Okaloosa Island sits on Florida’s Panhandle between Destin and Navarre, three miles of barrier island with water green enough to stop you mid-sentence. The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach has stood here since 1966, one of the first hotels on a stretch of coast that barely existed on the map back then. People have been coming to switch off on this island for 60 years, and I was no different. For weeks, a Google Chat notification had been enough to make my heart race. Standing on my balcony that first evening, watching the water go from green to gold, my shoulders finally remembered how to drop.
Photo: The Island Resort
This Emerald Coast Resort Has the Only Swim-Up Bar on the Panhandle, and the Beach Isn't Bad Either
The rooms at The Island Resort
Photo: Kayla Dungee
Walking into The Island Resort feels a bit like being tricked. The lobby doesn’t prepare you for how sprawling the property is, and I wandered toward my room feeling lost but unhurried, moving from pool to pool while live music carried through the air.
The 333 rooms cover Gulf View, Gulf Front, Pool View, and suite options. My Gulf View Room had windows that ran nearly floor to ceiling, and the sunrises and sunsets did more for me than any spa treatment could have. Behind the bed, an oversized black and white beach mural fills the wall, blue umbrellas dotting the shoreline, and above the headboard a teal-framed collage of vintage Okaloosa Island photography and portraits of the coast. Every day of my stay, a singer performed near the beach entrance with a voice that carried all the way up to my balcony. I left the door open to hear it better.
If I come back, I’m booking a Swim-Up Pool Deck Room — the patio opens straight into the waterfall pool, and you can reach the swim-up bar without ever getting out of the water. The Island Suite is also worth a mention for anyone traveling with a crowd. It has a history most hotel rooms don’t — the Tolbert family, who founded this resort in the ’60s, lived here. Now on the third floor of the Sunset Building, the suite has a covered deck looking straight out over the Grotto and the Emerald Coast, and sleeps up to 14 people.
Amenities at The Island Resort
Photo: Kayla Dungee
My first morning started with yoga on the Island Green, a class offered on Friday mornings during peak season that faces the Gulf and adjusts to whoever shows up, beginners included.
The resort has two pools. The first is a heated pool with a hot tub, ringed by partially shaded cabanas. Reserving one is as simple as scanning the QR code on the lounger, and I found myself wondering why every resort doesn’t do this. The second is the Grotto, a rock formation pool with cascading waterfalls, disco balls, and the only swim-up bar on the Emerald Coast. On Friday and Saturday nights through Labor Day, a DJ takes over and it turns into a proper party. For anyone not in the clubbing mood, the cabana pool is right next door.
The beach is a two-minute walk from the pools, 600 feet of white sand on water so green it makes the Emerald Coast name feel accurate. A beach towel was all I needed to claim a spot near the water. For anything more, La Dolce Vita handles rentals directly on the property. Two chairs and an umbrella run $45 to $55 per day, kayaks start at $40 and paddleboards at $80 for a half-day.
The Neverland Island Kids Club gives parents real time to themselves. Morning sessions run from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM for $20 per child, evening sessions from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM for $40, covering arts and crafts, cooking activities, and weekend visits from Misty the Mermaid — the resort’s resident mermaid character who does meet-and-greets at the Grotto pool.
A mixology class recently launched at the resort. Bartenders walk you through making three cocktails from the on-site menu, so by the time you’re done you already know what to order at the bar. You also leave with recipe cards and merch alongside whatever you made.
Dining at The Island Resort
Photo: Kayla Dungee
Coastal Kitchen, the resort’s all-day restaurant, is trading its Italian-inspired menu for something that feels more at home on the Panhandle. By the end of the month, it will become Sea Oats Kitchen + Bar — a full pivot to Southern cuisine led by Executive Chef Jacob W. Childers, a veteran of Robert Irvine’s kitchen. The fried green tomatoes, seafood gumbo, and blackened redfish drew the most attention at the table, but the black-eyed pea hummus, the roasted beet salad, and the tabasco shrimp are what stayed with me.
As a gluten- and dairy-free diner, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Sea Oats menu. Chef Childers prepared allergen-friendly alternatives that still maintained the soul of the cooking.
Photo: Kayla Dungee
Between the two pools, Cabana Cantina & Tequileria is the resort’s most casual spot. The menu is Mexican, the tequila list tops 50 options and runs longer than the entire food menu, and the patio is close enough to the water that you don’t have to dry off first. Start with the catch of the day tacos — the fish held up across every restaurant on property.
Two food trucks sit just before the beach entrance, Sizzle & Smash and The Frosty Palm. Both are worth the stop before you hit the sand. The blackened fresh catch and smoked tuna dip from Sizzle & Smash were exactly what I needed after a long day in the sun. At The Frosty Palm, the dulce de leche milkshake was the one everyone in my group kept talking about, and yes, you can make it boozy for an upcharge.
Things to do near Fort Walton Beach
Photo: Kayla Dungee
With no car in tow, I was bound to however far my feet could take me in the Florida heat — spoiler: not far. Directly next to the resort, several waterfront restaurants line The Boardwalk at Okaloosa Island. The Crab Trap is the one to find, waterfront and unpretentious with a stacked menu. I ordered the catch of the day on a gluten-free bun, which had me believing they caught the fish mere moments before cooking my meal.
Ten minutes farther on foot is the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, America’s second-oldest marine park. The dolphin show had the children in the crowd buzzing after the dolphins doused them in the splash zone. The C.A.R.E Center, Gulfarium’s non-profit sea turtle rescue branch, rehabilitates and releases sea turtles found in the Gulf. I caught a glimpse of a few of the hundreds that have come through the program, right before coming face to face with Romeo, the oldest manatee ever recorded and a Guinness World Record holder as of earlier this year.
Getting to The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach
Photo: Kayla Dungee
The Island Resort is 10 miles from Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS), served by a select number of airlines. Hotel transportation isn’t offered, but rideshares will get you there in around 20 minutes without traffic. If you’re driving, parking on-site runs $15 per day. 