House, Multiple Beds (Deluxe Room) | Beach | Private beach, white sand, sun loungers, beach umbrellas
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Reviews of Sterling Sands 

2.5 out of 5
Sterling Sands 
1080 Highway 98 East, Destin, FL

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 46 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 20 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 15 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 84 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

4.0/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

John

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Nice room.
Room was really nice. Very clean and a nice view. Only problem was the the fridge and icemaker combo did not work. Had to bring ice up every day just to have cold drinks. Over all, very nice..
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Disliked: Amenities
It was just an old condo. I was more worried I would be charged for the things that were broken or missing, such as the track lighting in the living room and the bathroom toilet paper holder. The balcony was dirty. Someone before us smoked out there and left cigarette butts on the ground.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Justin, Texas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My family and I really enjoyed our stay at Sterling sands, the property was very nice along with view of the ocean. The only down fall was that the elevator on our side was not working which made it a little difficult at times to leave and come back to our property, other than that everything was great.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Kathy

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spacious, close to the beach. We loved our stay! I would have no problem at all recommending Sterling Sands to others.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in May 2018

8/10 Good

Scott, Atlanta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great place, but management is out of touch.
My main gripe is the beach and umbrellas. I called ahead and was told NO umbrellas, you have to use the rental company. The issue? The rental company closes and takes their umbrellas back at 5pm when it is still 95* and the sun is still bearing down. The rental company mentioned we were welcome to set up our own umbrellas, too bad I was told not to bring one because it wasn't allowed! I went to the front desk and they confirmed the rental company was correct. You can set up an umbrella as long as it is behind the row of rental umbrellas. Again, that's great if I wasn't 300 miles from home where I left my umbrellas. Whoever is answering the phones at the main line needs a clearer understanding of what is or is not allowed on their own section of the beach. Knowing ahead of time I could have saved 30$ a day by bringing my own chairs and umbrellas would have been great!

6/10 Okay

anita

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Room with a view
The hotel was actually good, even though I have stayed in better. I liked the full kitchen and the living room. The carpet was stained and the kitchen small appliances need to be replaced. The bathrooms were small and there wasn't much room to store luggage or hang clothes. But the view of the beach was perfect. All of the rooms had a view. I would stay here again.

6/10 Okay

Dr. Allen L, Lexington

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great view, sunny with breeze, but dirty!
No problems except cleanliness. Carpets and slip overs on living room furniture were very dirty. Carpet look like it had been cleaned installed several years ago!

6/10 Okay

Lance, KANSAS CITY

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
This was the second time that I have spent a week in that condo. I was very disappointed that the rooms were not available earlier. I also had to pay 81.60 after taxes to get into the room earlier, otherwise I would have to wait until after 4. This got me into the room at 11. This is very difficult after a 1,000 mile drive with a cranky wife and a 2 year old. The check in time that I got in an email said it would be available at 7. This was disappointing to say the least. When I got into the room the cable didn't work but they got a man to come fix it quickly. Then on my last day there somebody was drilling or something in the room above me. It was rather annoying so we just left the room. Overall I like the rooms themselves, and I understand people make mistakes. I would stay there again, but hopefully next time there will be no annoyances.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Sterling Sands
Unimpressed , lacKS information and people could care less

10/10 Excellent

Ashley C.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Family trip
Had a great stay! Close to everything. Would stay again.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My experience was great. Will definitely go back.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awful
The lady at the front desk was rude about checking us in. The bed felt dirty and uncomfortable that we couldn't sleep. The room needs to be updated. The toilets were dirty when we got there. It just wasn't cleaned properly. I'm upset we didn't get to fully enjoy our vacation.

10/10 Excellent

Julie, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Got lucky and had a renovated condo.
We rented several condos for our family for our wedding. 2 of the condos needed updating. Fresh paint and new carpet would make them nicer. Our room was freshly repainted and fixed up. I was embarrassed of 2 of them. They looked like an old smelly apartment. All the condos have a beachfront view. I would recommend this place but be sure to get one that is fixed up. I would have insisted on changing rooms if I got one like my parents.

10/10 Excellent

Cristy L.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Extremely happy with the condo and location.
It was one of the best deals on a condo for the quality and location. It was perfect.

10/10 Excellent

Chasity

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

SyrNY

Disliked: Cleanliness
First Trip To Destin
Location of Sterling Sands was great. The room had a great view, not too fancy, but comfortable. There was an odor coming from near the couch on the floor, told the desk but no one came to clean it. We didn't spend that much time in the room so no big deal.

10/10 Excellent

Jan, Frisco, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
I am writing a review because I read reviews before choosing a place. Like another review said, I was worried about the room being outdated, but it was not! It was great place to stay. It is a great location. We stayed in room 206 which is still up enough for view and short elevator ride. We would sometimes take the stairs. I would stay here again.

8/10 Good

Amanda, New Orleans

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great condo on the beach!
Friendly helpful staff. Called when room was ready for an early check-in. Accommodated parking passes for our cars. Ice machine at the pool was very convenient and reasonably priced. Rooms were clean and stocked with essential appliances. Stackable washer and dryers were very small so bring extra detergent to do more loads than you expect.

8/10 Good

Gordon, Houston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Second Trip to Sterling Sands This Year
First stay @ Sterling Sands was March of this year, and my wife and I rated it a "perfect 10". The second visit was probably an 8....... only complaints would be status of condo......not enough flatware or dishware without washing dishes daily and it absolutely should have bunk beds in second bedroom instead of thin, worn, double mattress with no springs. Also, there was inadequate storage space in second BR- layout could have been arranged better........Summer traffic was WAY-LOT worse than March's, but, hey, that can't be helped! All-in-all, the sugar-white sand & spectacular turquoise water of Destin covers the few downsides of this trip.......visitors at Sterling Sands got'ta visit The Back Porch. All it takes is an easy, pleasant walk on the beach, an hour+ wait and a few bucks for a great evening there- really good food & service........on balance, we're looking forward to Destin visit # 3 at Sterling Sands.

10/10 Excellent

Lisa, Newburgh, IN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome Family Vacation
Awesome family trip :) ) ) highly recommend this condo rental!!! Worth every penny....

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Michael, Pensacola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Only 8 strories high but great location
Great condo on the beach

6/10 Okay

karen, Buford, GA

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, just OK rooms
The three BD three bath unit was in a great location. Plenty of parking and the pool was in great shape. The unit we got was dated and had several issues that the staff tried to resolve. The TV broke in the living room, the jacuzzi tub didn't work, and 1/3 of the slates were missing from the vertical blinds in one of the bedrooms. Also, it took 6-8 hours for the refrigerator to cool down when we arrived. For $600 a night I expected better.

10/10 Excellent

Beverly, Texas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Making Family Memories
Beds were comfortable. Beach was SO easy to access. View was absolutely stunning, loved sitting out there drinking coffee and eating breakfast.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice room, upgrades needed
Stayed at the Sterling Sands and enjoyed the expirience. Overall location was great. The only real down fall of the trip was the condo was in need of some renovations. Carpet was seeming up and coming undone near bathrooms. Bathrooms had mold near fixtures and the shower curtains needed replaced. I would recommend this hotel just beware of the out dated experience.

10/10 Excellent

Piranha, leeds al

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Great trip
The condo was great, the view was beautiful. The only issue was the rooms cleanliness.

10/10 Excellent

Gordon, Houston, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Celebration of 35th anniversary
My wife and I stayed in #504 @ Sterling Sands. Condo was very well appointed, equipped & maintained. We couldn't have asked for better accommodations or location in Destin.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
our stay on the b each
it was a great stay ... would have preferred two full bedrooms ... one of ours was a bunk bed style ... otherwise everything was great

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy access between pool and beach
I really enjoyed being able to go back and forth between the beach and the pool. The pool and hot tub were well maintained and the hot tub was at a good hot temp. I would stay there again. It was very comfortable.

4/10 Poor

Cindy, little rock ar.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
poor ownership
I don't blame the hotel management for the condo condition. I blame the owner for not keeping the condo up. The pictures on line are deceiving. You don't get the room you look at. So that's the first surprise. The room was dirty. Couldn't use the spa tub cause there was mold around the jets. The walls were discolored. The furniture was dingy feeling and ripped. We had to put blankets over the furniture, so we could sit. There were nails from the strip in the doorway of the kids bedroom. Where my daughter cut her foot on, from the nail sticking out. The shower sliding door in the kids bathroom was messed up and shattered on my daughter as she was getting in the shower. We did report the issues and each time it took maintenance nearly 1 hr to 2 to get the things fixed. The hotel grounds and pool were not up to participate like they should have been. I ran my own travel business for years and I would not recommend this hotel or the room #404 to anyone. The owners should inspect there condos each time before they rent them out. I can tell you that this hotel is NOT worth the $1500 I paid for the 4 nights. My family and I would have moved to another resort if we could have gotten a refund. We travel to Florida every summer.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Close to beach/ Rude staff
Booked this for the beach access, was very pleased. Beds comfortable, nice tv in living room and both bedrooms, DVD player in living room, kitchen was nice, newer appliances, furniture was outdated and couch was very uncomfortable. Some simple touch ups could be made to make room nicer, towel rack in bathroom fell off, the toilet paper holders came apart when changing the roll, shower curtain was falling off, the doors covering the washer/dryer were broken... Staff called about 2 hours before check in, we were at beach so I didn't have phone on me. When I called back they were very rude, said our room ready and was there was anyway we could be there in the next 15 minutes. When we got there to check in there were 3 staff at desk and not a single one acknowledged me when I came. I said I was checking in and stood there for several minutes before some one asked if they could help me. There is no excuse for the way the staff presented themselves.

10/10 Excellent

Nora, Oshkosh, WI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic location - on the ocean!
Great location, right on the ocean. Large balcony with views of the Gulf and the pool below. Large clean rooms stocked with all the amenities of home. Great dining options & Wal-Mart very close to condo a plus.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy Time
Being the first time staying here and a condo type resort, and going in blind, my Wife and I and other couple we shared with were very happy with the overall experience. We would definitely stay there again.

10/10 Excellent

Jon, Houston, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy access to beach, convenient outdoor showers
Was there on a family vacation and everything met our needs

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great time will come back.

10/10 Excellent

Charles, Knoxville, TN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect
The condo was great. We had everything we needed. Stayed in a two bedroom nautilus. The second bedroom was small, but we new that before we got there and it worked out fine. The girls said the bunks were surprisingly comfortable. Everything was in working order except maybe a light bulb or two. Would recommend to a friend.

8/10 Good

meggymic

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
wonderful trip!
The room was very clean and big. The view was amazing. My only complaint was that the Jacuzzi tub didn't work. We will definately be coming back!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay was great. The furniture was a little outdated, but when you are not in the room any more than we were, it was fine.

10/10 Excellent

Brenda & Tim Chandler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sterling Sands is an extremely nice place. The beach was beautiful, and the hotel is very close to many nice restaurants. We enjoyed our stay very much!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Vacation Destination
We were very pleased with our stay! Great location, right on the beach. If you are vacationing with kids, you can't beat the layout and ease of getting your kids and all their STUFF to the beach or pool. We will definitely stay here again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

6/10 Okay

Kay

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Good location
Condo was nice but one I stayed in needs refurbishing. Furniture dirty as is carpet Had key pad to get in but kept getting locked out and office closed. When I arrived I couldnt check In early, which was ok but should have been asked to go ahead and use beach or pool Thought person at front desk needs to work on customer service skills.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel close to the beach and great location!!
We enjoyed our stay here. The room was clean and attractive. The beds were comfortable. The balcony directly overlooks the beach and the gulf. I would recommend this condo to anyone with children or teenagers. The kids loved the bunk beds! The beach service was impeccable and the pool was nice and clean.

10/10 Excellent

Carolina, Texas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good
Most definitely would stay here again

10/10 Excellent

Mario, Houston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place
Great place to stay will do it again.

8/10 Good

Bob, AL

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Excellent Location - Excellent Room - Poor Service
Loved the condo....excellent location...beach services are awesome! Unfortunately we were vacationing with another family and this place double-booked their room so they were forced to go to another condo. They were told by Sterling Sands that they could "take it or leave it". As a former VP of Customer Support I can tell you first hand that this is sub-par service at best. Our family may consider staying here again but not with another group.

10/10 Excellent

JJ, South Carolina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Future Return Customers!
First time visiting Destin, late July 2013. Selected this property mostly due to group size (orig 5 adults). Rented 3 bdrm/3 full bath-it was AWESOME! My understanding all 3 bdrms are corner units w/wrap around balconies (this was). Great breeze/views of the beach/pool. We had 4 adults & NEVER felt cramped-very spacious. Full size kitchen w/every dish & utensil you could possibly imagine, bar area, spacious LR & dining areas. Walk-in closets, master bath had jacuzzi tub, glass shower-plenty of space. Condo also had tons of storage space for our things in kitchen, LR and bedrooms. Very welcoming and allowed us to make it feel like our own. Resort appeared to be booked but never felt crowded. Pretty even mix of adult groups, families w/teens, & families w/young children. Very friendly & helpful office staff. Great location: 10 min drive to marina area (Fisherman's Wharf) w/a good variety of restaurants on the way. Across the street go-carts, mini-golf, & other family activities. 5 min drive to WalMart if you forget something/need groceries. Advice: if wanting to rent beach umbrella (comes w/2 chairs), they start putting out early am. Get down there & pay/reserve it early because they go quickly (they put a tag w/your name on umbrella). We reserved around 9am, came back to condo, ate breakfast, then headed down. Sand is so white, like soft powder & never hot to walk on. We are looking to make this an annual family trip!

8/10 Good

Teresa, Alabama

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Good location
The check in time is 3-5 pm not 6. The office is only open 9-5 so if you get here after 5 you have to get a Code to get your unit assignment and temporary key from the lock box that is only good until the next morning. Then you have to waste part of your morning waiting for the office to open to get your key. The location of this property and the units themselves are excellent but the check in process and availability of the office were not very good.