Crystal Sands Beach
Crystal Sands Beach
4.7
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
142 within 5 kms
Attractions
54 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.7
496 reviews
Excellent
392
Very good
71
Average
17
Poor
4
Terrible
12
RaterRay2
United States73 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
We have stayed a number of places in Destin over the years. Crystal beach is probably my favorite. This area is more house beach related less public beach area.
The farther west you go towards emerald bay or Pensacola, more like the college party atmosphere. The farther east you go towards Santa Rosa, Miramar beaches, it’s more public beaches and you run into resort life, bars and crowded areas.
All the beaches have white sand and pretty water, crystal beach is kind of in the middle, white sand, beautiful water, not a lot of shells.
I would highly recommend this area!
The farther west you go towards emerald bay or Pensacola, more like the college party atmosphere. The farther east you go towards Santa Rosa, Miramar beaches, it’s more public beaches and you run into resort life, bars and crowded areas.
All the beaches have white sand and pretty water, crystal beach is kind of in the middle, white sand, beautiful water, not a lot of shells.
I would highly recommend this area!
Written 14 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin M
Atlanta, GA126 contributions
Feb 2020
Beautiful white sand beach with a couple of restroom at beach access point. Very limited parking available so get dropped off or find a spot along the road. If you get to the access point very early you might get lucky and find a parking spot. Restaurants nearby on the main road across from the beach. No fee a bonus. Adjacent to Henderson State Park.
Written 26 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike B
Saint Louis, MO93 contributions
Oct 2022
Very relaxing. Rented a one bedroom condo through VRBO right on the beach. Wake up to coffee on the patio. Have breakfast. Go down to the beach. Who could ask for anything more?!
The beach is beautiful! The sand is smooth. My only negative was that I wanted to go hunting for shells. No shells.
Beautiful emerald green (and blue) waters.
The beach is beautiful! The sand is smooth. My only negative was that I wanted to go hunting for shells. No shells.
Beautiful emerald green (and blue) waters.
Written 10 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike W
1 contribution
Jun 2022
Destin's new private beach restrictions have made it an unenjoyable place. HOA and beach service agreements have banned personal canopies from the beach. It's insulting to pay $5k a week and be told to cram into a tiny sliver of overcrowded public beach or pay $60 a day for an umbrella.
Beach service employees and lifeguards are very hostile to tourists.
After 15 years of memories, I will not be making more in Destin.
Beach service employees and lifeguards are very hostile to tourists.
After 15 years of memories, I will not be making more in Destin.
Written 8 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LindaSue2024
Florida76 contributions
Jul 2020
Where we stayed, near Dolphin St. and Hwy 98, there is very limited public beach. The public can use 20' up from the waterline, and the rest is private. Further, you must rent chairs and umbrellas, and are prohibited from bringing your own. (Some folks do it anyway.) It was so crowed on the public portion of the beach that we had to weave in and out of groups to get down to the water. In the future, we will do more research on public beach conditions, and we will definitely avoid this area!
Written 1 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Douglas K
Chanhassen, MN54 contributions
Feb 2023
The beaches on Old Scenic 98 are beautiful sandy beaches but expect huge crowds and lots of traffic. There are great restaurants but expect long waits. January and February weather is usually in the 50's, once March comes the temperature goes up but so do the crowds of people, Old 98 becomes more of a parking lot than a road. The worst aspect of these beaches is the constant tour helicopters that fly over the beaches every 4 minutes starting early in the morning until sunset. These helicopters fly low and create so much noise that we had a hard time carrying on a conversation. They are very annoying and ruin the beauty and sounds of the waves and beaches. So if you are looking for the serenity of a beach as depicted in the brochures, forget about Destin beaches, because they are noisy and crowded.
Written 20 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diana R
7 contributions
Sept 2021 • Friends
Unit 311A at Crystal Sands lacked basic items like frying pan and can opener. Vacasa handling of plumbing issues were completely unacceptable, leaving the master bath sink unusable and leaking for 4 days. Management response was terrible, with plumbing and bathroom taken apart and left leaking.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Browncm6
Springboro, OH483 contributions
Jul 2020
We were staying nearby but were so glad that we had purchased chairs on a more private beach next to this one. Walking on this Crystal Sands beach was horrible. It was incredibly crowded in both the water and on the sand. I would make sure you had a private chair rental somewhere else rather than try to find a spot for your family on this beach. Water is beautiful but there are way too many people.
Written 2 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roj1281
Houston, TX518 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
This is another beautiful Destin beach, the parking and access is a bit easier in my opinion than Henderson. I was there on a Monday so it wasn’t extremely packed but still a bit busy. I was by the Crab Trap and there is a company that rents paddle boards and kayaks here too.
Written 11 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
seddiwy
La Mesa, CA1 contribution
Jun 2017 • Family
My mother rented a spot with chairs and an umbrella for the day from Twilight Beach Service. We left our stuff over the chair, went to lunch for about an hour, then my mother came back by herself - to find a "gentleman" and his daughter sitting on one of the rental chairs and her personal chair. She politely told him she'd rented the spot for the day, to which he nastily replied he had, too. She gathered her things from around the chairs and this man followed her, growing more angry and abusive as he went.
She went up to the rental shack to try to straighten things out, this man in tow and now screaming things like "What're you gonna do, hit me? Are you gonna beat up my daughter?" Mind you, my mother is over 50 and maybe 95 lbs wet, and in tears at this point. They tell her they did in fact re-rent the spot she'd already paid for, but not only that, they couldn't refund her money. Their only excuse to having done this was "they do this all the time" and that "it wouldn't have happened if there were possessions there or a towel was on the chair" - you know, those possessions we left nearby and the towel the man presumably threw on the ground. The same man STILL yelling at my mother while she tried to resolve this.
Don't waste money with their rentals, and don't expect any sort of helpful service. And try not to make eye contact with their other patrons, because if someone decides to berate and belittle you it's apparently none of their business, since they already have your money.
She went up to the rental shack to try to straighten things out, this man in tow and now screaming things like "What're you gonna do, hit me? Are you gonna beat up my daughter?" Mind you, my mother is over 50 and maybe 95 lbs wet, and in tears at this point. They tell her they did in fact re-rent the spot she'd already paid for, but not only that, they couldn't refund her money. Their only excuse to having done this was "they do this all the time" and that "it wouldn't have happened if there were possessions there or a towel was on the chair" - you know, those possessions we left nearby and the towel the man presumably threw on the ground. The same man STILL yelling at my mother while she tried to resolve this.
Don't waste money with their rentals, and don't expect any sort of helpful service. And try not to make eye contact with their other patrons, because if someone decides to berate and belittle you it's apparently none of their business, since they already have your money.
Written 8 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is Crystal Sands Beach pet friendly? If not which beaches in the area ?
Written 29 August 2022
I'm needing to know if it's better to go to Miramar beach or crystal beach? And is the middle of July a good time to go
Written 11 October 2020
Most Florida beaches are pretty busy in mid-July. I'm not familiar with Miramar Beach, but Crystal Beach was packed when we were there last July. The public can only use 20' of beach up from the water's edge, which greatly limits space for vacationers. We could hardly find a place to put up our umbrella! We will probably never return to Destin and Crystal Beach because of the crowds and narrow beach.
Written 30 October 2020
Hello I am looking to book a room for Aug 1st and checkout Aug 8th. Will you please provide me with the rates for 1 room with double beds? Thank you!
Written 9 June 2020
Dogs aren't allowed on the beaches in Destin. If you are looking for a dog-friendly beach area you should try St. Augustine Florida. Dogs are welcome on all of the beaches. The beaches are beautiful and very walkable.
Written 16 April 2022
How is the water temperature in February? Wondering if we can get in
Written 3 February 2020
Hello all, we will visit Destin around 3rd week of August, I wonder there'll be seaweed on the beach around that time. Thanks so much in advance!
Written 24 June 2019
It honestly depends on: 1) The area (if there's seaweed at the beach you are at and it puts a big damper don't be too hesitant to just go down a bit of ways, maybe even to another beach along the highway. It may be more clear)
2) Weather may be a factor.
3) Almost the whole month of June the water was relatively clear throughout the area. However, for a few weeks in June it was Red flag so it was not much fun to be in the water anyway. Keep an eye on the surf, not just seaweed.
Written 5 July 2019
Who cleans up the beach after a party? I walked down to see the sunrise this morning and there are hundreds of bottles and cans left in the sand
Written 17 April 2019
I believed the local high schoolers help clean up and some local surfers they pick up or Good Samaritan people pick up some as they see litter rather ignoring it. For if I’m the travelers I clean up my own trash and throw where they belong to maintain clean and protect the sea creatures.
Written 20 April 2019
Raven P
Shubuta, Mississippi
Is there a place to rent chairs and umbrellas on the beach?
Written 11 March 2019
Yes , Kyle and Matt are the amazing men who take care of the beach chairs and umbrellas on Crystal Beach. Some condo's come with "beach service".
Written 15 March 2019
Hi, Carollyn. What would you like to know about this attraction? Are there any hotels on the beach in that area? What about vacation rentals for 6-10 female family memebers?
Written 29 July 2018
…
Showing results 1-10 of 51
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing