Grand Sandestin 2104

This was my second time attending a Symposium here, and I enjoyed the comfortable stay and beautiful surroundings. Everything is on site and within walking distance. The staff were outstanding, especially Eunice at one of the resorts.

The beds were super comfortable, and nearly everything is right outside your door. We did have a few problems, though. Food was still on the dining table when we arrived, so we cleaned it ourselves. The main fridge wouldn’t get cold, and the baby fridge they brought up was broken too. After more than 10 hours, the big fridge had cooled down some, but maintenance said it still wasn’t as cold as it should be.

The rooms are beautifully furnished, and the view was gorgeous, but this unit was awkward to use. There was no top sheet, just a bottom sheet and a non-breathable bedspread. It got so hot that we had to turn the air down until we were freezing when we got up. There was also no full-length mirror, only two small ones at chest height, which made getting dressed annoying. The bathroom had almost nowhere to put anything. The pedestal sink had no vanity, so I couldn’t even keep my hairbrush and toothbrush on the same spot. The tub sides were very high and slippery, and at 5'2 I had to hold the wall to get in and out. The shower curtain wouldn’t stay on its rings and didn’t span the whole tub. Even the tables were frustrating, with big decorations taking up every usable surface, so we had to move them to the floor. The room was convenient enough, but we had to work around a lot to make it comfortable for our needs.

There were at least 20 kids and 15 adults at the pool, and many of the adults were drunk. Some were lying in the shallow pool meant for babies. People started drinking in the water at 9am and carried on through the day, emptying alcoholic drinks into the pool and leaving the cans around the edge. The rooms are okay, but the drinking and cursing around young children was much more concerning. Two young men, probably in their late twenties or early thirties, were talking to two boys no older than 10 about some weird stuff, then tried to get them to come to their room to play a PlayStation game. The boys said no, but the men kept pressuring them. They were almost giving in when I stepped in. I’ve heard there have been other incidents of adults approaching children here before. There was no staff or security in the hotel lobby. I won’t come back until security improves.