Our stay at the Magnificat was Magic for our family. We had the most wonderful time, and the location, the house, the owner, the optional activities all added up to a Magical experience for our family. My wife and I have three grown children, and three grandchildren. David was a wonderful host, and he remained available to us promptly throughout our stay, which really helped us out. We would highly recommend the Sand Castle Building Lessons! Not only did our grandchildren love this activity, but everyone pitched in and showed their creativity. Our spot on the beach, with our 5 Star, 4 Turret Sandcastle, worthy of a Disney Movie, was a hit with passersby on the beach for the rest of our stay. Our 4 year old and 8 year old granted many interviews on the finer points of their creations! Another high point for us we saved for our last night, and that was a Bonfire On the Beach! This is provided by a third party vendor, but it is not as straight forward as one might think, since the County requires a permit to be issued for every Bonfire. When we booked the Bonfire, we were under the impression it would be in front of our house, but we learned that unless the owner has an annual permit, your Bonfire will be at a remote location- not what we had counted on. For the property to be eligible to host a Bonfire, the owner has to purchase an annual permit & have it on file with the County & the Fire Department. David had done that but the Vendor was still having problems getting the permit issued, as they were having trouble locating the annual permit on file. It's a long story about how we were eventually successful in obtaining a permit even though the County stopped answering their phones in the afternoon, but after some persistence, a permit was obtained. Many thanks to David for remaining engaged in the process. So we had a Bonfire that started at sunset, & it was really great fun! We first BBQ'd on the lower deck, which is quite well equipped for this. Then our whole family was out on the beach, making S'mores, telling tales, lighting sparklers, and basking in the glow of the fire and one another's company, and just having a grand ole time! Then we simply walked back up to the house- a 100 ft stroll though the Sugar Sand of Destin. This duplex is big, the rooms were nice, the common areas were great, and the kitchen was well equipped. Master BR upstairs is awesome. 5 Star stay- you'll spend some $ but the memories are Priceless!
