Crystal Villas by Panhandle Getaways

Being right on the beach made getting to the water so quick and easy, which was spectacular. Bring your own basics like toilet paper, washcloths, and extra towels, since there's no room service for those. Parking can feel a bit tight at night.

Avoid unit B01 if you don't want cockroaches, outdated furnishings, and too little kitchenware. We found a clogged shower, a blocked bathroom sink, and a toilet that wouldn't flush properly when we arrived. Maintenance came on the second day to address those problems and treat the unit for roaches, but we have photos and video of the pests from days after our stay. We politely asked for another unit, and the local management team was told about the issue and said they'd contact us directly. Nobody ever did. Now we're worried about bringing roaches home. Lots of things in the unit were broken, and all the mattresses and the old couch were awful. For six people, the body towels they provided were insufficient, and the only bedding was very thin sheets, so expect to bring blankets.

We go to Destin every year and have stayed at several Crystal locations. In this small three story condo, the view was perfect, and it was quiet and uncrowded. The unit had good amenities, including a working fridge ice maker, washer and dryer, and air conditioning during weather in the mid 70s to 80 degrees. There is no elevator, so hauling things up and down at check in and checkout was a bit of a challenge. We usually take the stairs anyway, so that didn't affect my rating. The black mold growing out of the downstairs bedroom and bathroom AC vents was alarming. I know mold can be a challenge in Florida, but this seemed unsafe and needs to be fixed right away. The beds need replacing too. Both had deep dips that made us try sleeping in the middle to avoid rolling into the hollows, and climbing out took effort. I've slept in worse beds on trips, but comfortable ones can make or break a vacation. There was no rug, so sand got everywhere even though we were careful, and we couldn't find a broom during our 10 day stay. Without the mold, I probably would have rated it four stars. Without the view and well appointed unit, it would have been one.

The location gets five stars, right in the middle of everything. The building and grounds are nice, the beach is a short walk away, and chairs and an umbrella were set out each day and included. We had a lovely time as a family of six, but felt ignored and unimportant, and I won't use Booking or Vacasa again. We booked Crystal Villas unit B08 through Booking and Vacasa, but the unit I reserved from the photos wasn't the one we got. That felt shady, though I let it go because we were excited to have our first family beach trip right on the water. The condo is dated and needs paint and wallpaper repairs. The couches looked dirty and weren't comfortable, though the beds were comfortable enough. A door handle on one sliding glass door broke off and maintenance had to reattach it. Those things didn't bother me much until the refrigerator failed. I had bought $40 of groceries, put them in a cold fridge, and found it warm by morning, with everything sweating. I contacted Vacasa and got sympathetic replies and promises of a callback, but nobody followed up. The repair person came on the second day, said the compressor was out, and couldn't reach the building manager. Vacasa also said they couldn't reach the manager. From Monday morning until we left Friday, we had no fridge. The groceries spoiled and had to be thrown away, so we ate out much more than planned. I rented a condo to cook and save money, not to eat out like I would in a hotel. Vacasa never resolved the problem or followed up when I asked what they'd do about it.