quiet, nice hotels/beaches/towns - Gulf Coast area

[Gumbo4x4]

Destin's beaches and PCB are also nice but you will get more of the touristy/putt putt/t-shirt shop vibe there.

Our last trip to PCB, we never left the hotel

But yeah, if you get out on the main drag, it's tourist trap central

 

[FloridaPixie]

Even though I live in Pensacola, I have got to chime in to recommend Destin!! Pensacola is beautiful and there is a lot to do, but Destin is a fun getaway for us. Lots of shops, restaurants, beautiful sand and water. The Baytowne Wharf area is nice to stroll around in, with shops and restaurants, as well as Seaside, where The Truman Show was filmed. Eden State Park is lovely, very tranquil and offers tours of the historic home there. Have a great trip, I love living along the beautiful Gulf Coast and we love visitors!!

 

[wonderlandaddict]

We Love Navarre, its between Pensacola and Destin. The beach and water is as nice as destin, but without all of the people! Its a 10 min drive to fish market at Pensacola and 20 min to Destin for outlet mall shopping. There are plenty of good places to eat at Navarre and a long fishing pier. It is very family friendly. We rent places off vacation rentals by owner and have stayed in very, very nice houses for a resonable rate.

 

[ers26]

My vote is for Pensacola Beach! We have been vacationing there the past few summers and it is really nice. Not super crowded or touristy and the sugar-white sand and emerald-colored water keeps us coming back!

 

[quirty30]

A condo on highway 30A between Destin and PC would be my first recommendation. Grayton Beach and Seaside would be good choices if you want to be able to walk to restaurants from your condo our house, or you could stay somewhere like Dune Allen that is quieter but you have to drive everywhere.

vrbo would be your best bet for that area.

30A for sure! Some of the pp mentioned it but Sandestin is also great and the whole package. We are called the Emerald Coast for our white sandy beaches and emerald waters. Love it here!

The beaches of 30A in Walton Co FL are awesome, quiet and within walking/short drive to lots of cute/quaint places. We absolutely LOVE Seaside and go every year, but it can be a little pricey (we save more for this trip than we do for Disney). To get the same area, seriously a walk or bike ride into Seaside, stay in Seagrove for much less cash. Also Rosemary, Alys Beach, Watercolor, Grayton Beach, Santa Rosa. Anywhere along there.

Destin's beaches and PCB are also nice but you will get more of the touristy/putt putt/t-shirt shop vibe there.

Totally agree with these recommendations - and this is coming from someone with a Sowal tattoo on her back!!!! Sowal being short for South Walton County, Florida. We have stayed in Seagrove and Seacrest Beach - I think Grayton is really my favorite. There's just a laid back, quaint feel in most of the towns along 30A, and there are all sorts of accommodations for all sorts of budgets. And if you get a little bored and want to do something more touristy, either Destin or Panama City Beach are about a half hour away (I've stayed in both those cities too, and while there are fun things to do, we much prefer staying along 30A.)