A few months ago Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, Florida, reached out to see if I’d be up for coming down to their resort to preview the property for a girls’ weekend trip. Last week, we made it happen. Y’all, this was a heavenly opportunity to relax from the mental and physical load of life for a few days, and I was so grateful to get to take my best friend of 46 years. (46 years! Crazy, but true.)
First of all, a random weekend in the fall is the perfect time to go to the beach. Leaving Nashville at 6:30 am, it was a quick 3-hour drive to Birmingham where I picked up Katheryn. We arrived in Destin around 3 pm, thanks to a delay for a small-town Alabama high Homecoming parade that shut down the highway. When in Rome, though… We just parked and cheered on the queens, PopWarner teams, and alumni floats going back to the class of 1966. Honestly, we wouldn’t trade it. #memories
If you’re a Nashville-to-Destin regular (like 1,000,000 of you), you’ll find Henderson’s location very appealing. You just hang a right off the big, long bridge coming into 30A, and the resort is immediately on your left. This saves you a good 30-45 minute drive down 30A into the Rosemary Beach area.
After we checked in, we headed to the beach to admire the view and take all the pictures, then back up to the hotel for Flutes et Frites—a champagne and gourmet french-fry pairing that I AM HERE FOR. We spent a bit of time at the pool just steps from the hotel lobby, before going up to The Rooftop for sushi and the sunset. I highly recommend the Dragon Roll. Then, because we’re all about comfort, we headed up to the room, enjoyed the view of the ocean, and watched The Great British Baking Show (with Nigella, gah!) while wearing deliciously soft robes from Laura Ashley that you should definitely treat yourself to.
Saturday was a dream. We slept in, ate the freshest, most amazing Crab Cakes Egg Benedict for breakfast at Primrose Coastal Italian, and then went down to the beach with a new book. I didn’t get much read though, because the water was so perfect. I’ve never been to Destin in the fall, but the water was the perfect temperature, crystal clear. The beaches were uncrowded. Wait staff were delivering blood orange margaritas and lunch to folks in beach chairs. The only change I would make is to request seats in the adult section of the beach. The family near us were playing “Baby Shark” on their speaker, but were considerate and it only lasted a few minutes. FYI: kayaks, paddle boards, and bikes are included in your daily resort fee, so if you’d rather be active than sit and read, you can definitely do that.
After fish tacos and the UT/UT football game by the pool, we got to enjoy Henderson’s Cocktail Lab mixology class. This was a really fun and unusual activity for us, and we loved it. David Lim hosted us, and he really made it a blast with special elements like a smoke bubble machine for our espresso martinis, and he thoughtfully included a zero-proof cocktail to the mix as well.
We followed that with glorious massages at the spa and a dip in the hot tub, then back out to the pool for float through their on-property lazy river before dinner. We finished up the night with calamari and shrimp scampi risotto back at Primrose Coastal Italian.
On Sunday morning, we had the opportunity to take a refreshing yoga class (which we overslept but watched the end of from our balcony) before heading back on the road home. I was back in time for dinner on Sunday, feeling refreshed and ready to take on a very busy week.
One thing we noticed about the resort is that, while we were enjoying a girls’ weekend, there were plenty of families. This is a great destination for multi-generational travel, because the pools and restaurants are so easily accessible. It’s a short walk across the pool decks and a few hundred feet down the street to the boardwalk to the beach. Anyone with average mobility can get there easily, and those without can enjoy the balcony overlooking the water.
If you’re wondering if it’s worth it to try to squeeze in 2 or 3 nights away, I’m here to remind you that it is. It’s hard to change up the routine. I so easily get stuck in the rut of life. But y’all, this weekend was a great reminder to get out there and do the things that seem fun but a lot of work. I’m so grateful to Henderson Beach Resort for my time away with an old friend. Time to go beyond “catching up” and to really reconnect.
If you’re feeling restless for a weekend away, visit Henderson Beach Resort. You won’t regret it.
This is not a paid ad and I do not make commission on their links, however Henderson treated us to a 2-night stay. Amazon affiliate links are included.
