Destin, FL

[WDWorBUST]

Thinking about taking a long weekend and going to Destin over Labor Day. Anyone know if that will be insanely busy? Also, the main priority is an amazing pool.....so I would love to hear some suggestionsl....there are so many resort choices.

 

[ah1126]

I would say Labor Day is one of the busiest times here. I don't really have any pool suggestions, but most of the summer activities will still be open. That is also when most malls and retail locations will go back to shorter hours.

 

[jiminykrikkit]

We go in early May to avoid high prices. I know the rates are a little bit lower for "late summer" than they are in summer, so maybe that means they are less crowded that time of year. I don't know. We rent a beach house with another family so we don't experience any crowds really.

It's a wonderful vacation spot! Though I guess my experience doesn't help you. Sorry about that!

 

[Egdisney]

Who needs a pool in Destin when you have the most beautiful beaches in the world? I have family there,me are going Memorial Day wknd and the week after bc of graduation. It will be busy, but we've been that weekend before and there is plenty of space on the beach. It probably compares to Labor Day. I haven't stayed anywhere other than with family, but this year we are staying at Destin West(I think Beach Club?) we rented off of VRBO. The pool looks amazing and includes a lit lazy river. It is right between Fort Walton and Destin and has properties on both the sound side and the gulf side with a bridge that takes you over the highway.

 

[PolyAddict]

I have been over labor day and it was practically empty BUT it was when a disturbance was hanging out in the Gulf.

The first day was terrible, second day better and third day beautiful!

 

[madelyn]

Just did a bit of research in the area and we ended up booking a condo off of VRBO in the Fort Walton Beach area. We stayed in a Four Points Sheraton on Fort Walton Beach for 2 nights on our drive from Texas to Disney World in the summer of 2012. We drove over to the Destin area and it did seem that the traffic around the big resort SanDestin (includes many hotels/condos) was a lot worse. Our main draw is the beach and relaxation so we went with a more affordable, small condo complex. In the Fort Walton Beach area, the nicest pool area seems to be the Waterscape condos. Destin West Beach & Bay also has a big pool area with lazy river and I think the Luau (part of SanDestin) has a lazy river. We have not personally stayed at any of them. Most were out of our price range in July. I would think Labor Day weekend would be pricey and many places would have a 3 day minimum. We had to rent our condo from the owner for a full week. Don't delay because many of the best places will already be booked. I found out that when I was looking for July in early March, many places were already booked solid through the summer.

 

[allisch]

Labor Day is the best time of year here. Every 3 day weekend/holiday is busy, with Labor Day being the last big tourist weekend of the summer. I recommend staying in the SanDestin area if you are set on Destin. It is less congested and the resorts are a bit nicer. Luau, as another poster mentioned, is amazing and a great family spot. I also highly recommend the Hilton. Its right on the water and great pool.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Thanks everyone....don't know if it will work out, not sure we want to drive that far for just a weekend....but still considering it.