Holiday Inn Resort Ft. Walton Beach

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************This hotel has moved into a BRAND NEW building located at1299 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach on Okaloosa Island and is open for guests!
The NEWEST, BEAUTIFUL facility on the Gulf of Mexico on Okaloosa Island!!!

We stayed in a suite here on a recent vacation and loved it! Our room had a small kitchenette– stove, full sized fridge, sink, microwave, coffee maker. All things necessary to make a beach vacation easier. Our room was facing the beautiful beach and had a nice sized patio as well. The hotel had 2 different pools– one for kids and one for adults– even though we never made use of the pools, I thought it was a good idea to have seperate pools so as to not isolate the non-​children patrons from being able to use the pool.
The hotel also provided complimentary chairs and umbrellas on the beach– which was nice. Way easier than having to drag all your own chairs and beach stuff down and set it all up!
We ate at the Tiki Bar near the children’s pool one day for lunch and I had a grilled mahi-​mahi sandwich that was pretty awesome.

The only positive comment I can make about this «resort» is the view. The king size bed sinks in the middle, the sofa/​sleeper broke and will no longer fold back up into the sofa. There’s a thermostat in our suite which we were told we cannot control, the entire building is controlled by maintenance and whether they decide heat or A/​C should be on and what temperature it should be. There is remodeling going on and pounding and electric saws started at 8:30 a.m. On a Saturday morning. Water pressure is at best dribbling. The restaurant is unavailable for lunch.
The beach view is beautiful, but customers should be informed of construction. No excuse for worn out beds and why have thermostats if you can’t use them… unacceptable. Will never stay here again!

Not a bad place to stay. No-​frills, utilitarian. I liked its access to the beach, a restaurant, a pool, and free wi-​fi. They offered other amenities which I didn’t have enough time to enjoy like a hot tub, gym, and free movies. There are pool activities day and night like karaōke and pool games and granted it could get a bit loud, the noise did not extend past 9 or 10 pm.
Others commented on the all-​around «dampness» of the hotel but I believe that is due to the heat and humidity of August in the Southeast. It would also be impractical to have carpeting in a hotel that provides beach access only to have guests track around sand and sea water along the hallways. Tiles are definitely the way to go and as for the humidity, well, it is Florida after all.
The Holiday Inn is typical of a hotel by the beach, one that provides the essentials one needs (shower, sleep, food). There are many other hotels to choose from but this one suited my needs just fine.

I enjoyed my stay here. All of the staff, clerks, housekeepers, etc were very friendly and always helpful. The public area and pools were in great condition. However the rooms need updating. Comfortable double beds (but only doubles) and I had a great view of the Gulf.

At this hotel you pay for the view. I stayed in a King size regular room. Clean, fairly new linens. Very loud you hear door slamming in the hall, pool was loud with kids then entire time the pool is open. Seems to be family friendly. Nice small bar in the main area. Very nice bartender. Room was to be guaranteed by 4pm did not happen. Staff before 4pm at the front desk was not very helpful, but did give me information I needed, and answered my questions. They need more cleaning staff on a busy day of check out. Dated outside more so than inside rooms. Beach access is easy to get to, and chairs are set up on the beach for your stay from 9am to 5pm. Probably will not stay at this location again.

It’s probably more likely a 2.5. I’d maybe give it a 3 if it wasn’t as expensive as what they are charging.
Someone already said it. It’s extremely dated. I’m not even entirely sure that the walls are sheetrock. I suspect not.
Our 1 BR suite was decent with 2 queen beds and even a pull out couch in the den. The kitchen is tiny but has a frig, a small electric stove, a microwave, and a one-​cup-​at-​a-​time coffee maker.
We had a corner room which had a long hallway as soon as you come in the door. I thought it was to get us further away from the hall outside or the neighbors; but you can still hear the neighbors sometimes in the bedroom.
The balcony view was nice of the pool down below and the beach and ocean up on the 6^th floor. Cannot complain about the view there.
The place being dated and in need of an update means they need to lower the price or get the upgrade done. My overall biggest complaint besides the dated nature of the place is the low water pressure in the bathroom. It was most notable in the sink.
For our 48 hour trip, it served its purpose but do not come here expecting a nice hotel for your vacation. it’s not that place but it can get you by.

The regular rooms are fine. Many have a sea view. Decent swimming pool, direct beach access. Good breakfast restaurant — didn’t try lunch/​dinner, but would expect it to be OK. Plenty of local restaurants to choose from though. The hotel appears to be good value for the price.