Beach Rental in Destin: Newman-Dailey Property Review

If you are looking for a beach rental in Destin, check out Newman-Dailey properties.

Our family spent spring break in Destin for five-nights, staying at Hidden Dunes, a resort property in Destin managed by Newman-Dailey Resorts. Our visit was hosted Newman-Dailey, but all thoughts are my own in this post. Hidden Dunes includes condos, lakeside villas and Carolina-style cottages.

Due to schedules and then COVID-19, we have not taken a family vacation in more than 18 months. We felt that a condo rental was a very safe way for us to eat at home, social distance and still enjoy the glorious Gulf Coast.

Hidden Dunes Beach Rental House

This was our second time staying in a beach house rental with Newman-Dailey, and we were once again impressed by the cleanliness, amenities and location. Check-in was touchless, which meant we could go directly to the condo, enter a security code and enter our beach rental in Destin. We stayed in condo 169 at Hidden Dunes and loved it. It has two bedrooms, plus a loft with a full/twin bunk bed. It was plenty of space for our family of five.

The décor was charming and the main living room area was very comfortable. The main bedroom also included a TV with Netflix, so our kids were able to enjoy kid shows while Matthew and I watched what we wanted to watch.

Our family had plenty of room to spread out and enjoy quiet time, read, and relax. If you book 169 and have young children, I recommend bringing some cards and/or board games, as the condo did not have any. I was thankful I had thrown a few card games in one of our tote bags. It did have an extensive puzzle collection and small library of beach reads.

We did not eat out while in Destin because it did not feel safe given the other areas we had been exposed to, such as local retailers. That was fine with us though because the kitchen in our Hidden Dunes was well-equipped for cooking. The property also had multiple grills, so we grilled chicken and burgers during our stay. Like many rental properties, the condo was not stocked with any seasonings, so be sure to pack some basics like salt, pepper, cooking oil, etc. or you will need to buy it all at the grocery store.

Pools and Beach Access

Staying at Hidden Dunes meant we had access to three pools/hot tubs and the beach. We visited two of the pools, which was a nice way to get wet without getting sandy!

We absolutely love the beaches in Destin. There’s nothing like that sugar white sand. Hidden Dunes has a private beach walkover, which was wonderful. No fighting traffic of a public beach. Guests receive complementary seasonal beach service (March – October), which includes two chairs and an umbrella set up on the beach each day of stay. This was such a nice benefit and we appreciated not having to haul chairs to the beach.

 

Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, sand toys and buckets and wakeboards. We spent hours playing in the waves and the sand. Also, if you have a baby/toddler, I definitely recommend bringing a small inflatable pool to keep your baby wet and cool without the worry of toddling into the Gulf. Someone shared this tip with us and I love it! A little pop-up tent like this is also handy.

Newman-Daily Resort Property guests also receive passes to enjoy activities and excursions including parasailing, admission to Big Kahuna’s Waterpark, a dolphin cruise, a snorkel excursion and free movie rentals. We decided to go parasailing and our kids absolutely loved the experience. It was a highlight of our trip and a memory they will never forget.

Masking/COVID-19 Protocols

I do want to mention that overall, we were disappointed in the lack of masking throughout Destin. It was very common to see people not wearing masks, even in stores that required them. While on the Newman-Dailey property, the security officers were wearing masks, but maintenance workers and housekeeping were not. None of the men managing the beach service chairs and umbrellas were masked, and we were told that they had no way to clean the chairs. (It is believed that sunlight can kill COVID-19, so we always chose to be seated in chairs that had not had been sat in that day.)

As I mentioned we also went parasailing through Newman-Dailey’s partner Gilligan’s Watersports and no one was wearing masks. We did choose to wear masks on the boat, but were not able to give 6 feet of space in between others who were also participating. We did feel very comfortable at The Shard Shop (the only other activity we did in Destin), as everyone was masked and social distanced in the studio space. Check out my post about The Shard Shop here.

Book a Beach Rental in Destin at a Newman-Dailey Property

After multiple stays with Newman-Dailey, I can attest that if you are looking for a great beach house rental in Destin, you will love them. Click here to check out all of Newman-Dailey’s properties, and click here to look at Hidden Dunes specifically. For families, renting a condo or house is such a better experience than staying in a hotel room. (Read this post about the 15 benefits of a vacation rental for more of this topic.)

For more about Destin, check out these posts:

10 Things to Do with Kids in Destin

Why We Love Destin (After visiting again, 5 years later, this all holds true!)