Balance has never been one of my strong points, and standing on a board, paddling along Florida’s Choctawhatchee Bay initially proved a little too tricky.
We were staying in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach region - a popular destination for Americans due to its powder-white beaches, green-blue sea and natural beauty.
The resorts along Florida’s Panhandle coast are known for their miles of white beaches leading to the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico.Our hotel - the Henderson Beach Resort - was just minutes from the beach and combined a traditional luxury feel with the modern amenities which made our stay special.The resort recalls Destin’s history as The World's Luckiest Fishing Village with black and white images from the past lining its walls.
Henderson Resort sales and marketing director Andrew Lott says the hotel’s spectacular surroundings are a big attraction for guests. Our waiter Joseph, who had served at the popular restaurant for 17 years, recommended the hot crab and shrimp dip to start which was creamy and delicious, and we followed this with Gulf grouper and Southern-style crab cakes - a perfect taste of the restaurant’s Gulf-to-table menu. The children were a little less adventurous, opting for burgers and fries.
The area describes itself as a natural playground for water adventurers - offering swimming, snorkelling, ‘snuba’ and boating. Here we met artist Kelly Pierre who moved to Destin from South Louisiana where his family owned shrimp boats. He told how despite loving a life on the water and his family seeing his future as a seafarer, his heart was in creating and painting.
The children’s Butcher’s Burger was served with bacon jam - made by reducing the bacon and adding sugar and apple cider vinegar - pickles and fries.Southern Star Dolphin Cruise