Our family of 6 stayed at Crystal Dunes, in a unit (307) we rented through VRBO.com. The unit was perfect for our family. The owner of the condo was also great to work with. Thanks to TexasCowgirl for the wonderful recommendation!!
Thursday - we arrived too early after driving through the night, so we caught a quick nap in the parking lot while the room was being readied. Luckily, the maid service finished early around 1:30, so we got into the room before we expected. Thursday was a little bit stormy here and there. We didn%26#39;t get a whole lot of time on the beach this day since we were waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. Went to Walmart and stocked up on food and bought a couple pizzas to bake. We got a good deal on $40 beach chairs they were clearing out for $15.
Friday - a pretty rainy day. We got some beach time here and there, in between running back up to the room. LOL. We cooked tacos and stayed in for the night.
Saturday - perfect weather, partly cloudy. We spent all day on the beach. For dinner, we headed out to the Original Waterfront Crab Shack. Dinner was a bit pricey, but pretty good, and we enjoyed eating out on the waterfront. Later, two of us headed over for ice cream (frozen custard) at Shakes. Again, it was pricey ($10 for two), but yummy.
Sunday - perfect weather, no clouds! We again spent all day on the beach. For dinner, we headed to the Hog%26#39;s Breath Saloon. All six of us had the pulled pork sandwich, which was recommended by the waitress. It was enjoyable and pretty reasonable prices.
The first two days, there was considerable wave action because of the weather. The last two days, the water was relatively calm. If you want to find good shells, it%26#39;s possible if you snorkel! My partner found two large scalloped shells the size of softballs. Also found were some sand dollars - one large one the size of a coffee mug, and a couple that were the size of quarters or so.
As far as jellyfish, I saw a few and just stayed away from them when I saw them. A girl on the beach next to us was stung though. We talked to one of the lifeguards who told us to rub dry sand if you are stung, and not use anything cold for the pain. He said to use heat to open the pores, rather than cold which makes it worse. Here and there we felt small stinging sensations, which he told us was from dead jellyfish that had broken up, and was floating in the water undetected. Nothing awful, just felt like pinpricks.
One of our snorkelers was ';attacked'; by some sort of fish though. He got two small scrapes on the back of his leg. Nothing bad, and the lifeguard had mentioned that you should stay within 75 yards of the shore to avoid things like that.
All in all, we had a wonderful time. Everyone in our family really enjoyed the trip and did not want to leave. Thanks to everyone on the forum for their advice!!
Crystal Beach trip report - 9/13-9/17Sounds like a great time. Thanks for the report.
Crystal Beach trip report - 9/13-9/17BTW, I have posted photos on Flickr if anyone is wanting to see what the beach looks like:
flickr.com/photos/…
I%26#39;m glad the place worked out for you. We liked it too.
If anyone wants to see how the beach changed from the end of May to now, look at my second pic and then look at Jay%26#39;s. What a difference in the amount of beach!
Thanks for posting the pics. You should post them here also.
Great trip report .
Good idea, I didn%26#39;t realize you could post photos that aren%26#39;t attached to a review. The beach nourishment really did make a huge difference!
jaydfwtx - the old guy looks good in the bikini towel. Problem is he%26#39;s wearing a Cardinal hat!
Glad you had a good time. Liked the looks of your condo. I might try it next time.
Great photos. Enjoyed seeing them and so glad you enjoyed Crystal Beach..... my personal favorite area of Destin!!
Thanks for posting- sounds like a great trip! That is an interesting hint about the jellyfish sting, not one that I have read before. So glad you went to Hog%26#39;s Breath- it can certainly be a lot of fun!
Jay, loved your pictures. Especially the pictures taken in those emerald waters! Curious, what kind of camera did you use? I%26#39;m looking to purchase a new one....
Oh, Baked...say it ain%26#39;t so....you can%26#39;t be a Cubs fan can you???
My camera is the Sony DSC-W70. In the water I use the SPK-WA case.
A cool tip - Flickr shows the EXIF information associated with any photo, so you can easily see what camera was used. Just look in the ';Additional Info'; section of any photo page. It should show up unless a photographer has decided to strip the info off for some reason. Clicking on the ';More properties'; link will tell you more than you ever wanted to know:
flickr.com/photo_exif.gne…
I would assume other sites like photobucket/webshots would show the same EXIF info.
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