Panhandle Town is Luxurious Yet Quaint

By CHARLES L. MITSAKOS Correspondent

Imagine being able to vacation in Florida and have all the personal touches of a small New England community, along with a great beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We had that opportunity during a recent stay in Rosemary Beach.

Situated on Florida’s Panhandle, between Panama City and Destin, this new town combines community, neighborhood and convenience inspired by beach towns in New England with the shapes and silhouettes of New Orleans and the West Indies. It is a great place to unwind without the hustle and bustle of a large resort.

Following a connecting flight through Atlanta on Air Tran Airways and a short drive, we arrived at Rosemary Beach and the accommodation we would use during our stay. Approximately one-third of the residences are available for rental, ranging from one- or two-bedroom homes and units to luxury five-bedroom houses. A small hotel will open next year.

We stayed in the Pappas Carriage House with its delightful balcony, private bedroom, bath, fully equipped kitchen and dinette and cozy living area. Stella, my interior designer spouse, was impressed by the rooms with high ceilings and would describe the furnishings as similar to what you’d expect to find in historic Charleston or St. Augustine.

I had a difficult time deciding where I would take a swim or do my daily laps: in the Gulf of Mexico or one of the four swimming pools. The nearby wooden sand dune walkover, one of nine, not only protected the fragile dune system and prevented erosion and washout during storms, but also made it most convenient for me to get over the sand dunes and on to the beach that stretched on for as far as my eyes could see. The gulf waters were great to swim in but also, from time to time, on which just to float on my back and gaze at the distinctive architecture of Rosemary Beach between my toes. I swam in the West Indian Barbados Pool, family friendly Cabana Pool and year-round Sky Pool but seemed to return most often to the beach-side Coquina Pool that was all one depth and had no edges.

It was also great to have other recreational opportunities through bicycle, kayak or Hobie Cat rentals; the complimentary Fitness Center with its state-of-the-art workout equipment; or at the Racquet Club. All the green space, including the butterfly garden, flora, plants, shrubbery and wild rosemary, made walks to the beach or to one of the centers even more relaxing.

A five-minute walk from our Pappas Carriage House brought us to the town center with its Town Hall and Post Office, shops and restaurants. “Sex and the City” actress Sara Jessica Parker would enjoy meeting Lisa Knower and shopping at Moonpize with its distinctive ladies shoes and gifts. Stella would call attention to Paige Schnell’s Tracery that has worked with five designers to bring together many handcrafted items from Latin America, along with antique 18th-century armoires, antique mirrors and contemporary furniture. We couldn’t spend enough time admiring Justin Gaffrey’s expressionistic style of art work of northwest Florida’s land and waterscapes at Anne Hunter’s World Six Galleries.

We had a chance to tour nearby Eden Gardens State Park and its historic Wesley House. This 1897 Greek Revival Home with its white columns and wraparound porch and lush southern gardens borders Tucker Bayou. Stella could identify much of the Louis XVI furniture in the second largest collection of its kind in the United States.

A short ride along Route 30A to nearby Seagrove Beach brought us to the world-famous Cafe Thirty-A and its most distinctive dinner menu. My sesame-crusted pan-seared rare yellow fin tuna with Asian stir-fry and wasabi was as good as the pan-seared scallops with white beans, artichokes and hearts of palm served next to me. Sharing banana beignets with a caramel sauce and homemade macadamia nut ice cream was a great way to end our trip.