Hi All,
I've posted a couple times but mostly lurked. This is an AWESOME site and has provided a lot of useful information. I hope to return the favor, especially to fellow lurkers and soon-to-be vacationers. Sorry in advance for the length.
I just got back from getting married in Seaside and honeymooning in Seacrest. While there, we drove to Okaloosa Island to the very western edge of Panama City and many stops inbetween.
The last time we vacationed there it was Sept 2001 (just after the 11th of all things) so it has been awhile and one major hurricane since I've been there. Many changes and/or a somewhat foggy memory, but here is what I can report.
Buildings
Most of the structures don't show any sign of hurricane damage. A few blue tarps remain - more so in the Destin / Ft. Walton area than 30-A but a few roof repairs were taking place in Seacrest while we were there.
A ton of new construction. How many high rise condos can go in one small area of Destin?! I can't imagine peak season with all of those rooms filled to capacity - can you even get out of the parking lot? They all seem like lovely buildings but it seems a bit overwhelming.
A ton of "for sale" signs everywhere. I'm not sure if that is typical and/or seasonal or a fear of increased hurricane activity - or some combination of all three.
Beaches
The ones I saw included (from west to east): Destin (by the Crabtrap restaurant); Dune Allen, Blue Mountain, Seaside, Seagrove, Seacrest.
All of the dunes I saw have been rebuilt nicely - many with newly planted sea oats and newly constructed fences. The most shocking (and sad) was the fact, there is hardly a beach left.
I knew from the "since Ivan" shots, the beach was going to be noticeably smaller - I just wasn't expecting it to be that signficant. We stayed in the Monterey Condos in Seacrest and beach service set up a few feet from the newly constructed fences on the dunes. High tide often rolled in under those beach chairs only a few feet from the bottom of the dunes. One morning (not high tide) a line of thunderstorms moved through and the waves were coming in right at the bottom of the dunes.
Sand
Since there was little beach, most of the sand was packed down from tides and not that white fluffly soft sand I remembered walking on and digging my toes into from Sept 2001. (That white fluffy sand is stacked nicely on the dunes though). It was also more sand color (not white) perhaps because it was wet and a lot of black sand marbled throughout. In all the places we stopped, I thought Seaside's beach actually looked the worst compared to the others. But I still got married in that sand nonetheless (and wouldn't have it any other way!)
Weather
This is my first April trip (4/21 - 4/30). We had one stormy morning that cleared up by lunch and sunny the rest of the time - no complaints there. Temps ranged in the low 70's most of the time. The only complaint I did have is the wind. It was unrelenting the entire time we were there. I think there may have been one "green flag" day where you could swim in the gulf - if you didn't mind the fact it was pretty cold water. The rest of the days were yellow or red flag days and the gulf was churned up constantly (no emerald green waters). The wind made it too cold to sit out on the balcony to enjoy the gulf - early in the week beach goers on the beach, in the sun, were wrapped up in towels, long pants and sweatshirts. If the wind wasn't so bad, it would have been perfect weather. Inland at the shops, it was still windy but not as bad, or as cold.
We enjoyed dining at Goatfeathers, Pandora's, Shades, Bud and Alleys, and the Crabtrap as well as hitting all the shops.
We'll be back - not sure if we'll do an April trip again just because it was too cold and windy for us to enjoy our normal hanging out at the beach (and we like to take a dip in the gulf too - definitely too cold for that).
We like Sept/October however that whole hurricane thing is a bit risky then (we were scheduled to get married in October and had to postpone due to Ivan).
I also hope they don't gate up all of the communities because we also like to see the houses and also look for new vacation spots when we are down there. There seemed to be a lot of gated communities (including our condo) preventing such traffic. I can understand why they do it but it is a bit prohibitive to attracting new future customers.
Off to get some much needed sleep after my fun adventures on 30-A.
Sue
I've posted a couple times but mostly lurked. This is an AWESOME site and has provided a lot of useful information. I hope to return the favor, especially to fellow lurkers and soon-to-be vacationers. Sorry in advance for the length.
I just got back from getting married in Seaside and honeymooning in Seacrest. While there, we drove to Okaloosa Island to the very western edge of Panama City and many stops inbetween.
The last time we vacationed there it was Sept 2001 (just after the 11th of all things) so it has been awhile and one major hurricane since I've been there. Many changes and/or a somewhat foggy memory, but here is what I can report.
Buildings
Most of the structures don't show any sign of hurricane damage. A few blue tarps remain - more so in the Destin / Ft. Walton area than 30-A but a few roof repairs were taking place in Seacrest while we were there.
A ton of new construction. How many high rise condos can go in one small area of Destin?! I can't imagine peak season with all of those rooms filled to capacity - can you even get out of the parking lot? They all seem like lovely buildings but it seems a bit overwhelming.
A ton of "for sale" signs everywhere. I'm not sure if that is typical and/or seasonal or a fear of increased hurricane activity - or some combination of all three.
Beaches
The ones I saw included (from west to east): Destin (by the Crabtrap restaurant); Dune Allen, Blue Mountain, Seaside, Seagrove, Seacrest.
All of the dunes I saw have been rebuilt nicely - many with newly planted sea oats and newly constructed fences. The most shocking (and sad) was the fact, there is hardly a beach left.
I knew from the "since Ivan" shots, the beach was going to be noticeably smaller - I just wasn't expecting it to be that signficant. We stayed in the Monterey Condos in Seacrest and beach service set up a few feet from the newly constructed fences on the dunes. High tide often rolled in under those beach chairs only a few feet from the bottom of the dunes. One morning (not high tide) a line of thunderstorms moved through and the waves were coming in right at the bottom of the dunes.
Sand
Since there was little beach, most of the sand was packed down from tides and not that white fluffly soft sand I remembered walking on and digging my toes into from Sept 2001. (That white fluffy sand is stacked nicely on the dunes though). It was also more sand color (not white) perhaps because it was wet and a lot of black sand marbled throughout. In all the places we stopped, I thought Seaside's beach actually looked the worst compared to the others. But I still got married in that sand nonetheless (and wouldn't have it any other way!)
Weather
This is my first April trip (4/21 - 4/30). We had one stormy morning that cleared up by lunch and sunny the rest of the time - no complaints there. Temps ranged in the low 70's most of the time. The only complaint I did have is the wind. It was unrelenting the entire time we were there. I think there may have been one "green flag" day where you could swim in the gulf - if you didn't mind the fact it was pretty cold water. The rest of the days were yellow or red flag days and the gulf was churned up constantly (no emerald green waters). The wind made it too cold to sit out on the balcony to enjoy the gulf - early in the week beach goers on the beach, in the sun, were wrapped up in towels, long pants and sweatshirts. If the wind wasn't so bad, it would have been perfect weather. Inland at the shops, it was still windy but not as bad, or as cold.
We enjoyed dining at Goatfeathers, Pandora's, Shades, Bud and Alleys, and the Crabtrap as well as hitting all the shops.
We'll be back - not sure if we'll do an April trip again just because it was too cold and windy for us to enjoy our normal hanging out at the beach (and we like to take a dip in the gulf too - definitely too cold for that).
We like Sept/October however that whole hurricane thing is a bit risky then (we were scheduled to get married in October and had to postpone due to Ivan).
I also hope they don't gate up all of the communities because we also like to see the houses and also look for new vacation spots when we are down there. There seemed to be a lot of gated communities (including our condo) preventing such traffic. I can understand why they do it but it is a bit prohibitive to attracting new future customers.
Off to get some much needed sleep after my fun adventures on 30-A.
Sue
i know brad pickel keeps saying the wind will bring it back eventually, but it's hard to imagine waiting five years. 