We are looking for an upscale resort in the panhandle of Florida and have heard that the new Watercolor Inn is very nice. Would love to get some feedback from anyone who has actually stayed there.

Hampton Inns are usually more than adequate. I found the following at www.tripadvisor.com:

"I was very impressed with the quality and surroundings of this brand new property. The colors and decor of the property are very, very tasteful. They offer a made to order breakfast in the morning, in a lovely morning sitting/breakfast room. I booked a company meeting here, in March, and was extremely impressed with the GM and her staff, and their attention to detail. They kindly gave me a tour of the hotel and the various rooms they had to offer. I will DEFINITELY book any future clients at this property.

The only very small glitch, was the property next door to where they built the hotel. The office building next door does not accent this beautiful hotel at all. It is too bad the developers didn't make a deal and have the office building torn down or make them give it a face lift.

All in all, this is a lovely property."

Sorry, my reply got attached to the wrong post. You might get more responses if, in your headline, you included the area on the panhandle where you want to stay.

Your post is being read by everybody at the USA Forum.

Watercolor Inn is not new unless they've renovated the one I'm thinking of. It's about 5 years old. It's on the way to Seaside.

Both Seaside and Watercolor look like they're out of a Ralph Lauren ad, featuring preppy families and so forth. Both places are very popular (and very expensive, might I add) w/people in the SE.

I almost had my wedding on the beach at Seaside but ended up doing it in New Orleans. I honestly think it would be smarter to look for a beachhouse to rent on vrbo.com. Look at the Panhandle beaches (Seagrove, Rosemary, Seaside) and you'll be able to get a fantastic house for probably less than you'd spend at a smaller Watercolor Inn room.

I replied recently to another inquiry about Watercolor. We stayed at Seagrove Beach last year.....maybe a half mile to a mile (? max) west of W'color. We had a VRBO condo, smack on the beach, with a to-die-for view and there was nothing I saw about W'color that made me wish we'd been there instead. Most of the development works back from the beach....it's over-developed and over-priced (imho!) Previous poster's characterization of RLauren-land was very spot-on. You really can find digs with a better view very nearby (bt probably not as high a thread count on the sheets or maid service...if that's how you base your decisions)

I love the Ralph Lauren ad comment. It fits Watercolor and Seaside to a T. I also would prefer a rental in Seagrove, but the OP is asking for "upscale resort" and would probably enjoy Watercolor Inn very much.

I just thought of a resort that you might like. It's called the Inn at Crystal Beach and it's in Destin. The Inn is in a quieter area of Destin so it's not too crowded. I was there for a wedding at the beginning of last month and it was very nice. I'd never even heard of it prior to the wedding.

Some people that went to the wedding were also staying there and said the rooms were extremely well appointed. I think it's only been open for a couple of years, and their on-site restaurant, the Beachwalk Cafe (http://www.beachwalkcafe.com/), has a chef that was named the Best Chef in the Emerald Coast. My friend had her reception at the Cafe and the food was delicious.

Here's the link: http://www.destinresorts.com/propert...?propertyid=17.

I think at the Inn you'd be paying for the room and the awesome views, and not necessarily the "lifestyle" that you'd be paying for at Seaside or Watercolor.

One last thing: it's not as upscale as Watercolor but the Sandestin Hilton is great. We stay there when we go to Destin b/c the rooms are nice, the beach is wonderful, they have three large pools (2 outdoor, 1 indoor), and two jacuzzis, and their spa is to die for.

Look on their website (www.sandestinbeachhilton.com) to get a better feel for the resort. Also, they have net direct rates where you can find really good deals. The in season is the beginning to mid summer when we went last month, and we were able to do the net direct rate for $159/night for Executive room w/partial ocean view (they actually gave us ocean front).

I have stayed there. It is fabulous. Upscale, casual and unique. Amenities galore including bicycles for the duration of your stay. You will only need to use your car to drive to Cafe 30A for dinner! Go. Enjoy! You won't regret it!