SOUTH WALTON COUNTY, FLORIDA
THE PANHANDLE GOES PLUSH

By Kathie Farnell
Photos by Jack Purser Jr.

The Florida Panhandle is coming into its own as an upscale destination. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, right outside Destin, Florida, has opened The Village of Baytowne Wharf on 28 acres along the shores of the Choctawhatchee Bay. The pedestrian-friendly village includes restaurants, shops and nightclubs and is designed to give visitors to the resort plenty to do without leaving the property.

Sandestin, with 2400 acres including 7.5 miles of sugar-white Gulf beach, has won numerous awards for its amenities including 73 holes of championship golf and 33,000 feet of meeting space. With the opening of the Village, Sandestin aims to offer visitors the opportunity for various activities including everything from watching artisans at work to taking lessons in tea etiquette.

The Village includes a variety of restaurants including branches of New Orleans famous Acme Oyster Bar and Birmingham, Alabama's Jim-n-Nick's Bar-B-Q. We dined at the Marlin Grille, at 6700 square feet the largest of the Village restaurants.

The sunny, pleasant dining room provides a view of passersby headed for the special events plaza, a sort of village green. Chef Marty Handley is known for seafood but the menu also included duck and filet mignon. Grouper-part of a special platter which also included seared tuna and planked salmon-was the hands-down favorite at our table. Desserts included a fabulous coconut pie and a five-chocolate mousse.

Architecture at the Village is intended to remind the visitor of New Orleans and Charleston, and to invite strolling.

We detoured into the Magnolia & Ivy Tearoom, a tea shop with a difference. Brainchild of two Georgia sisters, the shop serves tea in its charming dining room (and supplies fluffy hats for those who wish to revel in the ambiance), sells tea and related paraphernalia, and offers lessons in tea etiquette.

Our accommodations at the Village were in the Pilot House and featured a kitchen and combination living/dining room, along with a private patio and easy access to the pool. Rates for Fall, 2002, start at $170/night for a one bedroom condo; however, the resort is currently offering a special nightly rate of $145.

We had breakfast nearby at Another Broken Egg, which serves breakfast until 2 p.m. and which was voted the "Best Breakfast Restaurant Along the Emerald Coast" in 2000. I had a very good omelet, but if you're not in the egg mode, they also have interesting sandwiches and salads.

Plans for Sandestin include more expansion, with the Grand Sandestin, a Southern Plantation-style estate, and the Baytowne Conference Center both opening in 2003.

On the same property as Sandestin, yet completely separate, the Hilton Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort offers a number of luxurious amenities including Serenity by the Sea, a full-service spa with salon and fitness center. The largest franchised Hilton in the world, the hotel opened its spa in fall 2001. The spa features a dry sauna, a steam sauna, a whirlpool with cascading waterfall and a number of opportunities for self indulgence including sales of champagne and mimosas for imbibing while thinking calm thoughts.

To further my mood, I opted for the Swedish Massage. The spa offers a full range of treatments, and men's and women's areas are completely separate. Jack, reporting in later, stated that he had gotten the Sports Massage and had spent some quality time under the waterfall. Should you find yourself unwilling to leave, the spa will let you order from room service. Rates for a 60-minute massage start at $85; the spa offers a number of packages, including some with overnight accommodations at the Hilton.

Several miles east of the Sandestin area, the WaterColor development is pushing the luxury envelope. WaterColor is making its mark as an upscale beach development with luxury homes, shops, offices and civic buildings surrounding elegant Cerulean Park. Its WaterColor Inn, with just 60 rooms, is an elegant boutique hotel with the feel of a beachside bungalow. Rates for Fall 2002 start at $245/night. Amenities include a guest library and fitness center and priority tee times at the Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek Golf Club, six miles to the east.

Fish Out of Water, the Inn's restaurant, features an exhibition grill kitchen in a dramatic setting overlooking the Gulf. The restaurant's design has a theatrical component; guests enter via a ramp, walking past the grill on one side and happy diners on the other. A sushi bar provides an unexpected touch-and its offerings under the auspices of sushi chef Nickolaus Walton include some surprises, among them beef sushi. In the dining room, entrees include an excellent grouper with crawfish mashed potatoes and a delectable grilled beef tenderloin. Desserts, all spectacular, include a fabulous steamed chocolate bread pudding.

South Walton County, Florida, is accessible via air from Okaloosa Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach, Panama City International Airport (which is expanding), and Pensacola Airport. For more information on area accommodations and attractions, call Beaches of South Walton at 1-800-822-6877 or visit the website at www.beachesofsouthwalton.com.

For information on Sandestin, including the Village of Baytowne Wharf, call 1-800-277-0800 or visit www.sandestin.com.

For more information on Serenity by the sea Spa and Salon at the Hilton Sandestin Beach and Golf Resort, call 1-850-622-9595 or visit www.sandestinresort.hilton.com.

For information on WaterColor, including the WaterColor Inn and Fish Out of Water, call 1-866-426-2656 or visit them on the web at www.watercolorflorida.com.

 


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