Holiday Surf & Racquet Club

The six-story white and turquoise Holiday Surf and Racquet Club is tucked behind a mechanical gate off the main road and fronted by a large parking lot. The glass-door entrance to the hotel is located under a large turquoise overhang and flanked by a painted metal bench and large potted plants. The lobby is fresh with tangerine accent walls and a seating area with a deep blue carpet and cushioned wicker sofas and chairs. Aside from the updated lobby and rooms, the property at large still feels like an early 80s beachfront retirement home turned hotel; expect pale colors, some dated furniture, shuffleboard courts, stucco walls, exceptional ADA-accessibility, and bland architecture. To the Holiday Surf's credit, nearby condo-hotel the Islander is even more dated. The slight Golden Girls vibe is really just par for the course (this is Florida after all!) and most guests are here for the comfortable rooms and easy access to the hotel's backyard beach. By traveling down a long wooden boardwalk, past the pool and tennis courts, guests can have their toes in sugar-soft sand within mere minutes.

Off a typical Floridian condo-filled main drag lined with palm trees, the Holiday Surf & Raquet Club has direct beach access via a wooden boardwalk at the back of the property. However, within a five- to 15-minute drive out its front parking lot, guests will find a slew of chain restaurants, shops and some of the area's best attractions. Nearby family fun includes the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Track Family Recreation Center, Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park, and the Emerald Coast Science Center. Guests can stock up on provisions and sunblock at Target, just a five-minute drive away.

Because each of Holiday Surf & Racquet Club's units are individually owned, some of the one- and two-bedroom units are nicely remodeled with updated appliances and decor, while others may serve as reminders of styles past. Refurbished units may include featured like mirrored walls in the bedrooms and living rooms, and marble-lacquered dressers, headboards, and bedside tables in the bedrooms. Living rooms feature traditional overstuffed couches and armchairs, as well as heavy wood dining tables. Check the individual units online before booking. All beach-facing units come with a screened-in porch to keep the bugs out, but only views on higher floors actually reach the beach (lower rooms provide peeps of the pool and tennis courts). Rooms also have full kitchens, separate living rooms, bedrooms (with flat-screen TVs in living rooms and the one or two bedrooms), and bathrooms. Bathrooms have shower/tub combos, towels, and ironing equipment, but no toiletries. The best beach views can be found on the outer edges of the hotel's "V" shape, but are farther from the elevators. The one-bedroom option is nice for couples; nearby Islander only has two-bedroom units available.

With two lighted beach-side tennis courts, dueling shuffleboard courts, male and female dry saunas, two heated pools, a small fitness room, event space, and special activities for kids, the Holiday Surf and Racquet Club can successfully keep guests active and entertained. Although beach access is year-round, two beach chairs and one umbrella are reserved for each unit between March and October. While the Holiday Surf may not have the two hot tubs and large poolside pavilion with multiple barbecues found at the nearby Islander condos, it does have an oddly placed area off the pool with basic grills and seating. Firework viewing takes place on Thursday nights. The hotel does not provides daily cleaning service, but a twice-weekly linen exchange is offered (the Islander, by comparison, offers laundry exchange three times a week in season).