Destin Warnings Or Dangers

I recently rented a home from Sandcastle escapes/ Beach seekers. The home was a bit of disappointment with less than comfortable seating and missing standard amenities such as minimal amounts of dishes. I posted a review of the home on Sandcastles site and it was removed. I contacted their owner to find out why my review had been deleted. He sent me a horrible email going on and on about a review I had not even written. In his email he even called me ignorant. Home owners....beware....allowing this company to manage your home could be less than profitable. Please read Mr Williams email and you will understand my concerns.

Sorry for the confusion. We do keep most of our reviews as you can tell, if you had bothered to take the time to check out some of the other properties. After reviewing your comment from our small archive of "not to be posted comments" I would like to explain why your comments where not worthy of publishing. Our company rents hundreds of properties similar to the property you stayed in. management involves many task that you are obviously ignorant too. So please allow me to explain. Like all other management companies we try our best to offer a nice clean home close to the beach. The hardest part of our job is not dealing with comments such as yours but more important things like housekeeping and maintenance advertising and owner relations. As per your comment posted on our site we did not get a fair chance to fix these problems until your departure.Your excuse was that the phone did not work in the unit and your cell phone was not getting good service, although our office is less than 1000 yards from the home you rented you were unable to stop by to report these problems until your departure. If you found food on the plates and light bulbs out based on your comments and reaction to the removal of the review, I would assume the food on the plates was minimal and the other problems were either one of which we do not control or could have fixed quickly had we known. However, instead of giving the management company a chance to fix the problems, Answer an email sent out by the same company you would not recommend that the home was great but the property management was not. That would be similar to me posted a sign on your forehead that says " I look good but have terrible hygiene" It would be my guess that not many people would talk to you. Your thoughts are noted but because you did not stop by our office to report the items while you where at the home to access the problems ourselves, we have decided not NOT post these negative comments about OUR company on OUR site. If you would like to post a comment that is relevant to the home or allow us to remove the derogatory comment regarding our company I would be happy to replace the review.

Thank You,

Taylor Williams

Sandcastle Escapes and Beach Seekers

I’ve lived off the Atlantic Ocean for 20 years now and during that time have lived through quite a few hurricanes. Unfortunately The emerald coast (Destin Area) is a prime location for hurricanes.

This area is put on alert and we all do our hurricane checklist several times a year. Hurricanes are also not something to play around with. Be aware and be safe. In the case of a bad hurricane you need to have everything you need to survive without any assistance, water or electricity for a MINIMUM of 72 hours! It is up to you to be self sufficient.

Hurricane season
Officially the Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1 to November 30th. However, the most probable time for hurricanes is from mid September to mid October (think September 11 to October 11).

My Advice if there is a storm in the Gulf

+ Be aware of the storm and the “cone of uncertainty”. When there is a storm in the Gulf check in at least every 12 hours. In 12 hours the category (how dangerous the storm is) and the hit zone can change dramatically

+ Get supplies on the hurricane checklist early. Stores will run out of supplies! See the checklist below…the most important things are lots of water, gas in your car, food that does not need to be heated or refrigerated (remember the can opener) for you/your pets and children, gas in the car, cash (ATMs don’t work when there is no electricity) and medications
http://www.wcti12.com/hurricane_checklist.htm

+ Know the hurricane evacuation zone you are in, the storm category rating, and the cone of uncertainty. Use this information to decide on your action plan. Do it early and follow it.

+ If you need to evacuate LEAVE EARLY – I cannot stress this enough. You do NOT want to be on the road when everyone else is evacuating since a 60 mile drive can take you 3 to 6 hours at this time. (be sure to bring your hurricane supplies and a full tank of gas)

My Plan (as a Floridian - I thought this may be helpful to tourists)

Category 1 storm – Have supplies for a week, remove everything from patios and yard (it can fly around and do damage to myself and others).

Category 2 storm – Follow #1 plus board up the house. Since I am in the first evacuation zone (A) I consider staying with a friend in a more secure location (within the local area)

Category 3 storm – Follow #1 and #2 and go to an alternate location. Consider flying out of Tampa or staying with friends out of town. At the very least move to evacuation zone C

Category 4 or 5 – Leave town…most likely via plane. At this point the roads throughout Florida are probably grid locked. Call the airport; find a flight up north or west (Vegas, Philly, Toronto etc) and go. Do NOT wait to the last minute....airports close and the flights get booked. The best Florida hurricane I ever "went" through...was the one where I flew to Vegas for 4 days...I missed the mess in Florida, had a wonderful mini vacation AND felt like a mini celebrity in Vegas (the hotel in Vegas even comped quite a few of my meals etc since they felt sorry for me)

Finding information
Most news agencies get their information from here and I’ve found that this is the best resource for information

www.nhc.noaa.gov

Evacuation Zones
Florida is divided into various evacuation zones. This is mainly based on the risk of flooding which is a main concern during hurricanes. The state orders mandatory evacuations based on these flood zones. Zone A is evacuated first, then B, then Z.

See the local news media for evacuation zones

Shelters

The Red Cross will open shelters for those who have no place to go. My recommendation is to plan early, find a friend or a hotel before using shelters. If you go bring everything on your list plus, pillows, eye masks, ear plugs and games to pass the time.

see the local news for shelter openings

There are a few things to note when going swimming in the ocean. First it is not a swimming pool. The ocean is a home to several kinds of marine life and you are entering their space.
We stayed a week and never saw anything of danger but there is always a chance.
Do not go out to the sandbar or past it as there are a number of fish that swim around the sandbar and sharks could be feeding there.
Excessive splashing and jewelry attract sharks so leave the rings and bracelets at home.
I suggest that you go no further than chest high.When the waves roll in they have tremendous power and height. We would be only hip high and the waves would literally be over our heads and push you to the ground. Sometimes the waves are mild and not so strong but never take a chance. Always be aware of your younger children they could be swept away in a moment if they are not used to the water and venture out to far.
Always watch the flags on the beach. Green means "Go for it, swimming is great"; Yellow means "Have fun but always be cautious"; Red means " I wouldn't take the chance"; Red over Red means "Don't Swim"; and Purple means " Dangerous marine life have been seen in the water such as jellyfish or even sharks" While we were there for a week the yellow flag was there every day (I think that is just to make sure you remember to be careful) except one day when there was a storm out in the ocean and the red flag was flying. There were still some people out in the ocean on that day but not many.
Riptides can be very dangerous, but you can get out of them if you don't panic. If you see that you have been caught in a riptide call out to someone so they will know you are struggling and then swim parallel with the beach until you are free from the riptide. Do not try to swim to shore, it will only cause you to panic more as you will not be able to break free.

When there is a red flag out, DO NOT go swimming in the ocean. This indicates dangerous swimming conditions. Many area beaches are monitered by lifeguards, but not all. Rip tide can suddenly catch you off-guard and sweep you up in a current. Make sure you swim with a buddy!

If you are caught in a rip tide, DO NOT FIGHT IT. You will quickly tire yourself out. Intead, allow yourself to be caught in the current, and swim sideways to gradually escape it. If you avoid struggling and don't panic, you'll be fine.

Please, please, please. Do. Not. Feed. The. Seaguls.

If you do, they will swarm all over you. Not only will they poop on your head, but they can be VERY aggressive. I've had seaguls fly up and literally bite a sandwich out of my hand. The reason they are like this is because people feed them!

If you feed them once, they will not leave you alone. All day. Trust me, not fun!!

Make sure you slather on sunscreen often, especially on your first day out in the sun. Getting a nasty sunburn on Day 1 is a quick way to put a damper on your vacation! Reapply after going in the water, or toweling off. Sunscreen is necessary even on cloudy days -- just because the sun is hidden doesn't mean harmful UV rays aren't present!

If you do get burnt, apply aloe vera gel often to avoid peeling and to ease the pain. You can buy it at Walgreens, Target, Walmart, or any Destin grocery store.

DO NOT GO TO THE WALMART IN DESTIN UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I'm sorry to shout, but I'm dead serious. The Walmart is an absolute nightmare. It is filled with throngs of half-clothed tourists, and dedicates about 1/3 of the total store area to cheap souvenirs.

It is ALWAYS crowded, and at night (when it isn't crowded) it is so understaffed that you end up waiting in line anyways. The staff is very rude and has no working knowledge of Walmart. In addition, the customer service line is always extremely long and slow.

If you need something, a Target is a wonderful alternative. It just opened in Destin, and is located at the intersection of Gulf Shore Dr and Hwy 98 (near Winn Dixie). You can't miss it. Not only is the store clean, but it is completely hassle free!

The police are everywhere in Destin and Ft Walton, and are harder to spot since most cops drive SUV/Jeep vehicles. One area in particular that is notorious for the police is downtown Ft. Walton after dark. The area right after Brooks Bridge in Ft Walton has a very low speed limit (25-35), and BE CAREFUL when driving through it. It is quite easy to cruise up to 45+mph, and then you are at risk for a traffic ticket.

Many times, I will pass through this area after midnight and see anywhere from 4-6 cop cars just waiting to pull people over. Take this into consideration when driving around at night!