Location: Sandestin, Florida
March 1, 2007
Velvety-soft sands line the
beaches of Florida’s Emerald Coast, as bright as snow and as cool underfoot as
talcum powder. These sugary-white quartz crystals are not dredged from pristine
Caribbean coastlines. They were deposited by a glacier from the Appalachian
Mountains some 20,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Though renowned
for those miles of exquisite sand, northwest Florida earned its name from the
brilliant green hue of the Gulf of Mexico’s waters.
Before Spanish explorers landed in 1698, American Indians had
appreciated this area for centuries, and in the 1860s, the inlets became
strategic forts during the Civil War. Since then, it has been home to "the
world’s luckiest fishing village," Destin, drawing Southerners from Nashville to
New Orleans, and Northerners escaping winter at its resorts. Today, the western
panhandle is ready for yet another change. Attracted by the abundance of natural
beauty, pleasant temperatures and leisure activities, people are discovering the
serene stretch between Pensacola and Panama City, where available beachfront
property still exists and seasonal visitors are becoming owners.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The white-sand beaches and waterfront property of Sandestin, on Florida’s Emerald Coast, are drawing buyers. Photograph by Scott Jackson. (Click image to enlarge)
For more than three decades, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
offered vacation hideaways along its seven miles of shores on the Gulf and
Choctawhatchee Bay. Set among wetlands and a wildlife preserve, the complex
encompasses over 2,400 lushly landscaped acres. After resort developer Intrawest
bought it in 1998, the resort raised the bar for luxury accommodations in the
vicinity with top-flight golf courses, fine dining and a lengthy list of
amenities, from spa pampering to boutique shopping. While previously catering
just to tourists and investors, today the diverse range of residences and
rentals provides an extensive selection of prices and architecture for
buyers.
"There’s a great palette of properties here at
Sandestin—something to match everyone’s taste, from a golf community to a second
or third home," says sales specialist Brad Smith of Playground Destination
Properties/Sandestin Real Estate. "And the dynamic mix of residents and guests
keeps it fresh and energetic." Of the approximately 4,000 accommodations, 1,700
are rentals, approximately 800 are permanent residences, and the remainder are
seasonal homes. Covering every niche in the real estate market, from
sophisticated penthouse condos with sunset views to elegant estates on the bay,
townhouses to charming bungalows, the array of homes inside the gates of
Sandestin is like a city within a city.
The resort boasts four professional golf courses designed by
Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Jackson and Rees Jones, 15 tennis courts (with clay,
grass and hard surfaces), a 98-slip marina, endless water sports, as well as the
Village of Baytowne Wharf, a commercial district of shell-covered paths through
garden courtyards. The sidewalks used to roll up at dusk, but since 2002 when
this gathering spot opened, 19 restaurants and eateries, dozens of shops and
galleries and wine bars, concerts and even outdoor movies keep things bustling
day and evening.
The variety of housing styles in some 30 neighborhoods includes Southern
manors nestled among magnolias evoking an old Florida feel and grand villas in a
Tuscan-like vineyard with stone fountains, tiled roofs and turrets. At the Raven
Golf Club, front-row seats to the PGA Boeing Championship at Sandestin are
available on the verandas of Island Green homes with a traditional tropical
look. And under a canopy of oaks, Burnt Pine’s cul-de-sacs offer custom
homesites on a quiet peninsula.
Another option is Storied Places, a private
residence club community. This Intrawest concept, also found at its ski resorts,
from Aspen to Whistler, allows fractional ownership through the purchase of
"chapters" to share the cost. The waterfront enclave, named Inspiration at
Sandestin, features handsomely furnished homes reflecting the local vernacular,
with summer kitchens, screened porches and fruitwood beam ceilings. It affords
an effortless lifestyle with a concierge service that can arrange for an on-call
chef and reservations for tee times.
advertisement
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();){kind=link}