WaterColor Inn, Destin, Florida

WaterColor Inn, a Virtuoso Property in Destin, Florida is a GREAT family place, a great Beach Honeymoon Hideaway and a perfect place for anniversary and birthday celebrations, and family reunions or for just a 3 day weekend get-away! This comfortable, but elegant Inn has something for everyone! I love the spacious entrance overlooking the private adult pool right outside the double doors and the library just off the foyer which has complimentary internet access for those of us who can’t be away for long from family, friends and clients. The lovely lounge is to the right and beyond the lounge a long foyer which leads to conference venues and to an elevator to Fish Out of Water, the fine dining restaurant on property which is decorated with decorative iron fence of flowers by Dale Chihuly from Seattle. Nice.

St. Joe Paper Company, the largest private land-owner in Florida, has developed amazing communities all along the gulf coast….WaterColor Resort has individually owned homes and condos on their rental program, beautifully furnished and all within a short walk or bike ride of the gorgeous white beach with blue umbrellas and beach chairs lining the string of beach adjacent to WaterColor Inn. At WaterColor Inn, there is the Beach Club for casual outdoor lunches and snacks by the family pool. We had a wonderful wrap for lunch here.

WaterColor Sound, another lovely development in the works, just east a ways is being developed and promises to be another luxurious, planned community. We toured the property, saw lots of beautiful homes under construction and visited the fractional ownership 3 bedroom model which was gorgeous. Adam hosted our visit there 800 413 2363. Tempting!

Southern Accents built a Showhouse at Watersound that is a $5 Million Home right on the water. It is gorgeous and owned now by a corporation that uses it for corporate retreats. Another Showhouse is at WindMark Beach, yet another St. Joe Community which is 39 miles east of Panama City.

We were hosted by Stacy Atkins, Director of Resort Sales and Marketing, who was so gracious to insist that we experience everything at WaterColor. Dennis and I arrived on Thursday, July 6 and stayed until Sunday, July 9, 2006. Stacy took us to see a 4 bedroom cottage rental property adjacent to WaterColor right on the beach (dunes) and she brought Frank Sandro, Sales Manager of the Resort to meet us.

So, we had breakfast at the Baithouse on the property with Stacy. We had dinner at Fish out of Water, a lovely fine dining restaurant with a gorgeous view of the ocean at sunset with our invited guests, DJ and Ed Meyer. We enjoyed the spa for a massage and facial. We played golf at Camp Creek (now private for resort guests and members), a Tom Fazio designed course and they furnished us beautiful new Callaway clubs for our play and warned us to watch out for alligators and snakes….wow! We didn’t see any….but the course was beautiful and the weather perfect. I played a 9 hole scramble with Dennis..He hits the ball out of sight and I had one good chip shot and several nice putts…oh well, at least I was “out there.”

We rode bikes (complimentary to guests) that were very comfortable (large steel, commercial frames, no gears and wide seats) and we enjoyed riding all over the property and up to Seaside. We didn’t go kayaking or canoeing, but we saw braver souls than we on the lake. Guests may use the tennis courts on a complimentary basis for one hour per day. We received a Virtuoso amenity in our room:

A personal note from the general manager, Craig Waterman
A WaterColor Canvas Tote Bag monogrammed with WaterColor Logo
A lovely Watercolor embroidered beach towel
A spray bottle of sun tan spray
Two bottles of water in WaterColor cozies
And, of course, a frisbee for the Beach for those who can’t just walk…

Shopping is fun at the Outlet Mall and the newer upscale Mall just east of the Airport Road which leads to the Destin Airport (private planes). Private planes are plentiful now in Destin and Enterprise had a car rental booth at that small airport which is much closer to most everything than the Ft. Walton Beach airport. There are charters from Memphis which do the Destin Run from the Olive Branch Airport. A shuttle is available to deliver you to your condo or resort.

After several days of walking the beach, reading great books under our beach set-up umbrella and protecting ourselves from the sun, our feet were as smooth as glass, we were safely and lightly bronzed and felt energized by our walks early in the mornings.

The spa is a small one, but very attentive and pampering. The staff all over WaterColor Inn is very friendly and welcoming and accommodating. They have a convenient courtesy van for short trips to the Baithouse or the golf course or tennis, for those who have walked enough for the day. Lots of college kids from all over our Southern Universities and some from Jamaica work during the summer months and seem to really enjoy being at WaterColor.

One night we met our daughter, Trish and her husband, Carl for dinner at the Santa Rosa Beach Club, a very nice Seafood Restaurant on the Beach just west of WaterColor and they have live music and dancing along with dinner, again overlooking the lovely beach and ocean.

One night we walked to Seaside and had a light snack at Bud and Alleys, a Seaside must-do hang-out, but they were booked solid until 9:30 pm, so we sat at the bar and had a lovely appetizer, oyster and red snapper fry with a great remoulade sauce. Book early for dining in Destin and don’t try to travel 98 during dinner hour…..It can take a long time to get where you are going…because EVERYONE is going…

A highlight for us was the lovely buffet breakfast which is furnished to Inn guests, and service again in the evening for appetizers from 5:30 to 7:00. One morning we went to breakfast and they had a hot compote of something that looked like bread pudding. Well, it was the very best bread pudding I have ever tasted, very custardy, sweet and fluffy. No raisins, nuts or sauce, but heavenly. I asked our waiter, if the chef might tell me how she makes this dish. He went to get her and brought Christine Otten out to visit with us. Formerly with Ritz Carlton for many years, she now resides in Destin…This is her recipe, not for those who are dieting, of course. We got tickled because a lady at the next table said, “I can’t wait until in the morning to have more of that!” We didn’t wait to have more of that…never would have occurred to us. Ha

Bread Pudding by Christine Otten at WaterColor Inn

10 croissants cut up (probably could use Dunkin Donuts)
1 ½ Quarts of Heavy Whipping Cream
15 egg yolks
9 oz sugar

Cut up the croissants, mis sugar and cream together and mis in beaten yolks. Then pour it over the cut up croissants in the pyrex pan that you are cooking it in. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until when you stick your finger in the middle, it isn’t liquidy.

Watercolorvacations.com
Call Patty at 901 748 2966 to take advantage of Virtuoso special pricing and amenities.
Airport Shuttle from Destin Airport 800 643 4711
info.watercolorreservations@joe.com
atkins.tracy@joe.com

I love sending clients to WaterColor…They always want to go back! Don’t miss the opportunity to visit…Patty