We have stayed at Sandestin before in one of the Lakeside 3 bedroom homes and rather enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we weren’t as pleased with the Luau condo. When first arriving for check in, the line was very long and initially only 2 receptionist processing folks and even that process was extremely long. The person at the front desk was not friendly, in fact, rather smug. The employee spoke in a low tone to where I couldn’t hear him over all the loud chatter in the background.
Once arrived at the Luau Tower 1, we parked in the parking garage which smelled like the streets of New Orleans...not sure if there was a local trash compactor we were downwind from or what. The hotel/condo was very outdated and not kept up with. What limited interaction we had with the staff was also unfriendly. The room was relatively decent but more or less reminded me of a beach themed Best Western. We expected to have a kitchenette and washer/dryer but...that is only on certain rooms. Not a luggage cart in sight. At one point, there were several of them but never there when you need one. For $300 a night...I had higher expectations.
The pool and overall amenities were fine. A bit pricey for food at the restaurants near by but let’s face it, that’s to be expected in a tourist area. The parking at Baytowne Wharf was about 1/2 a mile from the restaurants and entertainment. They have a parking garage but we were told we couldn’t use it, that it was reserved for Hotel guests and residents.