Good morning everyone!
A View Across Choctawhatchee Bay to the Right
When we went to Destin for my meeting last week, we, as in Mark, Kayla and I, had the opportunity to stay at the Sandestin Beach Resort, Sandestin for short. The dogs, alas, were not allowed to come with us; they got to go to their favorite kennel, the Cutie Patootie Grooming Salon and Kennel. We have never had a kennel before where the dogs walk in happy and not scared. The owner, Chas, is a favorite with them, but I think the prize attraction is the opportunity to run free in the building, and in the outside runs during the day with other dogs. Darwin loves this, as he gets to play as long as he wants with whoever he wants; Mandy enjoys it, as she gets a break as Darwin’s continual playmate, and Tyra finds it restful, since she gets a break from both of them. (If you have followed this blog for very long, it will not surprise you to learn that while occasionally Mandy and Darwin get put in “time out” – ie., back in the run by themselves for a minute – because they get too rambunctious, Tyra is allowed to roam free from sun-up to sundown.) However, I digress.
Sunset over the Gulf
To return to our hotel: Sandestin is a huge complex with all kinds of places (and prices.) It has two halves: the Bayside and the Beach Side. This year, we stayed at the Bayside Inn and were fortunate enough to be placed on the sixth floor, with a view of Choctawhatchee Bay. (Yes, I had to look the spelling up!) All three of us were captivated by the view, and spent time sitting on our balcony just looking at the bay.
This was the view straight across from the room:
This is a second view straight across:
The view straight down gives you an idea of how shallow the bay really is:
I thought the palm trees were interesting, too.
The views across the bay to our left were also spectacular:
As you can see from these pictures, and the one below, the portion of the bay that Sandestin surrounds is very shallow. One of the things we like to do, although we didn’t get to this time, is to go over to the marina and use a canoe or a kayak to paddle around the bay for a while. (You get one or two hours a day free use of a canoe or kayak as part of staying at the resort.)
Wonderful views, aren’t they? I hope you get the chance to go there some day soon. Leave your comments, if you can, and let me know which beach places are your favorite places to go, too. (Ocean beach or lake beach, either one counts!) My family is always open for new beach experiences!
Have a great day everyone!
Nancy
Tales from the Mom-Side 
Looks beautiful. It always makes me feel better when my pups don’t act scared or upset when leaving them for boarding. So helpful when you feel comfortable with your pet caregiver. : )
Thanks! Yes, it is. I was comfortable with the other caretakers, too, but I always felt bad leaving the dogs when they acted scared to death!
Nancy that is so awesome how you get to travel. I am vicariously visiting these places through you. My hubby and I used to travel before the kids and we love the Bahamas. The water is teal color and just amazing! We miss those beach vacations…but live in San Diego so can’t complain. Again, great job making us want to get out and explore more 🙂
Thanks! We went to the Bahamas once on a cruise, but it was a cloudy day and we had opted for a tour of the city. Maybe some day we’ll get to go there. I lived in San Diego when I was a child, and it was a great place then! Do they still have Old Town, and the Shakespeare Theater in the park in the City? What about what we called “The Big Blue Bridge” between San Diego and Coronado?