I live in Destiny West across the street from the beach and it is the most beautiful beach in the world. white sand, clear water... I wish we had shells like we did down south. Yes it is crowded... but what do you expect? read more

Soft white sands, clear gulf waters, and steady manageable waves makes this a top beach for every family. It will be hard to return to the Atlantic after this. read more

Went for a week-long summer vacation, LOVE DESTIN! Great white sand! Beautiful water! Everything was lovely, EXCEPT THE HOSPITALITY. Very disappointed to see that southern hospitality is non-existent everywhere we went it was the same thing.. No sense of a welcoming spirit whatsoever read more

Destin has been my favorite beach I've visit thus far. All the other reviews are true. The sand is beautiful, the beaches are clean, and the water is clear. When we first came here I completely forgot the water was clear and my swim suit came off... And yeah, I'm pretty sure people saw more of me than they wanted, haha. Our time at the beach was amazing! It really is beautiful all the time. The only thing that happened that was bad was there was a day of heavy seaweed and I guess where we were swimming was close to a crabs nest or something because I literally had a lot of tiny baby baby crabs in my swim suit! It was soooooo itchy! I initially thought it was seaweed but turns out they were legit crabs I had to pull out of my suit :(. But other than that I had a perfect time at the beach! We will definitely be back! read more

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Great beach. No seagulls. No seaweed. Crystal clear water. White sand. Very Clean. Enough said!

Nothing could make it better. Perfect sand. Nice waves. OK crowds. Shoreline was clean with no weeds and very few small shells near the end of March. . We were there during spring break and didnt see much craziness at all. read more

This has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I have found that it's a great place for families as there is just enough cheesy stuff to do without being over the top like Panama City Beach. read more

Fantastic. I've seen almost every major beach in the continental United States, and a few of the best beaches in Hawaii. Destin's beach ranks among the best of them. Specifics/Advice: - Water color: fabulous (normally...understand that weather and other factors can impact that) - Sand: white and pure - Swimming area: clean and safe--no underwater structures or rocks...just clean, white sand - People: 1. Most of the locals you meet will be pretty friendly and hospitable. 2. Some of the people who operate the resorts can be real jerks about water-front chair space...a pet peeve for me. Some operators will position chairs/umbrellas along the entire span of beach behind their property, edge to edge, completely blocking the beach. That crap will sit there all day long, even if nobody is sitting in it. I'm not one for suggesting new laws...we have more than enough already. But I don't think the city of Destin should allow these operators to block the beach front with empty chairs and umbrellas, unless those owners actually have exclusive rights to their section of beach. There should be a specific limit on how much of the beach they can cover with empty chairs. I think the city of Destin should restrict operators from putting out chairs/umbrellas on any more than 50% of the frontage behind their property unless and until all the chairs they have in place are in use (not just reserved...real butts in the chairs). 3. Spring-Breakers: Destin is a family-friendly kind of place. Most of the college kids come here to enjoy the beach...not to get drunk and stupid. There will be a few groups of college kids that get a bit wild. But not many. The idiots who drive to the south to kill brain cells and find a random sperm-donor(s) gravitate to Panama City...the girls must be less "fussy" there. I don't think they sell penicillin shots and "morning after" pills right on the beach in Panama City. But it'll probably happen soon. 4. Cops: Through Spring Break the cops are everywhere. If you're on the beach they're watching you. Cops tend to sit near the parking lots and watch the beach with optics. If you bring a glass bottle to the beach, or you're drinking and you look like you're under-age, you can expect to them, face to face. - Critters: All the ocean critters you could expect to see anywhere in water of the temperature and Latitude of Destin's beach are also here, in our waters. Specific to the critters you might worry about: -- Sharks: Bull shark, sand shark, hammerhead, mako...you name the shark, and they're probably swimming within a mile as you sit there in the warm, white sand (an 1,100+ lb mako was caught near Navarre a few years ago). The most significant danger of shark attack is to those who position themselves along the deep water edge of the outer sand bar. Destin's beach has a sand bar (shallower water) about 100 yards offshore, and runs along the beach for miles, well beyond Destin. The sharks that are here tend to cruise along the outer sand bar, in deeper water. In general, those few sharks that come into the very shallow water do so when the sun is not high in the sky (early morning/late afternoon). To reduce your risk: 1. Stay inside the outer sand bar 2. If you're bleeding (in any way), be extra cautious, especially early morning or late afternoon. 3. Be more alert for "shadows" in the water early in the morning or late in the afternoon. If you're swimming after dark, you're asking for it. Hint: The shark fishermen come to the beach just before dark! -- Rays: shuffle your feet as you walk...they'll get out of your way -- Jellyfish: Seasonal...but we get 'em. If you're worried about getting stung, buy that micro-knit "swim" clothing ( http://www.landsend.com/products/mens-short-sleeve-mockneck-rash-guard/id_233740) they sell for sun protection. Jellyfish cannot sting through it. read more

Best beaches around!!! Sugar white sand and clear water. We go toward the end of August, so it's never crowded.

I have to say, I was so excited to visit the beaches in these pictures. Unfortunately, the only accuracy in the amazing pictures of Destin was the sand. The water was so gross. It was black and green with algae and seaweed and grass. It got into our bathing suits and was really super gross. The water was not a crystal clear blue, we couldn't see anything past all the black grass and green algae. I would not drive back to Destin for that. I'm not sure why everyone else says this place was so great. We went Aug 31st-Sep 3 and tried multiple beach sites. My advice, don't be too excited for something that looks awesome, because it really was a huge disappointment. read more

As long as you don't mind spending your entire vacation stuck in traffic. The beaches are nice but the traffic is terrible. Hope that you have a comfortable car seat! read more

I've been to Destin twice and I long for its beaches every single day of my life. The beach is beautiful - the water is clear, the sand is soft and white. The times I've gone it has not been too crowded or unbearably hot with an umbrella (a must, IMO). We saw dolphins several times, little crabs, schools of fish, and jellyfish(!) read more

Destin is gorgeous! I was contemplating moving here, but Destin's people are full of it! Maybe I can live in Destin and shop in Okaloosa or Fort Walton Beach- to try and not have to interact with such obnoxious people. Sad that such beautiful beaches can't have beautiful people living in it. Anyway, crab Island is awesome and especially Norriega Point. read more

I wouldn't recommend Destin Beach unless you love heavy traffic, crowded beach areas, and artificiality everywhere. The traffic was so bad we had to wait for minutes just to leave the hotel parking lot. The beach near the Holiday Inn was a narrow strip covered with artificial-looking sand, which quicky dropped off at 40 degrees to the water. You cannot walk on Destin Beach, because the angle is too steep. I love walking beaches! It was so crowded that we had to set our chairs behind some people and in front of others. The water, however, was beautiful, clear, and blue. I highly recommend the Harbour Walk up Hwy 98 towards Fort Walton. Stop and park there to see the fishing boats come in with their catches and shop the little shops there. Gilligan's on the Harbor is a decent restaurant where you can eat overlooking the harbor, very lovely. I do not plan to return to Destin. Beautiful water, disappointing beach. read more

Destin, FL is a place you can't get enough of! The beaches are beautiful and better yet, the people are so nice and welcoming. There's no place like it! read more