Radisson-Ft. Walton Beach, FL
 

Looking for feedback on the Radisson Beach Resort in Ft. Walton Beach, FLA. The good, the bad, and anything else you think would be helpful to our vacation.

Info on kid friendly places for dinner would be most helpful.

I am not interested in information about Destin as I researched and ruled it out already.

Hi Sherry, we were just in that area last week and wish i could go back!While we stayed in Destin, i know exactly where the Radisson is located. I found out on a shopping adventure one evening....Its directly across the side street from a Fudpuckers restaurant. We'd been to the Fudpuckers in Destin that had an amazingly massive, unique, fun giftshop. We were looking for another purse similar to one my dd's friend bought in the Destin gift shoppe but the ft. walton location only sells t-shirts. So we drove around the area a bit looking for other unique stores....

Anyway, The Radisson is in a very built up area with lots of souvenir and beach type shoppes etc. It seemed fairly close to the water with a Hampton Inn next door and other smaller motels nearby. I think there were also some fast food restaurants and mom and pops nearby, too.

We found a mall just a few miles down off Santa Rosa in the same general commercial area. It depends on what you have at home but we were a bit disappointed; its much older, with stores like Penney's, Claires, dollar type stores etc. There was one funky shoe store right near the front entrance, nothing made in leather but the girls borh found some they HAD to have. ;) But lots of souvenir type shoppes nearby that younger kids would definitely like.

For more upscale shopping, check 'The Commons' in Destin, a quiet area of lovely shoppes and landscaping. Theres also a nice outlet mall in Destin, both very easy to find and away from the beach, and only a short drive from Ft. Walton.

Have a wonderful time; the emerald coast is great!

Thanks for the information. I should be down there at this time next Sunday! We are so looking forward to escaping a chilly New England spring.

We will only be there for 4 days and will just hang out at the beach and pool. The Radisson is situated on the beach so we don't plan to venture away from the sun and water if we don't have to. If anyone out there has an opinion/experience with the Radisson I would appreciate the feedback!

Some details on this Fudpuckers would be nice if you don't mind. We won't be doing any major shopping other than the standard souvenir t-shirts.

One thought I did have to break things up a bit is perhaps going on a dinner cruise. Any input on that idea with a 9 and 12 year old?

We are coming to Ft. Walton to RELAX before we fly to Huntsville, AL for a family wedding.

ttt

Any information on the Radisson? Leaving in 3 days now.....

What a beautiful part of Florida! We will definitely be going back to this area in the future. The Radisson was great. Very nice but not at all stuffy. The kids had a great time in the lazy river. We were in a pool front room, about 10 feet from the beach. The beach and ocean were incredible. By far the best beach I have ever been on. Thank goodness for the ocean breeze though because it was hot! Resort pool and cabana bar were great. Everyone was very friendly. We had a micro. and fridg. in the room so we bought breakfast items and munchies. Lunch was at the poolside cabana bar. Dinners were out every night. We drove 5 minutes over the bridge to Destin and had amazing meals every night.

Went to Fuddpuckers which was great. Over priced but tasty and the kids had a blast. Other places were an Italian resteraunt and the Irish steakhouse. I am blanking out on the name but it was fun, reasonably priced and we all had the best prime rib ever! We also went to AJ's and sat at a waterfront table. Cool to see the boats coming in and out.

While we ate all of our dinners in Destin beacuse of better variety I would go back and stay in Ft. Walton Beach again. The price difference for lodging was huge, with Destin being more pricey. I would rent a condo this time as we quickly tired out going out every night.

Hi sherry! i wondered how your trip went, thanks for the nice report. So glad you had a great time, i knew you would. We're now big fans of the Gulf Coast, too. Did you happen to notice the Blue Angels practicing? (i guess if they were, they'd be pretty tough to miss LOL)

I am still sort of in shock with how beautiful the ocean and beaches were. This area is truly a well kept secret. We did see the Blue Angels flying everyday and the noise wasn't even bothersome. By the 3rd day the kids noticed they were "late" for their flyby.

I can't say enough about the hotel and everyone we came across during our stay. Everyone was so helpful and polite. Very friendly. The location of the hotel when you see it from the main street is very misleading. I was a bit nervous when we first pulled up thinking there would be no more than 100 feet of beach for the resort, with tons of people crammed in. But alas, after walking through the resort gate to the beach the view simply took my breath away. Tons of room on the beach and it was spotless! Magnificent sunsets, warm water.

Scary riptide though. At one point on day 2 all 4 of us were caught up in a riptide that was just terrifying as a parent with 2 kids in the water with you! After that, we didn't venture out too far, no further than the knees. Scratches are now healed from being dragged and knocked around.

It seems we left at just the right time since it is all over the news up here about the dangerous riptide in FLA now.

I would like to mention that during our stay a lot of servicemen from Eglin AFB came to the resort. They walked into the pool area in uniforms and flight suits and my kids were just amazed. EVERY single man answered questions from my kids and not once tried to shoo them away. Some had just returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and many were going over for the first time. The bartender said the Radisson seems to be the place for welcome home and going away parties. Needless to say, many rounds were bought for these guys from whoever was at the cabana bar.

Sherryb --

How would you classify this part of Ft. Walton Beach? There is a new condo development next door to the Radisson, and i owuld like a little more feedback on the area before we get a reservation.

From your post -- it seems like it's a safe and pretty area -- was the traffic horrible? We want a balance between beach peace and stuff for our teens to do -- FWB seems like it may meet the criteria.

Thanks for any input!