Relaxing at Sterling Shores Condos, Destin

Posted by Jan Ross on May 19, 2014

We had just heard about the weather back home.

Ice, ice, and even more ice were on the way to Kentucky. Lolling on our sun-drenched balcony at our fabulous Sterling Shores condo in Destin, Florida, it was hard to grasp that the weather would be that bad right when we would be driving home.

But it was happening and the idea of driving right through the worst of it on ice-covered roads was not very appealing. In fact, it would be outright dangerous. So I emailed my buddy with Sterling Resorts about possibly staying in our condo a little longer. The weather was really bad, we were concerned, was staying longer a possibility?

And she immediately arranged two extra night for us. So nice.

Ok then. Good. We were safe and sound and would not have to drive on slick, dangerous roads. We were being very sensible. Very mature. Very…

Wait.

That meant we had more time at the beach! More time for shopping! More time for eating fabulous seafood! More time for lolling on our balcony enjoying our view.

So we did all three just as much as possible.

First, we proceeded to enjoy our lovely condo a little longer. We had pulled through the gates into the tranquil community at Sterling Shores just a few days prior and been amazed at how beautiful the property was. Gorgeously landscaped and immaculately maintained, it’s a perfect getaway location with easy access to local restaurants and shopping. It’s a short walk to the beach but most of the units have a beach view – the higher the floor, the better the view.

The front of Sterling Shores. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

We unloaded our car, loaded the luggage carts, and transported way too much staff (hey, with three women you have a lot of stuff!) up to unit 413. A three bedroom, two bath luxury condo, this “Islamorada” unit is beautifully furnished with a really modern kitchen and a great master bedroom.

The kitchen has mirrored tiles which made it seem really large and it was stocked with everything we needed. The master bedroom has a huge king size bed and a great bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub which I used as often as humanly possible. The living room has a flat screen television and there are also televisions in all the bedrooms. The unit is 1,693 square feet and has linens, towels, a washer and dryer, and free wi-fi which was some of the best I have used in a rental property.

Fabulous master bedroom! Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

Sample condo living room. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

We spent a couple of evenings watching movies that we borrowed from the office on our DVD players in the condo. This is really one of the nicest amenities they offer. You just put a provided code into a Red Box-like machine and you can borrow as many brand new movies as you want. This would be especially great for families. Not only do they offer free movies, they even have a small, 42 seat, surround sound theater where they show movies in the evenings. This is something I have never seen in any rental condo complex where I have stayed and it’s such a great idea!

Private movie theater! Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

One of the nicest things about this condo is the great, large balcony overlooking the beach and the lagoon style pool. With plenty of lounge chairs and a table with chairs as well, we spent a lot of time out here enjoying the warm sun and the view.

Balcony and view. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

View of the pool and beach. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

In all honesty, I had no idea they had a fitness center until I was researching their website to write this article, but they do. This does not mean that I do not exercise regularly when I am traveling…oh, of course it does.

Nice exercise room! Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

Our condo was perfect for the three of us (although three bathrooms probably would have been better for three women), but they offer a variety of units from the open-plan Sanibel with one bedroom/bathroom suite to the 2,353 square-foot Amelia with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and miles of uninterrupted Gulf of Mexico views. You can check out all your options on their website.

After we had sufficiently exclaimed over our condo, we took a stroll around the area. They have a beautiful 4,300 square foot lagoon-style pool and a nice grilling area by the pool

View of the condos from the pool. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

Nice area to grill. Photo courtesy of Sterling Resorts.

To get to the beach, you exit through a locked gate with a code and cross a quiet back street. The complex has a private gulf-front beach club with a nice pool and a snack bar.