Destin Gated Communities

Posted by Destin Real Estate Sales on Thursday, October 31st, 2013 at 10:42am.

Many Northwest Florida property buyers are attracted to prestigious gated communities in Destin and Miramar Beach. These exclusive beautiful neighborhoods are not only gated, they also have guards that wave a warm welcome to owners who arrive while visitors are stopped before entry passes are issued. Running geographically east to west, they include Sandestin, Emerald Bay, Regatta Bay and Kelly Plantation.



Sandestin in Miramar Beach is the most established having started development as a premier resort community back in the 1970s. This gated community includes 2,400 lushly landscaped acres nestled between the jewel toned Gulf of Mexicoa and the Choctawhatchee Bay. Over thirty different “neighborhoods” have their own styles of architecture and ambiance. They include impressive single family homes, attached townhomes and luxurious condominiums. Sandestin residents enjoy a sugar white beach, four championship golf courses, professional clay tennis courts, fitness facilities, as well as Grand Boulevard and the delightful New Orleans styled Village of Baytowne Wharf - complete with restaurants, bars, retail shops as well as a large marina that harbors yachts. Currently there are 109 single family homes for sale ranging from $209,000 to $3,989,900 with a median list price of $584,000. An additional 183 condominiums are for sale ranging from $75,000 to $1,999,000 with a median list price of $479,000.

Towards the west, Emerald Bay also borders the expansive waters of Choctawhatchee Bay on the north side of Highway 98 and is located half way between Destin and Sandestin. The beautiful entry drive winds in past the gate and meanders around this self contained gated neighborhood which is centered around an eighteen hole championship golf course designed by Bob Cupp. Ponds and inland lagoons border the course and the edges are forested with towering pine trees. The north side is directly on the beautiful bay itself and is home to some of the Florida Panhandle's finest homes, most with a Mediterranean styling. The Emerald Bay Golf Club has private memberships but is also open to the paying public. The stately looking club house that overlooks the course from a raised open patio outdoors includes a  nice pro shop, bar and grill. There are presently only four homes for sale at Emerald Bay priced from $339,000 to $949,000.


Regatta Bay is another Destin gated community that is also centered around an eighteen hole championship golf course that was designed by Robert C. Walker, the former lead architect for the renowned Arnold Palmer. It is also located on the Choctawhatchee close to the Mid Bay Bridge on the north side and just east of Destin Commons off of Highway 98. Quite a few of these exclusive homes face the bay but many others are also waterfront properties located on the dozen ponds and landscaped lakes that decorate the terrain. The architectural styles range from classic Mediterranean to contemporary. The golf course contains 6,894 yards of play for a par of 72. The Regatta Golf Club has received numerous accolades including being named one of Golf Digest's “Top Places to Play in North America”, “Number One Favorite Golf Course in Northwest Florida” by Florida Golf News Magazine and “Best of the Emerald Coast” by EC Magazine. The gorgeous mission tiled, columned club house sits on one of the lakes with a full service bar and restaurant. There is also a golf pro shop on the premises. Golfers are really pampered here with circulating beverage carts, chilled apples available on the first and tenth tees and mango scented chilled towels provided on a hot day. Currently there are nine homes for sale at Regatta Bay listed from $475,000 to $989,900.

Just a short distance away just west of Destin Commons is the Kelly Plantation. This gated community in Destin is named after one of the original land barons of Destin who originally owned these lands, the Kelly Plantation homes are a wide architectural mix including antebellum, Mediterranean, contemporary, colonial and traditional cottage styling. The double fountains at the main gate off Highway 98 provide an exquisite entrance as a boulevard sweeps past the gates and the glossy magnolias nearby. It has very easy access to Destin Commons, the Paradise Key shopping center that contains a Publix Grocery as well as a nearby Fresh Market grocery store, Home Depot and Walmart which are all connected by Commons Drive. This expansive piece of property contains 900 acres that is divided into nine distinct neighborhoods, comprising mostly single family homes but three high rise luxury residential towers called Water Place front part of the bay. These towers and the bay side golf course are one of the first things you see when you arrive in Destin from the North on the Mid Bay Bridge. Most of the property is forested along with pristine marshlands, parks and trails. A peninsula juts out towards the north bordering Jones Bayou and quite a few of the giant estate sized homes on the water have docks for their boats. There are about a dozen inland lagoons and lakes throughout Kelly Plantation which provides a lush setting for the homes that border them. This community is centered on a lovely eighteen hole championship golf course designed by Fred Couples and boasts over 7,000 yards of play along the miles of bay shoreline and inland lakes including one of which that is over seven acres in size. Golf Magazine named the Kelly Plantation Golf Club course as “one of the Emerald Coast's best groomed and most acclaimed layouts.” The columned, antebellum styled club house serves lunches daily and dinners on Thursday nights. It sits on one of the lakes and provides a sensational setting for wedding receptions and other special events. Currently there are forty-two single family homes for sale listed between $457,000 to $6,950,000.

If you are interested in setting an appointment to see any of these prestigious Destin properties be sure to contact one of Ocean Reef's professional real estate consultants to help you with your purchase. Our user friendly website is the perfect place to view these and all other real estate properties along the Emerald Coast.

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