We went last year and are going again this year. What I did that was "Money Savings" is that as soon as we got there I hit SuperWalMart and bought all of our groceries for the week. (I also brought some stuff from home because I did advanced meal planning so I knew if I was going to need a particular ingredient so I brought those from home.)

We went out to eat -- twice for lunch and the other for an "early bird special buffet". The rest of our meals were in the condo or on the beach. (My kids LOVED dinner on the beach -- I made hot dogs in the condo wrapped them in foil and handed them out on the beach. The condo had a grill so we made grilled steak one night with a tossed green salad and roast potatos and ate on the tables by the pool.

We spent most of the time on the beach -- we can shop at home. BUT we did go to Broadway on the Beach and some of the other beach type shops. The kids were given a budget and stayed within it. (I think it was $30 to spend each.)

For me a vacation is about relaxing not about doing stuff. Fortunately the kids share my view. We slept in and watched movies in the room late at night or sat on the balcony and watched the people on the beach.

This year our condo has a built in waterpark so I expect the kids will be even more entertained.

__________________
Grace

Wife to Stoney

Mommy of Sarah (8.5), Hannah (7), and John(5)

Kim, you want to come to Destin (saying it in a hypnotic way), you want to come to Destin, you want to come to Destin. . .

My boys LOVED the Ripley's Aquarium. I would highly recommend it!