Family Travel Forum - Idleness and Action to Suit Every Taste

In planning a long weekend away with my family, I used to look for total relaxation or non-stop action, extremes that freed us from our at-home routine to step back, contemplate our personal best, and appreciate each other anew. Florida's 2,400-acre resort of Sandestin offers both: families will find leisure and recreation with sun, sand, tennis, golf, children's nature activities, fine restaurants and shops, delivered with first class service.

It took an organized press trip to get my brood to journey all the way to west Florida's Emerald Coast--- also known smugly as the Redneck Riviera--- but as soon as we arrived, we understood why the Destin area had attracted Southern families for generations.

QUIET AND ACTION-PACKED
Relaxing was easy, especially on the sugar-fine quartz sand. Sandestin's 7½- mile Gulf of Mexico beachfront and gentle warm waters invited us to swim, nap, build castles and make sand angels. As incongruous as our highrise housing seemed, the tastefully furnished, two-bedroom condo had balconies facing deep umber sunsets. We strolled from there to the Jolee Island nature park, a small pine-forested island with a pirate-ship style playground and a large lawn for croquet. We nested together aboard the Jennifer Marie, a gaf rig schooner which raced silently as dolphins frolicked in Choctawhatchee Bay.

Getting active was easy, too. At our fall visit, it was warm enough to swim mid-day, and cool enough to enjoy tennis on the clay, hard surface, and grass courts. We went out onto the Bay in a sea kayak and returned for a canoe when we began to feel lazy (one hour per day of non- motorized boat and tennis court use is complimentary for guests.)

The following morning we rented two jet-skis from the resort's professional marine staff. After a surprisingly informative safety video, we chose a one-hour tour around the Hogtown Bayou and shoreline full of grand homes. In the usual three-hour ecotour, marine director Chris Miller, or one of his staff, leads families (two riders per waverunner pay $155) across the bay to the Alaqua River to have a picnic breakfast and see the region's undeveloped sand beaches, alligators and bird life. We all enjoyed the breeze tearing through our hair; my boys were extra thrilled gunning the Yamaha XL 700 engines.

Sandestin is famous for its juniors' golf clinics and programs, a special treat for grandparents and grandkids. Besides four major courses, there is a glamorously groomed 18-hole putting course near the marina.

One morning, we rented fat-tire bikes (they have infant bike seats and helmets for children) and rode over to the Bayside Inn for a breakfast buffet. At the Inn's bay-front bar, several parents relaxed while supervising their little ones in the adjacent wading pool (lifeguards only monitor the beaches.) We heard from these contented, repeat guests that water balloon games and ice cream socials are held around Bayside's deck almost daily in summer.

CHILDREN-ONLY ACTIVITIES
At our fall visit, only a few supervised children's activities were operating. During the summer season, there are supervised programs, for a fee, for 3 to10-year-olds (half-days for 3 to 5-year-olds, full days for ages 6 to 10), movie evenings, and a thrice-weekly evening teens program. Our 9-year-old enjoyed a balloon animal show and painting sand dollars, and hated the other crafts activities. But put kids with other kids, and they always amuse themselves.

As an example, later that day on the resort's free shuttle bus, we met six kids, ages 2 to 13, who knew each other from neighboring condos and were spending the evening riding around the resort, gossiping and greeting anyone who boarded. Combine this small-town feeling with waiters who drawl Ma'am or Sir into several syllables, tufts of Spanish Moss dangling from the palm trees, and the creamy grits accompanying every meal, and you've got a genteel Southern atmosphere where anyone would feel welcomed.

FAMILY TOGETHER FUN
Together, we strolled along Baytowne Marina to guess the price of visiting yachts, avoiding the wildly squawking parrot on duty. At Sandestin's Discovery Center, we admired architectural renderings of "Baytowne Wharf," a pedestrian village of stylish shacks (which opened in July 2002) to house boutiques and restaurants. Sandestin, originally developed by a Malaysian real estate group as a complex of private homes, condos and villas, was sold in 1998 to Intrawest, owners of 10 mountain resorts including Mont Tremblant and Whistler/Blackcomb in Canada. If you've enjoyed the Euro-chic pedestrian lanes of cafes, picturesque shop windows, tiny bakeries and occasional street performers at many Intrawest resorts, you can imagine how successful this 'village' concept will be on Sandestin's scenic coast.

TO LOOK FORWARD TO
At our visit, we learned about future projects, such as The Lagoons, a small water park with slides and pools slated to be built for 2007, and a convention center and luxury hotel planned for Baytowne (opened in 2003). We were also delighted to discover that homeowners and resort guests will one day be able to approach Baytowne Wharf by water taxi or open-air tram, adding other modes of transport where children can hang out in the evening.

And my parents, already skilled sailors and avid grandtravelers, have said they'll come back to Sandestin with us when we are all ready to take up golf!

DETAILS, DETAILS
What we won't repeat is the housing, but at Sandestin, the choices are as varied as any family could want. We who live in a Manhattan high-rise found ourselves very comfortable in a full service condo with washer/dryer and full kitchen. But as beach lovers, it was very disconcerting to be 20 stories above the sand with the waves lapping so far below. Next time we will select a low-rise unit from the hundreds of villas, townhouses and hotel rooms available at Sandestin.
Prices, including a Family Fun package, vary according to season. For more information or bookings, contact the resort (800/622-1038; 850/267-8150) or visit www.sandestin.com.