In terms of beach quality only, there aren't tremendous differences, other than that buildings are built closer to the beach in Destin. This, in my mind, is a big negative. Destin and Panama City have looser building codes, so you will have much larger hotels in those places, which also brings larger crowds. In my opinion, Watersound has the best beaches along 30A.
In my opinion, Watersound did it best. They built all of the buildings fairly far from the beaches, preserving the large natural dunes in the area, and built boardwalks to access the beach. You don't have to pay the high prices there to access the beaches if you do not want. Look for a property in Seagrove ( not Old Seagrove, which is next to Seaside), and just walk over.
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