On Okaloosa Island, this beachfront hotel is 6 miles west of Destin, a 9-minute walk from Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park and adjacent to the Boardwalk. The relaxed rooms and suites have enhanced WiFi and flat-screen TVs, plus mini-fridges, microwaves and coffeemakers. Some rooms offer beach or pool view. Kids 17 and under stay free with an adult. The property has direct beach access and amenities include a Grotto swim-up bar, Tripp Tide beach bar and several restaurants, as well as an outdoor pool, kiddie pool, hot tub, and fitness center. There's also a guest laundry and meeting rooms with 24,000 square feet of meeting & event space.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Green
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
1500 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
3,923 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach is often celebrated for its vibrant atmosphere, complete with live entertainment that keeps families and other guests engaged. Its prime beachfront location is a hit, offering scenic views and a variety of pools that guests love, though some have expressed concerns over high prices that may not correspond to the perceived value.
While the service and cleanliness receive high marks, the praise is somewhat tempered by reports of inconsistent experiences, particularly with room conditions and certain aspects of service.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We cannot say enough wonderful things about The Island Resort in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and the extraordinary care we received during our 10-night stay.
Traveling with our 2-day-old baby, we were in a unique situation—waiting for approval to bring our son home—and unsure how long we’d need accommodations.
From the moment we arrived, the hotel manager, Alexis, went above and beyond to ensure we felt welcomed and supported. Her compassion and reassurance that we could stay as long as necessary truly put us at ease during an emotional and uncertain time.
The staff's thoughtfulness was unmatched. They kept our room impeccably clean every day, provided extra towels to assist with baby care, and regularly checked in to ensure we had everything we needed. Their kindness and attention to detail created an amazing environment to care for our son during his first days of life.
We even spent Thanksgiving at the hotel and were met with warmth and understanding that made the holiday special despite being away from home. Alexis and her team truly transformed what could have been a stressful experience into one filled with peace and comfort.
The Island Resort is not just a beautiful place to stay—it’s a haven where guests are cared for like family. We are so grateful for their incredible hospitality and highly recommend this hotel to anyone, especially families.
Thank you for making this milestone in our lives so memorable! We can’t wait to come back next year!!
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Alexis Bell, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 11 Dec 2024
Thank you for the kind words and feedback provided. I have been in my career for 12 years and my customers that I have a connection with such as ours is why I continue working in this industry. You all have such a wonderful story and I am so happy we are now apart of your story. We can't wait to welcome Henry back for his 1st Birthday as well as you two beautiful souls. I hope you all enjoy your first Christmas as a family. The Island can't wait to welcome you all back. Please reach out to me directly when ready to book. Best wishes your Island Family.
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We stayed here Monday August 5th through Thursday August 8th and we had a wonderful time. This was our first time visiting Florida from Texas and it didn't disappoint. We requested a pool side room with a balcony and we got a room on the 4th floor overlooking the pool with the grotto. As a suggestion for anybody wanting to stay here I would recommend requesting a poolside ground floor room with a balcony. You can literally step off the balcony straight into the pool which my kids thought was awesome. Probably not the best rooms if you have toddlers though. Also they have rooms that are beachside and I would recommend requesting a ground floor room beachside as you can leave directly from your balcony to the beach. The room we stayed in was a little small but it was fine for a family of four. It had a mini fridge and microwave which is handy to have. The room was also clean and housekeeping was amazing. They were very prompt and kept our room clean for us. The grounds of the resort were really nice. They have two pools and a hot tub. The pool with grotto is very cold though so we mostly swam in their heated which we enjoyed very much. They have plenty of lounge chairs and towels and also a few bars by the pools. My only complaint is that the drinks were pricey which was expected however they were very weak. The location of this resort is in my opinion the best part. It's beachside so you can walk to the beach and of course the beach was beautiful. You can rent chairs and an umbrella for the day and there is also a bar and food truck between the hotel and beach. Right next to the hotel is the boardwalk which has several restaurants and shops so we never had to drive to go eat or shop. Overall the experience was amazing and I would definitely recommend this place.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 15 Aug 2024
We are delighted to read your review and learn that you had a fantastic time at The Island Resort. Your praise for our pool and the onsite dining options warms our hearts. Come back soon and make more cherished memories with us!
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We enjoyed our stay here overall. There was one issue we had but Gabby and the manager Terrance resolved it for us. I also need to shout out Ralph the head of security. He helped us carry our bags upstairs since there’s no elevator. He also helped our door dash driver carry up a heavy tote of drinks. One day during our stay he also noticed that these 3 guys in the hot tub didn’t have wrist bands & got them out within minutes. I’ve never experienced such a nice employee anywhere!!! We felt very safe during our stay because of him. There were other security people too that were nice and greeted us throughout our stay. There were also two lovely ladies in the restaurant that helped make my friend’s bday great. One gave me 2 of their balloons and one made a muffin plate that said happy bday. I didn’t get their names sadly. The lady working in the gift shop was so nice, asking about our families and where we’re from. I’ll list the positives during our stay since Gabby and Terrance resolved our concerns. Pros: heated pool, hot tub (this was our fave part), fridge in room, 3 min walk to beach & some restaurants. Onsite restaurant had stellar pizza. We loved having a gift shop on site with snacks and toiletries.
Note: The price for one personal sized pizza with 3 toppings was steep at $27 but I wanted to lick the plate clean it was so good so I overlooked the cost. One small alcohol drink was $15 before tip so note that the inside restaurant is kind of pricey. The food truck and outside pool bar/snack shack weren’t open since it was off season.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 6 Feb 2024
Thank you so much for your glowing review! We're delighted to hear that you had an amazing experience at The Island Resort Fort Walton Beach. It's fantastic that you enjoyed our beautiful beachfront location and the friendly service from our staff. We can't wait to welcome you back for another memorable stay!
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To celebrate my 40th birthday, I wanted to treat myself and go to a really nice hotel in Destin. We picked The Island Resort based on all the good reviews and were not disappointed. If you’re looking for a “resort” experience, The Island will definitely deliver.
There were plenty of food and drink options on the resort to choose from and the food was good. Their beach bar was absolutely fantastic. The pool with the waterfall and grotto was very fun and the sound of the waterfall was really relaxing.
They had special activities for the kids every single day which looked really fun.
Additionally, The Island was literally next door to a major shopping and dining attraction called, “The Boardwalk,” where they had multiple restaurants to choose from if you didn’t want to eat at the resort. Plus, the Okaloosa Pier and Gulfarium was right there as well. The Island Resort is literally walking distance from all of these attractions!
We would like to recognize a few phenomenal staff members and hope that this message is shared with them — our bartender, Becca, who was so kind and attentive. She was a joy to speak to during our evenings at the bar. And, Natalia at the Coastal Kitchen. She too was kind and attentive and knew exactly what we would ask for after only the first day. We thank them both and wish them all our best!
There were a few things, however, that we didn’t enjoy, which were the additional, “incidentals” that we felt should be complimentary, given the high costs to stay at this resort. We hope management will take a second look and consider making some adjustments.
We stayed 4 nights in a gulf view room and spent $2,500 — which doesn’t include what we spent on food and drinks during our stay.
So, for that amount of money, the following services should absolutely be included complimentary with your stay:
- Parking - Daily Continental Breakfast - Umbrella Service on the Beach
To close, we had a lovely time at The Island Resort and would certainly recommend it to anyone that is interested in a really nice place to stay in Destin that has a lot to offer its guests.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 7 Jun 2024
We are delighted to read your review and learn that you had a fantastic time at The Island Resort. Your praise for our pool and the onsite dining options warms our hearts. Come back soon and make more cherished memories with us!
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Unless you are staying in the boathouse you might as well be staying at an old Motel 6. The toilet/shower room is the size of a cruise ship bathroom, your air turns off every time you leave the room so it’s 75 when you return. There are NO elevators in building B or C and they both have 3 floors of room so don’t bring anything with you and make sure your luggage is light because you will be hauling it up the stairs by yourself. They wouldn’t even consider a late checkout and rooms were not sold out. This was the worst experience ever and I travel a lot.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Alexis Bell, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 19 Apr 2024
We apologize for the inconveniences you experienced during your stay. Your feedback is important to us, and we're committed to addressing these issues to ensure a better experience for our guests in the future. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance to exceed your expectations.
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This hotel is a mess. The rooms are so small , paired with the fact they don’t have a closet to put your suitcases or hang up clothes. They have a wall that has to knobs with 3 wire hangers. No suitcase rack , no dresser . They have cubbies where the fridge is and they have a small bench that has a drawer on the floor under it . With 4 people and suitcases there wasn’t even floor space to open a suit case to find anything . The differed maintenance here is beyond anything I’ve seen. I took pictures to show it in the room, but it’s all over the property . The pool area is a mess, it’s loud , dirty and the worst I’ve seen. Once we saw the room, the fact we couldn’t even walk within the room with the suitcases on the dirty floor, and paint chipping everywhere, the floor was filthy . I called to find better accommodations at The Henderson. If you get a deal, maybe consider this but I paid 3, 572 for 7 days. I think not . Find something better. There is no excuse to not maintain this property . They need to also consider people need places to store clothes, a shelf in the tiny bathroom. Seriously , I’m speechless how bad this place is.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 11 Jul 2023
Thank you for taking a moment to review your visit to The Island Beach Resort. I am sorry to hear that your most recent stay was not up to standard as it pertains to your room and the service experienced. As for the comments related to areas of which we can improve, please know that I take them very seriously and I will take each of them under careful advisement. I certainly hope you will choose to return to The Island in the future.
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Jackie R greeted us at the front desk and provided a thorough explanation of the resort layout and current events. The pool was chilly, but it felt refreshing given the high heat indexes. Our room was very clean and the beds were comfortable. The 11 AM check out time was convenient, and the breakfast buffet was great! The close beach access was a huge plus, and affordable beach chair rentals on the beach was a nice perk.
The only downside was the lack of drink machines on every floor of the hotel building, or at least on the bottom floor. When I asked the front desk if they deliver bottled water and charge it to the room, they said they don't provide that service. I would like to suggest offering this service, especially for guests who have to walk alone in the dark to the front main building at 1:00 in the morning.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Bring lots of bottled water. The refrigerator in the room is big! Shampoo and body wash is...
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 19 Jul 2023
Guest, thank you for sharing your experience with us as well as other travelers! We are delighted to hear that our staff exceeded your expectations, and I will personally share your kind words with staff mentioned! We cannot wait to welcome you back to The Island Resort very soon!
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The staff at the Island Resort are extremely courteous, helpful and do the best with what they have. The beach is gorgeous. However our experience was so terrible, we checked out after the first day of a 5 day reservation. The property itself is nothing like the website describes. Any room that is not directly in the big gulf view building is a motel room with a stand up shower and nice fixtures. Want to call the front desk or housekeeping? Sorry those lines are always “busy”. The grotto pool is disgusting. The paint on the pool floor is chipped and peeling, the water is not clear, there was a dirty diaper on the side of the pool, the bridge over the pool felt like it was a risk for potential failure. The other pool had way too many chemicals. Instead of properly cleaning and maintaining the pools they just dump chemicals in them. The exterior hallways are filthy, if a guest decides to smoke in an exterior hallway (allowed) then the motel style AC sends that smoke odor into the nearest room. Although they boast of a renovation in 2018 - it seems to be only partial and limited to the lobby and beach side building. The sheets smelled like old sweat. The towels in the rooms were the smallest and thinnest bath towels you could manufacture. Don’t believe the website. Look for real pics on review sites from former guests. I think this property has so much potential for an ownership group willing to invest in updating and maintaining it.
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:View real traveler pictures on review sites, don’t rely upon those on their website.
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.
Response from Alexis Bell, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 3 Jul 2023
Thank you for the candid feedback provided. We're sorry to hear you did not enjoy your stay here at The Island.
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I chose the island based on the price (we did not want to spend $2000 on a 4 day vacation ) and location, but was kinda weary based on other reviews others had. I was very surprised once we arrived! I chose the beach side room with a “private” patio to the beach which was VERY VERY convenient for beach access which I really enjoyed. I definitely would not call it private, as there is just a railing where anyone could walk around as they please or take things off your patio. Also it is verrryyy noisy, and smokers would sit outside and smoke, and their smoke smell would travel into our room. The room itself was very nice, the beds were comfortable, the down pillows were very nice, and the tv had chromecast which made it nice if there was nothing on tv we wanted to watch. The bathroom was okay, they do provided the basic toiletries, but the shower was very disappointing. It was a waterfall shower, but spits out a very small amount of water. Also there was no door to close off the shower, which spit water out all over the floor, and I would think that would be a fall hazard?? We ended up running out of room to put our things to dry (which never ended up drying and were covered in sand - 4 days later I took home sipping wet / soured clothes) due to only having 1 hanging hook. I wish there would’ve been a public laundry room at least to help get rid of the sand covered clothes / wet clothes. Of course there was sand all over the room / bed / floors. Which wasn’t too terribly bothersome (what do you expect!) but the room service the 2nd day did not get any of the sand off our floor / bed. Which makes me believe they did not change our bed sheets or sweep the floor. We ended up scooting around on a towel to keep the sand off our feet to keep it out of the bed. The pools were wonderful, with one heated in the back, a hot tub, and the grotto not heated. All of them were busy and was too cold for the non heated grotto pool so we ended up not getting in. Besides wishing we had a laundry room, I wish we also had a microwave!! But you lose some you win some!!! Definitely recommend staying, just be aware of a few things listed above!!
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Response from Charles Cruger, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 31 Mar 2021
Dear Selena S Thank you for your honest feedback as it assists us with perfecting our oasis of paradise, The Island. I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed the convenience of our beach front location, world class recreational amenities and newly appointed rooms. We will certainly look to improve this particular shower and I apologize for all troubles it caused. Please know we have a 24/7 front desk ladies and gentlemen who are always here to assist. We do have a on-site guest laundry facility which I will ensure we have better signage to inform all of our guests. I do hope you will give us another try when your travels take you to the Emerald Coast. Warm Regards,
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This is our 2nd stay at the island. When we 1st got there I was a little worried, our AC was making A LOT of noise, but guest services quickly changed my room out without any issues to fix the problem, and they seem to understand nobody would want that. They said they are currently changing out some of the older units in the room.
Our room was clean, and house keeping came by every day. The beds were very comfortable. Zero issues with cleaning.
We were a very short walking distance to the ocean. The beach in front was very clean and beautiful.
My two suggestions for mgt. would be, turn the heat up in the pool by the waterfall. That water is freezing!! (Same as last time) 🥶. Also have some type of family friend food package for breakfast that could be purchased. Breakfest bar is around $22.00 per person. Great food, but not very budget friendly.
Over all I would recommend, and I hope to return one day.
Happy travels!
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Response from Island Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at The Island Resort At Fort Walton Beach
Responded 15 Oct 2023
Thank you Bee_Keeper_05 for the positive feedback and rating. We're glad you enjoyed another stay here at The Island. Unfortunately the Grotto is not heated I do apologize. The Island looks forward to hosting you again in the near future.
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The rooms are not clean. The ceiling on the outside balcony is literally falling down or sagging on most of the units. I would rather sleep in a tent than stay there.
There are more places to choose from in the Fort Walton Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 479 - RM 1,287 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
ramada plaza beach hotel fort walton beach, ramada fort walton beach, fort walton beach ramada
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
The Island, By Hotel RL
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaFlorida PanhandleFort Walton Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
333
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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