Destin, FL - Day 2

Today we got up trying to attempt to get the Internet working again, since this is a working vacation for my husband. No such luck. I called and emailed Sunset Resort Rentals again with no such luck so we headed down to the beach with our dog in tow. That lasted 30 minutes until the sheriff who drives up and down the beach stopped to ask if we had a permit for the dog on the beach. I said no and where do we go to get one. Well the news got worst as only residents are aloud to get permits and dogs are only aloud during certain hours. When I was researching places to stay Miramer Beach came up as one of the best and most dog friendly areas. Well, sad to say I was wrong. Now our doggie is stuck in the condo all day and she's not excited about that. At least we didn't get a ticket, but this didn't settle well with me on this condo situation and I was about to break down crying.

Finally someone contacted me at 9am from Sunset Resort Rentals. They use a code system for the door to get in and out instead of dealing with a key. That's fine, but when you can't get in the back door that goes to the beach there's a problem! Turns out when we got our confirmation packet they put the wrong code on our sheet. We where really lucky the front door worked otherwise we would have had to get a hotel since no one answered the phone when we got here at 5:00pm to check in yesterday. The poor girl on the phone got an earful from me and I kept saying I just wanted to go home. She had me email all of my concerns, which I wasn't thrilled to do, but having things in writing is always the best thing to do since she sent it to the property owner and their supervisor.

List of issues:
I'm not happy in regards to the lock and not being able to get ahold of anyone when we got here at 4pm We are lucky the wrong code given to us worked on one door otherwise we would have had an added expense for a hotel last night.


The Internet not working is a HUGE issue. This is a working vacation for us and if unable to connect then we need to leave and head home now. The only network name pulling up is Belkin.38c2 and you need a password to connect to it.


A sheriff told us this morning our dog is not allowed on the beach unless we are a resident. I wish this would have been communicated to us otherwise we would have not brought her. I understand we are probably 1 out of 30 people that have had this issue but you need to list on your site that the unit is dog friendly however the county is not. Here's what I sent them:


The blinds in the bedroom are torn up.

The main entrance door that goes out to parking has a busted secondary security lock. This does not make me feel safe. Also the code 1928 that was given to us is also written on the railing in the stairwell to the beach.

The patio screen off the eating area is leaning against the wall. We did our best to put it back on the sliding glass door.

The phone doesn't work in the living room we found a plug that worked in the bedroom.

As far as the cleaning person I think they where in a huge hurry and didn't care. The bedside lamp bulb was out. 3 lights in the bathroom is out. Laundry area had towels thrown all over the dryer in the washer and on the floor. There's food stuck to the burner on the stove top so when u turn on the burner the area fills with smoke. We are expected to wash our own dishes which is understandable but the only abrasive utensil available is a paper towel and no abrasive brush therefore difficult to completely clean pots and pans cleanly.

I expected to have some issues being that the place is older, but when I am paying $150 a night for somewhere I want to be somewhat comfortable and safe but I don't even feel that here. To be honest I'm ready to pack up everything and head home first thing in the morning. I would like to know if there would be some reimbursement if we did that. I really hope that you update the website with a little more information so the next person isn't blindsided like I was.

Please have the owner call us first thing on Monday morning because if the Internet issue can't be resolved we need get on the road for our 9hr drive home so we can return back to work Tuesday morning and to know a return policy if we left tomorrow if the Internet can't be resolved?

How is that for a complaint list? That didn't mention the beach access area being a mess with toys, old floats, and bags of trash thrown all over, bedroom ac doesn't work, and the list goes on. They where accommodating and said that the unit next door was just cleaned and we could move in there since that's where the Internet jack was. We moved all our stuff over and this condo 9B is in much better condition. Pictures from their site can be found HERE. Anyway enough fussing about what's wrong I'm gonna move on to the more positive things. The condo is right on the beach which is really nice. For some reason there's a wave of algae floating in so it's a little green near the shoreline, but once you swim out past that it's crystal clear. There where guys walking up and down the beach checking for any oil that has made it to shore, but so far didn't look like they had any samples. We got to swim all day then headed in to take showers and head to dinner.

We headed to a place called Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin Village which is in a resort area and you would never know it's there unless you saw it online. The place is really well done and makes you feel like your in a little town with streets and all. We ate dinner at Acme Oyster House even though we had been to the one in New Orleans I had a hankering for oysters and knew they had large ones.



While I munched on my dozen oysters, my husband ordered a cup of seafood gumbo and a bowl of shrimp etouffee. The gumbo was bland, but the etouffee was really good. I don't feel we got $17.00 worth of etouffee, but at least it was good. After dinner we walked around to see what other restaurants they had to offer looking for possible places to eat later in the week then headed back to the condo to walk our dog on the beach (keeping an eye out for the sheriff) and watch the sunset.

Destin, FL - Day 1

We drove in from home which took us 9 hours and boy where we glad to make it here. That was until we saw the state of the condo we rented for $150 a night from ! If you know me then you know I like a good deal just like the next person and coupons, there are times I'll pay up for things I normally wouldn't. In this case I thought we would have the basics and nothing too fancy due to it being one of the cheapest condos I could find. We where given 9A and boy did we have the bare minimum! They want you to take out the trash, clean all the dishes and toss the towels in the wash machine when you check out. There's nothing to wash the dishes with, there where towels tossed all over the wash machine area closet. Then we where told to make a list of all things that would be considered damaged and report them within 24 hours so we wouldn't be falsely charged for damaging them when we checked out. Oh my where to begin! You'll see a full list I made on tomorrows post.

Our dinner that night started out at the Crab Trap which we couldn't find a parking space at for 30 minutes of circling so we moved on to Pompano Joe's which was right next to the condo. This place was packed too. We got lucky and found some seats at the bar and just decided to eat there. There drink special was Knob Creek for $4.50. They where in 12 ounce cups and they made them strong. Just what we needed after our long day. We started out with the Reggae Rolls as an appetizer. They are jerk seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and peppers, stuffed in flour tortillas, deep fried and served with mango-papaya chutney and pico de gallo salsa. They where good but the star of the dish was the mango-papaya chutney it's to die for!

For entrees I chose the Garlic Crusted Grouper which is grouper baked with a fresh garlic crust, topped with a lobster-basil cream sauce. I thought it was really good, but didn't taste a lot of the basil in the sauce. My husband said it was good, but too much garlic flavor. It was served with hushpuppies, twice baked potatoes and vegetable medley.

My husband ordered the Grouper "Guadalupe" which is pan roasted grouper topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and sun dried tomato butter. We both loved this dish and wouldn't change anything about it. It was served with hushpuppies, twice baked potatoes and vegetable medley.

**Here's a tip if you fill out the survey online about your dining experience they give you an instant free appetizer coupon to print.

Barcelona, Spain and flying back home - Day 10

We headed to the Windjammer to eat our last breakfast then back to the room to gather our luggage and catch a cab to the airport.

Go figure I get randomly selected to get searched at the airport and have to make sure I check in at the gate 10 minutes before boarding. I figure since it's my birthday it's some special treatment. (Hey I'm trying to think positive!) Well the search wasn't exactly a smooth breeze. They picked 10 people from our flight (9 women and 1 man) and made us walk to an area that was blocked off to the public. I then had my carry on bag go through the x-ray before having to empty every last thing out of it. The female officer patted me down and turned on every electronic device I had. Once that was done I repacked all my junk and then filled was asked to write down my address and my parents names. The guy copied all my passport info and I was free to go. Well, that was until I had to be escorted back to my gate for some reason. As a bonus for "being selected" we where able to board the plane early (of course after the 1st class people) which was with all the elderly and children. Wasn't that big of deal because it was a full flight and I really didn't care to sit anymore then we had too. Oh well, I did what I had to do in order to keep our country safe.

I don't know what the deal is with the Northeastern weather, but we can't seem to have any luck with it! Our flight from Barcelona had to land in Boston due to low fuel and a storm system moving into Newark. We where told to hang out on the plane while they re-fueled and waiting to take off again. That lasted about 30 minutes until they decided the storm was so bad and a system was also moving into the Boston area so we where going back to the gate to deboard, go through customs, get all our bags and stand in line to get a new ticket to fly from Boston to Newark then we would have to figure out our connecting flight from there.

That would have been great, but as the wall of rain came we watched as it turned to a white out through our window. The pilot said we weren't lined up enough to connect the walkway so we had to sit there till the rain slacked a little. 20 minutes later we where walking off the plane.

We made it through customs then stood in line with everyone else. Luckily we had our thinking caps on and figured if our flight was delayed because of the storm how many other flights leaving Newark where delayed? We where already in Boston 3 hours and decided to ask if we could catch a direct flight home instead of going to Newark then finding a flight home. We where in luck there was a flight about to leave so we grabbed tickets, checked our luggage and headed to the security check line. Of course the line moves super slow the flight we where scheduled on was starting to board as we got to the gate.

We ended arriving home at 10pm instead of our original 11pm from Newark. The next morning I checked my phone and saw there was a travel update the the flight we where scheduled to be on from Newark was leaving at 6:15am and scheduled to land at 9:06am so thank goodness we swapped and didn't have to spend the night at the airport!

I'm sad the trip is over we had such a wonderful time and I miss it already!!

At Sea Day 4

Today we woke up to the boat a rocking! Apparently this is a normal part of the passage where the waters are really choppy until around lunch time when they make it through this one part of the water. Wish I would have known, I would have taken a sea sick pill so I wouldn't have felt so awful all morning.

Since we where at sea today, we slept in and decided to check out the ship and see what all it had to offer. They had an ice skating rink, put put area, rock climbing, a roller rink area, and much much more to keep everyone entertained. The ship had scheduled to do a BBQ out on the top deck, but with it being overcast and so choppy they did it indoors. The fruit carvings where amazing!

After taking in all the sites we headed back to the room for a nap and then got ready for dinner.

Tonight we decided to make a reservation at the speciality restaurant Portofino. For an extra $20 a person we thought we would try it out and see if it was worth it. Overall the service was really slow, it took 2 hours to eat 3 courses, the food seemed just as good as what you get in the main dining room so my advice would be to skip it. We started off with a Beef Carpaccio (thin slices of beef tenderloin, with pesto) and a Trio of Bruscetta (Eggplant, Mozzarella and Duck).

D ordered the Spidino di Frutti di Mare (a skewer with Maine lobster, tiger shrimp, scallops, and salmon, served with a white wine reduction lobster bisque dipping sauce).

I ordered the Rack of Lamb.

For dessert we shared the Tiramisu Alla Portofino served in a chocolate cup as well as the Torta al Cioccolate con Panna Montata al Caffe Espresso (flourless chocolate cake and semi-whipped espresso cream).

Waiting for us when we got back the room was a bulldog.

Barcelona, Spain - Day 1

We started out with an easy flight from Texas to New York/Newark, NJ arriving at 5:20pm. Our flight to Barcelona was scheduled to leave at 7pm and as soon as we got on the plane I was praying people would hurry up and sit down because a dark cloud was headed our way.

Well that didn't happen so then we got stuck on the plane until the pilot got a weather update. 3 hours later and a trip back to the gate to refuel we where up in the air. Our game plan was to sleep on the flight which was really hard because the served dinner at midnight and all the other distractions lead us to only get 2-3 hours of sleep off an on.

Once we landed we grabbed a cab and headed to our hotel Hesperia Ramblas. The location couldn't have been any more perfect. It's in the middle of La Rambles Street (similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, just less crazy) yet on a little side street which is really quiet. We took a quick hour nap before heading out to explore Ramblas Street and grab some lunch. We where told lunch in Spain was around 2pm and dinner around 9pm. I wasn't sure we would be able to adjust, but we did since the sun doesn't start setting till the 8:00 hour I see why they eat dinner so late.

One thing you will notice right away are the amount to mopeds and motorcycles. They are every where!

For lunch we ate at Restaurant Egipte. They had a special where you get a 3 course meal with a drink or wine for a reasonable price.

The wine is individual bottles and is the house wine you just get to pick red or white.

I ordered the cannelloni (left picture) and D got the Seafood Pudding (right picture). The cannelloni is to die for the seafood pudding was to try something new and wasn't something I would pick again even though D said he would probably eat it again if it was heated up. It was similar to a tureen.

For the main course I ordered the Codfish Au Gratin and D ordered the Grilled Steak with Green Pepper Sauce. Both of us could have eaten a huge plate of the codfish it was cooked so perfectly and the spinach below was flavorful as well. The steak on the other hand was ok and a little over cooked. If you like green peppers then you will like the sauce.

For dessert I ordered the pineapple cake and D ordered the apple tart. The cake had some sort of raisin sauce, I liked it but D wasn't a fan of it. The Apple Tart was really good though.

After eating we went walked around Ramblas some more and headed in the famous St Joseph Mercat known as La Boqueria. If there's one major thing to see in Barcelona for a foodie then this is the place! I could have left all my stuff at home and moved here today just because of this market. Just know that on Sunday's it's closed so arrange your schedule wisely. The vendors want to keep you moving so you don't block their stands for paying customers so if you want to go just to look or take a lot of pictures then I suggest going first thing in the morning. More pictures to come of the market tomorrow, but here's the entrance and a couple of the vendors.

Street entertainers are a huge part of Ramblas and as night falls more and more appear. If you give them a tip they gladly pose for pictures and some act out a scene.

All along Rambles there are vendors who sell anything from from chickens to flowers to souvenirs to food.

At one end of Rambles is Place de Catalunya which links the old town with the new extension laid out in the 19th century following the demolition of the city walls. There's a huge open area which people feed the birds. I kept my distance and watched from the sides.

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and rest a little to kill some time before heading out to dinner. We chose a little street cafe on Rambles called Micky's.

Two things I knew I wanted where paella and sangria.

Choices of paella.

We went for the classic seafood paella and when it came out we where a little shocked that the seafood was cocktail size and hardly any in there. The flavor was there I just wish they had more seafood.

After dinner we went across the street for some gelato.

There where more flavors then I could imagine.

We went for the 3 scoop cup - Lemon, Tiramisu and Chocolate. Chocolate was ok, I loved the Tiramisu and D loved the lemon so it was a good mix.

We headed off to the hotel while stopping at a couple of street acts along the way and got a good nights sleep.