The Search is On (January 5, 2008)

When we first started looking for a place to stay in Destin, we had to dig out the book we brought home last summer. But, of course that's just not me. I quickly discarded that for online searches. My goodness there is so much information out there and so many different places and different routes to go about renting places.

Destin has a few hotels, but that's not what we're looking for. Since we're going to be gone for so long we want a condo with a kitchen in it. Besides, most of Destin rentals are condos, town homes, or beach homes. Most of them are privately owned and you go through the company they employee to rent it. So, just because you get a condo in one complex through one company does not mean you'll use that same company to rent a condo in the same complex.

OR, a management company could be running the whole complex, but each unit is actually owned by separate people who let the management company handle the rental agreements. It can get very confusing. And, as I said before, Destin is not a cheap place to vacation. However, it does not have to be super expensive either if you know where to look or at least are patient in your search.

So, I've bookmarked about a dozen places so far. Michael says he wants to stay down there for 10 days. His parents cannot get a unit in their usual complex past the 26th so we'll leave that day, too. This means we need to find a place to rent from July 16 - 26, 2008. If I'm understanding things correctly we'll be driving down caravan style in the middle of the night before check in on the 16th. That should be interesting. It's about a 13 hour drive.

Our next step is to chose a place we like and inquire about it. I need to get Michael to sit down for a few minutes and look at what I've found so far. I also need his input as to how close he wants to rent to his mom and day. His brother's family actually rent in Fort Walton, which is right next to Destin. But, I know Michael wants to actually be in Destin.

We also need to decide if we want a place that has bunk beds or a sofa sleeper. We cannot afford to rent a two bedroom condo. But, the one bedrooms are set up so they either have a big sofa sleeper in the living room or they have a recessed area in the hallway with large bunk beds. Usually, the ones with the bunks also have a sofa sleeper, but we don't really need room for six.

Part of me would really like to take Abby with us, this time. But, I don't know how much we'll actually be in the condo and she can't go down on the beach. Also, Michael is afraid she'll bark all the time since she's not used to the sounds of other people in such close proximity. It would also mean that we'd be limited to places that allow pets.

There is just a lot to think about and consider when doing this. I am eager to get something booked, though because I want to tell people about it. But, I'm a little on the superstitious side and am afraid of jinxing the whole vacation if I talk about it before it's a done deal.