isobel

i am from england.i have been to destin last year,i thought it was heaven,my husband wants to go to carolinas this year i want to go back to destin with our 12yr old son.please help me which one is better.bye the way i think all americans are absoutley fantastic.

Diane

Destin, Florida and .... where in the Carolinas? You are talking about a lot of coast line! If you want lovely beaches, you may want the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Or Wilmington and the Emerald Beach area. Wilmington, NC is a very cool town. While a lot of people love Hilton Head, SC, I hate the beach there. It is heaven for golfers and tennis players, however.

anthony

Destin is great. Try Charleston SC Good Beaches Great restaurants and beautiful downtown

Bob Brown

Hi Isobel. The time of year you are planning to make your visit could have an impact. Destin will be warmer a little earlier in the spring than the North Carolina beaches. Myrtle Beach in South Carolina north of Charleston is a big tourist resort, but to my tastes it is overdone -- too much development if anything because hotels are crammed in along the beaches for a long, long ways.
Nags Head is a well-known resort on the North Carolina coast that is well developed. But Destin, with its long white beaches is a good choice.
I think it all depends on what type of place you are looking for. My favorite place is Ocracoke but it is isolated and a little hard to get to. Also, I am not sure how much entertainment you would find for a 12 year old boy.

Brian in Atlanta

As you know, Destin has white, soft sand and clear water. The Carolina beaches have firmer, darker sand (not dirty, just not white) and the water will not be as clear. The Carolina beaches are still my favorite, though. The wide, firm beaches make jogging or a good game of frisbee easier and the wave action is generally better on the Carolina coast (even if you have no interest in riding the waves, it makes for a wonderful sound).

As I imagine that you'd come for at least a week, I'd second the Charleston recommendation. Find a condo on the beach nearby (Wild Dunes, maybe). Enjoy the beach and head into the city when you've gotten sick of all the sand in your suit.

Wilmington, NC is also a great town, but the beach there (Wrightsville Beach) has some erosion problems and the rents are outrageous.

Steve

For more information on a less crowded, less commercial alternative very near Destin, check the web site for the beach communities in south Walton County, Florida (beachesofsouthwalton.com). Have good general tourist information and links to real estate companies that manage and rent condominiums and beach houses in all price ranges. Destin is about 20 minutes away, if your son gets too bored.

ganley isobel

dear all.

isobel

dear,diane,anthony,bob,brian and steve thankyou so mutch for answering my message,it was very much apppreciated.thanks again isa.