it first opened. Same kind of sheer nouveau minimalist elegance and pleasant textures. If you're on the fence about this...