1214 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States | (888) 616-5829
Adjacent to the Emerald Coast Conference Center
10-minute walk to the beach
Well-maintained rooms with comfortable beds and big TVs
Free buffet breakfast with waffle machine
Outdoor pool with lounge chairs
Smoking rooms available (a con for some)
Free Wi-Fi and wired Internet
Lacks direct beach access
On a busy thoroughfare with other hotels and strip clubs
Rooms lack balconies and have some maintenance issues
Elevator is small and slow
The 59-room Emerald Coast
Inn & Suites offers few frills, but is a solid choice for
budget-conscious tourists and business travelers interested in exploring the Fort
Walton Beach area. From the outside, the hotel looks dated and rundown, but the guest rooms and common areas are bright, clean, comfortable, and up-to-date.
Conveniently situated next to the Emerald Coast Conference Center, the
hotel lacks direct beach access, but public beaches are a short walk from the
property.
Scene
Simple budget property with dated exteriors and surprisingly fresh interiors
The Emerald Coast provides a comfortable, unassuming, budget-friendly place to sleep between beach excursions, sightseeing, and nature walks. The hotel's location next to a conference center makes it a good option for business travelers with limited budgets. However, from the outside the motel looks long past its prime. Landscaping is limited to a few trees and bushes and the building is surrounded by a vast expanse of parking lot, right off a busy main thoroughfare. The outdoor pool is medium-size, framed by a
concrete deck and an array of rattan lounge chairs, but there is no shade, and
traffic whizzes past mere feet away, just beyond a metal security fence, making
total relaxation impossible. Still, the interiors are clean and spacious, and look modern aside from the drop ceilings. There's a large, beautiful aquarium by the
breakfast buffet area and colors and decor echo the
fish tank; shiny blues and greens predominate, with the
occasional pop of orange in an ottoman or throw pillow.
Location
Between Destin and Fort Walton Beach, walking distance to beaches, shops, and restaurants
The Emerald Coast Inn and Suites is located
on Florida's Okaloosa Island, between Destin and Fort Walton Beach. It sits
directly on Highway 98, the area’s main thoroughfare, which gets heavy traffic during peak season. The surrounding area is filled with other similar hotels along with restaurants and
strip clubs. The Emerald Coast Conference Center is next door, while Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is a five-minute walk away. The beaches, shops, and restaurants of Fort
Walton Beach take 10 minutes to reach on foot. The hotel is near a park with a boat ramp and four regional
airports are located within an hour’s drive.
Rooms
Simple, colorful, and clean smoking and non-smoking rooms with basic bathrooms and comfortable beds
Rooms at the Emerald Coast Inn and Suites
are clean and fresh-smelling, with comfortable beds and 40-inch flat-screen
TVs with HBO. The decor is basic, but colorful, with wall-to-wall
carpeting and bright-green accent walls. However, windows are on the small side and there are no balconies. Amenities include mini-fridges, microwaves, and safes, but there are no closets, just exposed clothing racks.Bathrooms are unremarkable but clean, with shower/tub combos; some rooms have double whirlpool tubs. Smoking and
non-smoking rooms are available, with smoking rooms on the lower floors. Higher
floors are quieter and have better views. Some rooms have the occasional maintenance issue.
Features
Outdoor pool and sundeck, free breakfast buffet, laundry, business center, and free Internet
Although the hotel has a small outdoor pool, it sits on a bleak concrete sun deck lined with rattan lounge chairs, right off a busy road. A free breakfast buffet, including machine-made
waffles, is offered in the lobby each morning, while hot coffee and tea are available all day long. There's also a small business center, and free Wi-fi
throughout the property (wired Internet is available in the rooms). Other features include a coin-operated laundry room and several vending machines; parking is free and plentiful.