Santa Rosa Beach

WaterColor Inn

Rialto Score 9+

Rialto is a Virtuoso agency and can provide VIP access and offers.

WaterColor® Inn is northwest Florida’s only Forbes Recommended and AAA Four Diamond beachfront hotel. Situated on the pristine sugar-white beaches of South Walton, overlooking the Gulf, the inn provides the perfect combination of warm Southern hospitality, the intimacy of a bed-and-breakfast, and the fun of a classic beach house – the ideal coastal setting to gather and inspire. Enjoy award-winning cuisine at several dining venues; complimentary kayaking, and other recreational amenities including WaterColor Beach Club & Camp WaterColor.

34 Goldenrod Circle, 32459 Santa Rosa Beach, FL, United States
WaterColor Inn

About WaterColor Inn

Insider tip

If you want to dine with stunning views overlooking the Gulf, be sure to check out Fish Out of Water Restaurant – located at the hotel. The Grouper sandwich is a favorite.

In the hotel’s own words

Enjoy the ultimate beach retreat at WaterColor® Inn. Located in Northwest Florida along the Gulf of Mexico and situated between the resort towns of Destin and Seaside, families have been coming to these sugar-white beaches for generations. For many of them, the visits grew longer and longer with each passing year, until these Southern shores became their home-away-from-home. Here, they created a unique Southern coastal lifestyle. It seems fitting that WaterColor® Inn pays homage to that custom while forging its own distinct identity. Designed by David Rockwell, the Inn combines the warmth and hospitality associated with traditional Southern grand hotels, the intimacy of bed-and-breakfast inns and the charm of classic beach houses.

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The hotel’s 60 main guest rooms overlook the natural coastal sand dunes and face the beach – so whether you opt for a Rotunda Suite, Gulf view or Dune view, you’ll be sure to catch the sunset. Each room perfectly encapsulates the spirit of an intimate beach getaway, while providing the functionality necessary for a family vacation. From the latest technology to thoughtful touches like a pair of Adirondack chairs on each private balcony (at precise sunset-level), guests can expect to have a relaxing, comfortable and Gulf-inspired stay – their own seaside oasis. In Summer of 2022, WaterColor® Inn unveiled an additional seven brand-new Family Suites. Designed with the hotel’s characteristic coastal comfort in mind, these rooms (available in one- or two-bedroom accommodations) are ideal for larger family getaways. Located on the first floor only, each Family Suite has access to the hotel’s recently expanded 2,800-sq.ft. family pool area. In fact, following this expansion, WaterColor® Inn now boasts the most family-friendly pool access on all of 30A!

Dining options are as plentiful as the accommodations and include the acclaimed Fish Out of Water, offering coastal fare all day long, complete with regional seafood dishes and farm fresh dinner entrées. Gather Kitchen + Bar serves up an elevated bar menu of locally sourced coastal cuisine. Located in a poolside setting, the menu is meant to be shared with family and friends – indoors, at the bar or poolside, of course!

At WaterColor Beach Club, WaterColor® Inn guests can satisfy their hunger while lounging at one of the three pools: WaterColor Grill, offering fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches and more for lunch and an Italian-themed menu for dinner; Costa Chica, a casual rooftop lounge offering a Mexican-inspired menu; and Beach Cow, offering made-to-order milkshakes and the build-your-own burgers.

At Camp WaterColor, guest enjoy two pools with slides, as well as a lazy river with lifeguard on duty, and a playground and basketball court. Additionally, The Canteen Restaurant & Bar offers poolside favorites.

VIP Hotel Program · Invitation-only

Virtuoso benefits, included

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Virtuoso is an invitation-only network of luxury travel agencies. VIP rates generally meet or beat the hotel's website rates and include this hotel's own Virtuoso amenities below.

  • Room upgrade on arrival, based on availability
  • Daily breakfast for two per bedroom
  • $100 hotel credit per stay
  • Early check-in and late check-out, based on availability

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Rooms and suites

3 room types, as described by the hotel.
Rooms
1Beachfront Dune View
2Waterfront Gulf View
3Premium Waterfront Gulf View

Frequently Asked Questions

Does booking through Rialto cost more than booking with the hotel?

No - VIP rates under Virtuoso always meet or beat hotel's public, flexible rate, and provide valuable amenities and possible upgrades. Rialto also provides the hotel's non-VIP and corporate rates, so you can compare with full transparency.

What is the value of the VIP benefits?

Daily breakfast for two plus the $100 hotel credit come with every stay at this hotel - adding $100-200/day in value. A room upgrade could also be worth a substantial amount, in addition to early check-in / late check-out benefits when available.

How does this compare to other programs, like through AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts, or Chase Edit?

Using a hotel's own VIP program may provide higher upgrade priority, additional VIP benefits and promotional rate offers, and a direct relationship with the hotel for special requests. Rialto offers more VIP hotels than any credit card program. In addition, Chase Edit rates can be substantially more expensive as they rarely run promotions whereas AMEX rates are often comparable but do not offer programs such as Upgrade at Booking.

Can my AI assistant book this hotel?

Yes. Connect Rialto to Claude or ChatGPT and ask for rates. You finish the booking on a secure Rialto page. Card details are not sent through the AI chat, so either you would approve the final checkout step and reconfirm all the information, or if you authorize your agent with Computer-Use permissions, it can fill out the checkout form as well.

Rates are shown to members

Rialto is invitation-only. Apply for access and hear back within 24 hours.