Pensacola and Surrounding Areas

[Donalds_best_pal]

Hi All,

I am usually never post here, usually just on the Cruise boards. I need some help. My family is moving to Mississippi this summer. We are making a killing on our house so we will be able to buy a 2nd home for vacation. We want to buy a new condo on the gulf coast and one of the new high rise buildings that are being built there every day. We dont want anything farther east than Panama City because we dont want to drive far. Anywere around Pensacola or Destin, Orange Beach Alabama even.

Anyone here visit these areas? What did you think of them? We just want a nice place to hang out in the summer.
Thanks guys in Advance for your Help,
Matt

 

[stevenpensacola]

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach - lots of development...good access roads to the area. Generally speaking, the water is not as pretty here due to the proximity to Mobile Bay.

Pensacola Beach - not as "touristy" as the other areas. Is a lot more laid back than Destin/Gulf Shores. Not as "hoity-toity" as Destin. Beautiful beaches. There are a lot of people who live on the island year round. A lot of the development is single family homes. The Gulf Islands National seashore borders Pensacola Beach on the east and the west....miles of undeveloped beach for your enjoyment. Lot of historic sites to visit.

Destin-used to be a sleepy fishing village-traffic can be bad here all the time-people always seem to be going going going here.
Pensacola News Journal has a story about Destin in today's paper..here's the link
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/031404/Life/ST001.shtml

Destin usually has the prettiest water.

Panama City beach is just tacky.

 

[ScarlettO]

The above poster has it nailed. Pensecola is laid back and quiet...Destin is hoity-toity(but really gorgeous & expensive-no reasonable real estate) and Panama Beach is tacky(and full of wild kids and tatooed biker people)

 

[perdidobay]

Ditto what everyone has said!
Check your PM.. I sent you a reply

 

[JulieWent]

Check out the Navarre area. It's over towards Destin but not developed. Very quiet. We like to stay out there -- few tourists but same beautiful emerald beaches.

Julie

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by JulieWent
Check out the Navarre area. It's over towards Destin but not developed. Very quiet. We like to stay out there -- few tourists but same beautiful emerald beaches.

Julie

Actually Navarre is not near Destin. My mom lives in Navarre as well as I used to. Navarre is separated by Destin by two cities called Mary Esther....very small town and Fort Walton beach...very busy town and not near as pretty as the ones mentioned above by stevenpensacola.
Navarre is growing...rapidly and you can't buy a house quick enough in this area. They go up...they're gone! I live in Gulf Breeze only about minutes from Navarre and this is really a nice area too. Expensive in reality, but not near to the point as Destin is. I live in Gulf Breeze and work in P'Cola and I wouldn't change it for any reason except for when DH and I finally buy our own home. If we purchase in Navarre then I will find a job closer to home.
This is a GREAT area, I'm glad we are here!

 

[cuterlt]

My best friend, her DH and two DDs live in Navarre because her DH is stationed in the military around there. (hi tiggerlover91!) I went to visit them last April and will probably go again in September. I LOVED the area. Near the beach. Their development had a little outlet (is it called a "sound"?) that was within walking distance of their house. Really wonderful area - quick drive to nice beaches.
I'm sure you'll find a lot of wonderful places. I would assume you will be inviting DISers to stay over for meets?

 

[stevenpensacola]

Pensacola Beach is the kind of place you can go to on vacation, and actually go home rested, restored, relaxed.

Several members of my family have time shares the same week in Destin. I have an uncle who "owns" two units. He rents one of them to us at a good price. A week in Destin leaves you feeling like a week in Disney....need a vacation to recover from the vacation. The traffic and the "busy-ness" tends to wear you down. It IS a very nice place and is very family friendly, but be sure to bring a bunch of your little green friends ($$$$$$) with washington's picture on them...you'll need them.

 

[HappyMommy2]

My cousin and her husband live in a lovely newer condo on Perdido Key in Pensacola--there are lots of new buildings going up there, but it doesn't seem to be overly built up yet. The beach there is gorgeous, and you can often watch dolphins and lots of sea birds from my cousin's balcony. I'm not sure how pricey the real estate is in there but if I could move to the Pensacola area, Perdido Key is where I'd want to live! Of course, they're constantly evacuating for hurricanes, but I guess it's the same way anywhere along that coast.

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

We are really intersted in Sandestin. Unfortunately it is a little farther then we thought but it will still work, an extra hour i think then pensacola. Do you guys thin Sandestin is a good area. We are actually looking for somthing with lots of families and action. It will be my mom, I and my sister during the summer. We will be there for 4 weeks at a time and need plenty to do. My dad will be working in Mississippi and he might come down on some weekends. We are coming from a sorta "hoity toity" area in CA and really have learned to be around it. We really like sandestin and might get in on some pre construction. We also like that they allow dogs in the condos which from what I heard most dont. I am also having trouble finding new construction with availability in Pensacola Beach or Gulf Shores. If you guys know of any let me know.
Thanks
Matt

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

Sandestin wont be ready for 2 years so we erased that idea. Its look like we will get a condo in Fort Morgan or Gulf Shores. Good area? Are they Beaches good even thought they are near Mobile Bay?
Matt

 

[stevenpensacola]

If you want to be near "the action", go with Gulf Shores. The Fort Morgan area is more isolated and a lot less commercialized. I'd say Fort Morgan is more of a retirement community versus a tourist destination.