White sandy beaches with clear azure water, exceptional and hearty breakfasts (just ONE more omelet, please!), happy hour for guests, a private beach, the magic shows, and more! Our family vacation to Embassy Suites by Hilton in Miramar Beach NEVER disappoints... here's why...
Nestled quietly between the bustling tourist cities of Destin and Rosemary, Miramar Beach is the hidden gem for families and couples seeking a quiet getaway. While it offers the usual brochure excursions like parasailing, sandbar trips, dolphin encounters, etc., it also has many 5 Star local businesses you HAVE to experience yourself to believe!
Now I know each family has different travel preferences when driving long distance with children in the car. We tried the whole driving through the night once a few years ago and never did it again. Why do we want to be absolutely delirious with exhaustion upon arriving to the beach, when our kids already outnumber us in the energy department?! I remember counting down the minutes until bedtime, which was hours away!
We have this routine for long-distance trips we love recommending when asked, and it goes as follows:
The week leading up to the trip, start a countdown on a calendar for the kids to see themselves.
Inspire the BEST behavior with a special reward at the end of the week when each day has a sticker or star earned on the calendar. We usually do a toy of choice, and a new book.
Get new PJ's specially for the trip, and let them sleep in them for the first time on the night before you leave home.
Pack and load the car the day before - seriously, you'll be so glad, and the morning of will be smooth!
Find a few pitstops along the way for picnics and a blanket to lay on.
Charge and have all videos/games downloaded to your tablets, Nintendos, etc.
Pack a cooler with prepared snacks, lunches, etc, to picnic with along the way and save that money for a special outing on vaca!
Wake up early and be on the road by 6AM to beat the morning traffic in your city!
Checking in at Embassy Suites is always a breeze.
You know when you walk into a beautiful hotel and immediately love everything about it? The space, the light, the smell! Seriously, Embassy, bottle that shiz and include it in Diamond Member's welcome bag along with our free water bottles ;)
This is how I feel every time we visit this particular hotel location. It is immaculate in every way, and maybe it is just my design obsession...decide for yourself. Just look at this entryway...
The Full Suite is our go-to accommodation as it has a separated front room with a pullout couch (the girls are obsessed with these, don't ask me why), bathroom, and a kitchen, while the 'bedroom' is in the back with a separate vanity area and bathroom access. It gives plenty of privacy and space for quiet time & bedtime.
From check-in to changing in our room, to stepping onto the white sandy beach was roughly 10 minutes thanks to the private beach access and beach exclusive to Embassy Suites.
Things to do:
Rent the golf cart.
In addition to great Diamond status parking, they have Redfish Rentals for any and all rentals, plus parking in front of the hotel. Oh, and they are locally owned. #SupportLocalBusinesses! We only drove our car once while in town and that was for our longer trip to a nearby waterpark.
Check the daily events at this Embassy. We were able to enjoy a magic show, which I’m still scratching my head about some of their stunts - how did they do them!? An animal encounter and educational show which felt very one-on-one here! Nonie’s Ark, please come to Kentucky some day, and yes I’ll still
refuse to kiss your hissing cockroach.
Every afternoon they have a snack and drink bar set up for guests, in addition to happy hour from 5:30-7:30PM where you can enjoy a free drink.
Food around town
All Embassy & Hilton hotels have a great continental breakfast, but THIS location has a legit double sided buffet, fresh fruit & muffin bar, omelet station, delicious coffee, and grits that make us Southerners proud. So the only meals we went ‘out for’ were occasionally lunch as we shopped at the local grocery a few minutes up the road, and dinner.
When visiting a coastal town, everyone loves finding an authentic and fresh seafood joint. Let me tell you, we found the best after several years of visiting this town.
Outcast seafood is a total experience, exclusive and casual in design, owned and hosted by the kindest staff.
what makes it unique? Besides the nostalgic 90’s-2000’s punk and rock playlist bringing back all my concert memories, the staff sports tattoos, big smiles, and an amiable attitude, welcoming any and all questions for their delicious and award winning menu items.
Frozen Dune Rolled Ice Cream is a treat, not just for the tastebuds but for your eyes and the kids! With glass front panels for viewing, there is nothing more enjoyable after a hot day in the sun!
Shan Kishi sushi was ahhhhmazing. The servers were incredibly kind and attentive, it was very decent in pricing, and we are officially adding it to our itinerary next year.
Activities
With being morning people, we ate breakfast at 6:30 and made it to the beach every morning by 7:15 when our private beach truly was PRIVATE, without another soul in sight for 300+ yards in either direction! So until around lunch you could find me lounging while John and the girls were out diving for fish, or on their boogieboards.
As mentioned above, Embassy offers a schedule of kids activities and/or shows, and this was a major win! Being pretty content to sit and play in the sand and ocean, we only ventured out for a few things:
Big Kahuna Waterpark was an absolute must, especially after our recent getaway to Soaky Mountain, and it was fun, even though we ended up leaving and going back to the beach (the girls were obsessed)
Beach Weekend Marina Dolphin & Snorkeling offers not only a unique adventure but educates on the importance of marine life and natural habitats
Why we love this Embassy hotel most
From the attention and detail that the cleaning staff gives to every room (every year they make our kids bed special, tucking in their babies while tidying our room), the pristine private beach, a shaded pool in the evening, and a most generous breakfast; we look forward and count down for this destination every year, and this year was our absolute favorite.
Maybe it’s the age of our children, allowing some independence as they are avid swimmers, learning to follow directions better and playing well with others. We felt more rested after this trip than any other, and attribute that gift to our hotel providing all the and all the things we needed, not having to venture outside of the property for much other than a nice dinner.
Thank you, a million times, thank you for another beautiful experience and allowing us to add more memories (and family photos) to cherish
XO,
The Clark crew
This visit was hosted by Embassy Suites, the opinions written are my own.