Only Gulf Front Timeshare in Destin Florida Area

This is a long, but insightful read. But if you are like my good friend who prefers shorter messages, you can skip way down to the bold print now for the main message. The rest is justification. You’ll have a better read if you continue with the next paragraph. All my information is thought to be accurate as of late 2025. Please verify if you wish.

This is a different type of sales approach than you will ever see. Be forewarned, it is about timeshares, and ultimately, about a specific timeshare. The double mention of that word will already be enough to end this reading for many of you. You are urged to continue, even if just as a curiosity.

This document will NOT promote typical benefits used to sell a timeshare. They are irrelevant to this message.

This conversation WILL talk about families and creating guaranteed time with your family, or even an important break for yourself. It will talk about picking a vacation spot you enjoy and setting up a lifetime of memories for you, you and your partner, you and your kids, or your entire family. It will also talk about how you can create new memories with new friends, who share the same time as you at your favorite get away location. This is an offer to choose a path to improve the lives of your spouse, your kids and you… and maybe some friends along the way.

I am not a broker. I am just an older husband, dad and grandfather who has been blessed to have stumbled upon this life changing path early in my married life. This is our story.

Forty-three years ago, my wife and I viewed what was then a new concept, a week vacation, annually, in perpetuity if we chose, for our favorite vacation spot in Destin, Florida. We paid a large sum of money for us at the time, $5,700 ($19,000 in 2026 dollars), for a two-bedroom unit which was in a beachfront resort. Annual fees for our resort’s staff employees, operational expense and furniture upgrades, were consistent with the rental costs of hotels with far less to offer.

The resort had been updated, converted and expanded as a timeshare resort from an existing Holiday Inn. The Holiday Inn had been built about fifteen years before. Though we were told we could “trade” it for exotic locations around the world by joining something called RCI, we knew our annual vacations would most always be in Destin at Holiday Beach Resort (HBR). The first year, we treated our family to a combined vacation with us and a resort next door. It was my parents’ 40th anniversary. The second year, we invited friends to share our two-bedroom unit Our two kids slept on the living room sofa.

This pattern continued, year after year, with different friends sharing our unit and sharing our joy of vacationing in Destin. Over those wonderful years, our family memories grew from those trips. Then our friends began buying units as well. We developed friendships with others in the same week and looked forward to seeing them each year as well. Our new enlarged “family” of friends and relatives mushroomed. After four decades, we are now around 50 people annually who are part of our St. Louis contingent. These are now lifelong friends who were planted as seeds in their first visit with us in Destin. Their family memories meshed with ours. Many of our kids grew up together, either in that friendship, or came in later.

The unspoken value of timeshares, for those keeping them, is the original prices were so exorbitant that people felt they HAD to take vacations to justify the investment. But when they looked back negatively on that high purchase price, the negativity may have prevented them from fully enjoying what they had. Even if they used it annually, the focus may have been more on a perceived waste of money, than the real benefit to their kids. The kids were getting time with their parent or Mom and Dad EVERY year on a trip. These were trips their kids would remember taking for their entire adult lives. Time is precious in itself, but far more precious to your family and those you love.

My wife and I attended a timeshare presentation about 15 years ago and the woman giving the sales presentation focused only on the value of the property, the expensive furniture, the huge ownership company and the great discount they could offer IF you bought on that day. When she had finished, I just smiled at her and said “You are missing the most important reason to buy a timeshare. You create a guaranteed annual family memory for you and your kids and even their grand-kids to remember someday. You create a reason for parents NOT to say they are too busy for a vacation this year, or there isn’t enough money for a trip this year. Those “non vacation” years then become the norm and children grow up never having taken a trip with Mom and Dad. THAT’S the real benefit of timeshares”. The saleswoman immediately, and certainly unexpectedly, started to cry uncontrollably. “That was MY Dad, who was MY life. Dad was always too busy for vacations! I have no memories of those special times with my family on vacations together! You are exactly right!”

I’m guessing she’s not alone. America today, and 40 years ago, always seems too busy to smell the roses and take time away from home for themselves, their spouse, friends or family. Looking back at our 41 years at our wonderful resort, I regret nothing about our trips. The phrase “We should have stayed home this year” is never on the conversation map.

If you are a young single individual, start this annual respite for yourself now. Build these times of deep breaths into your life. If you are a young family, strongly consider beginning a forever memory tradition that hopefully will extend to your grandchildren and beyond. It will be your greatest gift to those in your family yet unborn! If you are older with children, and they don’t vacation annually, consider a gift to them to start this tradition as your legacy. Heck, even set aside the first five or ten years of annual maintenance fees for them to ensure they have no reason for financial brick walls to get in the way.

ANY favorite location will work. For us, it was the beach. One of our foster kids, when first introduced to the spacious blue/green Gulf waters and incredibly white beach, just broke down and cried at what she saw and never thought she would experience. As you sit on the beach, you can experience the fresh, distinctive smell of the sea, the soft velvet touch of the sand, the sound of the breaking waves and the peace it brings, the sight of the beautiful ocean and framing sky and the taste of the salt air. Very few locations in life offer that restful 5 sense effect.

IF you choose the beach, and Destin is a potential location, consider our resort, at Destin Holiday Beach Resort (HBR), the ONLY timeshare resort with beachfront ownership in Destin. Though you could find more high rise luxurious accommodations elsewhere, either next door or down the road, there is NO LOCATION in Destin more affordable for the amount of space you have on the beach! Our beach is 500 feet wide. We have 98 living units at our property. Contrast that with the 19-story high-rise next door and their 16-story sister resort behind it. Over four hundred units in those two buildings must share 250 feet of beach. Do the math. Our reserved beach is, without doubt, the highest amount of beachfront per owner, other than the 3.5-million-dollar single family homes down the beach. Nobody is even close. Most beachfront condominiums are approaching half million dollar minimums in Destin.

A recent trip down three paths of Artificial Intelligence sources (ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Grok) resulted in the following results in October 2025. To the query “What is the best value located directly on the beach in Destin, Florida?”, it gave this result: Holiday Beach Resort. If you query the same question, you may get a different answer, but Holiday Beach will be among the front runners. Why? We certainly aren’t the fanciest. We certainly aren’t the newest. We certainly don’t have the biggest budget. What do we have?

Here’s a typical week. Our weeks start on Saturday afternoons, with checkin at 3 or 4pm. There are no activities on Saturday or Sunday, only the amenities. These include: Two outdoor pools, BBQ pts (gas or briquette), two Tennis courts (Pickleball option), Horseshoe pits, Shuffleboard, Volleyball net, Ping Pong, Pinball Machines, Pool Table, two Hot Tubs, Basketball Hoop and Putting Green.

Then on Monday evening is the weekly Owner and Guest Welcome Dinner with veggies, Meat Balls, Shrimp and Chicken Tenders, along with free beverages, all at no cost to you during your stay.

On Tuesdays, there is a hot dog and/or nacho lunch for a fee of around $3 each. Sodas are $1.50. The hot dog or nacho choice also has toppings of cheese (nachos) or chili or sauerkraut, included in price. This is from noon to 1pm. Tuesday morning has a weekly Ping Pong competition at 2pm for anyone wanting to play. Prizes offered for first three places,]

Wednesday there is a free breakfast provided to everyone who chooses, including waffles, Danish, cereal, Biscuits and gravy, fruits, coffee and juice. (Coffee provided free daily in the Tiki Lounge where the hot dog/nachos are served). THEN in the afternoon, is the Ice Cream Extravaganza, with scoops of vanilla or chocolate ice cream at 50 cents per scoop with free toppings of chocolate, strawberry, butterscotch and additional oreo and crushed peanuts… and not complete until the whipped topping and maraschino cherry! Also in afternoon is the weekly Bingo games, with five games all offering prizes without any entry fee.

Thursday is another Hot dog/Nacho day at noon. That ends the week’s organized activities. Whew!

AND, if your family still needs more to do, the best water park in the entire region, Big Kahuna, is directly across the street!

So… How much do our units cost? It depends upon the season, but if staying during temperatures in 70’s, that’s from March until November. Those selling prices can be as low as $2000 for a Studio or 1 Bedroom, $3500 for a 2 Bedroom or $5000 for a 3 Bedroom. The associated annual maintenance fees this year were about $1000 for Studios, and under $1500 for the bigger units. Square footage ranges from 432 for the Studio units, to 624 for the 1 Bedrooms, 841 for the 2 Bedroom units and 1240 for the 3 Bedroom, 2 bath units. The price in this advertisement is for a Gulf Front Studio. Note: The third bedroom in 3BR units is very small with a bunk bed. These prices are typically WAY below beachfront rental rates in summer, but still under in the off summer months. That’s a 7 night equivalent of $130/night for a Studio or $215/night for a three bedroom. Right on the beach with many amenities! The fees do rise annually, but at increases which mirror local rental rates. There are studio units, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units available for purchase, though not all types of units for every week. We just have a few of our own units to sell. All units have beachfront access but, with few exceptions, only Studios and 3 bedrooms have beach or Gulf view. Though all units originally had beach views, the giant high rise built to the west, next door, in late 90’s changed that. But ALL units, regardless of view have the access to our unique beach, which allows for a greater space per person than any other resort on the beach, with the exception of a relative few ranging from $500,000 per condo to more than $5 million!

The only vacant property for sale on the beach, at the time of this writing, is $5 million for a 50 foot wide lot. Ours is 500 feet and 9+ acres. With only 5000 owners (98 units and 52 weeks of owners), our owners possess glorious beach space! The developer is no longer involved. It is completely owned in part by each of our owners.

We are also adjacent to the history of Destin. The first commercial resort on the beach here was Riviera on the Gulf in the early 50’s. That resort was where the resort next to us sits today. We are anchored in Destin history.

Are your kids in school in the off-season spring, fall and winter months? Are you afraid to have them miss a week? Over the years, we spoke with all our children’s teachers about our annual late October trips. Almost without exception, memory making time with family ALWAYS trumped a week of school. Teachers were more than happy to provide assignments for study during the trip. Our kids would look back and highly value that choice from their youth. Everyone is different on this view, however, but in the end, each parent will make the right decision. MOST teachers will support a vacation option for your kids.

A substantial number of owners at Destin Holiday Beach Resort (HBR) purchased their units in the initial years from 1980 through 1983. THOSE are the ones who have raised their families and raised their memories there, year after year after year. Many of their grandchildren are now owners and continuing that magic they started back then. Four generations exist in ownership and attendance.

Here again are the many available amenities, contributing to our happy ownership group at Holiday Beach Resort.

Free Welcome dinner for all on Monday Weekly Ping Pong Tourney Weekly Bingo Game Artificial Putting Green Basketball Goal. Horseshoe Pit. Fitness Room Two Swimming Pools. Two Hot Tubs Sand Volleyball Area Gas BBQ Areas Tennis Courts with Pickleball lines Incredibly Spacious Beach 50 cent/scoop Ice Cream Day Cheap Hot Dog, Chili topped, Nachos Tu/Th Big Kahuna across street (summer only) Card Decks: Front Desk. Game Room (Pinball, Pool Table, Air Hockey) Full Kitchens Ice Machine Shuffleboard Courts
In November of 2023, my wife and I celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary with 80 of our friends from over the years, at… where else? In Destin. The friends who were already there in our annual week were joined by many others from around the country. Some were in Destin for the first time, others, most others, had visited with us as guests in the past. It was the best week of our lives. How many of these folks would have been our friends without Destin as the common thread? Destin represents a considerable number, we’re sure.
Do yourself a favor and consider a timeshare future unless you have enough money to buy a second home. But even if you do have the money, consider the exceptionally low annual “maintenance” option of a single week ownership (or two) at a wonderful place that does all the work for you, awaiting your annual visit to our wonderful resort.
Also remember, as parents, you only have fifteen foundation years to vacation with your kids. Once you lose those, you can never fully recover them. You can try to make them up, but real childhood memories can never be recaptured. Start now if you can or DO what you can to help your children start creating vacation time for THEIR children. Let that be your recapture gift to them.
We hope this reflection upon our family’s history will make a difference for you and/or your family. I should mention that both my wife and I came from families of annual vacations to Destin, which made our choice and tradition a bit more of an easy transition. It also reflects how your decisions today can affect your grandkids, maybe yet unborn.
As I write this, we are with our daughter who lives in Slovenia. She offered this favorite quote from her husband: “The best time to have done this was fifteen years ago. The second-best time is right now. Strongly consider this advice. A week from now, this will be a consideration. A month from now, maybe a thought. A year from now, forgotten, and another year not recoverable as a family memory vacation.
If interested in pursuing a purchase at Holiday Beach Resort in Destin, contact me personally and I will answer questions. We have 2 studios, 2 one bedroom units, a two bedroom and a three bedroom unit in Week 44. That week, at end of October or beginning of November has had only 4 days in eleven years where the high temperature was as low as 68 degrees. High seventies and low eighties are the norm.
Even if this long history of our family’s vacation has not persuaded you to join us in Week 44 in Destin, perhaps it has made you consider annual vacations for your family’s future? That would be awesome!
Thanks for the long read and best wishes to you!
Ron Gaus (rgaus15496@gmail.com)

THE NOT SO FINE PRINT! Please read! As part of offering these units, we are required to post these additional paragraphs.

If there is an interest in purchasing one of our Holiday Beach Resort Properties, the sale must proceed through a licensed broker at the resort, who we will pay as part of the sale.

Florida law regulates consumer-to-consumer timeshare resales. Specifically, s. 721.065, Fla. Stat. provides as follows:

721.065 Resale purchase agreements.—
(1) An owner who acquires a timeshare interest for her or his own use and occupancy and later offers it for resale, or any agent of such person, must utilize a resale purchase agreement which complies with the provisions of subsection (2) to effectuate any resale of the timeshare interest. A managing entity, not otherwise a developer, that sells, or engages a third party to sell on its behalf, 50 or fewer timeshare interests in the timeshare plan which it manages in a given calendar year to persons who are not existing purchasers of that timeshare plan may also use a resale purchase agreement which complies with subsection (2) in lieu of complying with the provisions of ss. 721.06-721.12 and 721.20. A managing entity, not otherwise a developer, that sells, or engages a third party to sell on its behalf, timeshare interests in the timeshare plan which it manages to persons who are existing purchasers of that timeshare plan may also use a resale purchase agreement in compliance with subsection (2) in lieu of complying with the provisions of ss. 721.06-721.12 and 721.20. For purposes of this subsection, a rebuttable presumption shall exist that an owner who has acquired more than seven timeshare interests did not acquire them for her or his own use and occupancy.
(2) Any resale purchase agreement utilized by a person described in subsection (1) must contain all of the following:
(a) The name and address of the timeshare plan and of the managing entity of the timeshare plan.
(b) One of the following statements in conspicuous type located immediately prior to the disclosure required by paragraph (c):
1. If the resale purchase agreement pertains to a real property timeshare plan:
The current year’s assessment for common expenses allocable to the timeshare interest you are purchasing is $ . This assessment, which may be increased from time to time by the managing entity of the timeshare plan, is payable in full each year on or before . This assessment (includes/does not include) yearly ad valorem real estate taxes, which (are/are not) billed and collected separately. (If ad valorem real property taxes are not included in the current year’s assessment for common expenses, the following statement must be included: The most recent annual assessment for ad valorem real estate taxes for the timeshare interest you are purchasing is $ .) (If there are any delinquent assessments for common expenses or ad valorem taxes outstanding with respect to the timeshare interest in question, the following statement must be included: A delinquency in the amount of $ for unpaid common expenses or ad valorem taxes currently exists with respect to the timeshare interest you are purchasing, together with a per diem charge of $ for interest and late charges.) For the purpose of ad valorem assessment, taxation, and special assessments, the managing entity will be considered the taxpayer as your agent pursuant to section 192.037, Florida Statutes. Each owner is personally liable for the payment of her or his assessments for common expenses, and failure to timely pay these assessments may result in restriction or loss of your use and/or ownership rights.
There are many important documents relating to the timeshare plan which you should review prior to purchasing a timeshare interest, including the declaration of condominium or covenants and restrictions; the owners’ association articles and bylaws; the current year’s operating and reserve budgets; and any rules and regulations affecting the use of timeshare plan accommodations and facilities.
2. If the resale purchase agreement pertains to a personal property timeshare plan:
The current year’s assessment for any common expenses, use charges, fees, or taxes allocable to the timeshare interest you are purchasing is $ . This assessment, which may be increased from time to time by the managing entity of the timeshare plan, is payable in full each year on or before . (If there are any delinquent assessments for common expenses, use charges, fees, or taxes outstanding with respect to the timeshare interest in question, the following statement must be included: A delinquency in the amount of $ for unpaid common expenses, use charges, fees, or taxes currently exists with respect to the timeshare interest you are purchasing, together with a per diem charge of $ for interest and late charges.) Each owner is personally liable for the payment of her or his assessments for common expenses, and failure to timely pay these assessments may result in restriction or loss of your use and/or ownership rights.
There are many important documents relating to the timeshare plan which you should review prior to purchasing a timeshare interest, including any owners’ association articles and bylaws; the current year’s operating and reserve budgets; and any rules and regulations affecting the use of timeshare plan accommodations and facilities.
(c) The following statement in conspicuous type located immediately prior to the space in the contract reserved for the signature of the purchaser:
You may cancel this contract without any penalty or obligation within 10 days after the date you sign this contract. If you decide to cancel this contract, you must notify the seller in writing of your intent to cancel. Your notice of cancellation shall be effective upon the date sent and shall be sent to the seller at (address) . Any attempt to obtain a waiver of your cancellation right is void and of no effect. While you may execute all closing documents in advance, the closing, as evidenced by delivery of the deed or other document, before expiration of your 10-day cancellation period, is prohibited.
(d) The year in which the purchaser will first be entitled to occupancy of a timeshare period associated with the timeshare interest that is the subject of the resale purchase agreement.
(3) If a resale purchase agreement utilized by a person described in subsection (1) does not comply with the provisions of subsection (2), the contract shall be voidable at the option of the purchaser for a period of 1 year after the date of closing