I have been to the Florida Panhandle twice, most recently last August.
for 3 nites, we stayed in Perdido Key, Fl which is the westernmost point of Fla and it was lovely and quiet.
Then we moved to Sandestin Resort which is 8 miles east of Destin. We prefer to not stay in Destin proper because it is quite croweded, traffic is something else, and the beaches are hard to access.
Sandestin Resort has its own awesome beach, but we actually prefer driving 20 minutes east to the many beaches of So Walton County. Graytons State Park, and many others beaches are close by, including Seaside. These beaches are way less crowded than Destin area.
On a previous trip, we stayed in Pensacola Beach, and Pensacola is fun and affordable. We did not stay in For Walton because I just was not impressed with the lodging in the area.
www.sandestin.com