Beal House Fort Walton Beachfront, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

Beal House Fort Walton Beachfront, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, sits on the Gulf at 380 Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island, a short distance west of The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. The hotel, which operated for years as the Best Western Ft. Walton Beachfront, was rebranded into Hilton’s Tapestry Collection of independent-minded hotels and is owned by OTO Development. Its name honors Dr. James Hartley Beal (1861 to 1945), a pharmacist, shell collector and early promoter of tourism in Fort Walton Beach, and that local history carries through the hotel’s coastal design.

The hotel has 100 rooms on six floors, and 60 of them have private balconies facing the Gulf. Room types include kings and double queens, with Gulf-view categories for guests who want to watch the water from the room, and connecting rooms are available for families. Rooms have streaming entertainment and free Wi-Fi, digital key entry is available through the Hilton Honors app, and the building is smoke-free.

A walkway leads from the grounds straight onto the sand, so guests are only a few steps from the water. The heated outdoor pool sits between the hotel and the beach, with sun loungers and umbrellas, and there is a poolside bar service. A fitness center, a business center, an on-site boutique and electric vehicle charging stations round out the property. Pets are not permitted, and self-parking is on site for a daily fee, with no space for RVs, trailers or oversized vehicles. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m.

The Remedy Coastal Kitchen + Bar is the hotel’s restaurant, serving breakfast and dinner with a menu built around coastal seafood and a bar known for craft cocktails and specialty martinis. Seating is available indoors and on a patio with views toward the Gulf, which makes it an easy spot for a sunset drink even for guests staying elsewhere on the island. For a casual beach day, guests can also order drinks by the pool without walking back inside.

Beal House suits couples and travelers who want a smaller, design-minded hotel with a restaurant and bar on site rather than a large family resort, and its location on the island’s Santa Rosa Boulevard hotel row puts it close to the action without the busier feel of the Miracle Strip Parkway resorts. Business travelers heading to Eglin Air Force Base or Hurlburt Field will find both within a short drive. The Boardwalk’s restaurants and the Okaloosa Island Pier are close by, the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is a short drive or walk east along the island, and downtown Fort Walton Beach, with its museums and waterfront restaurants, is just across the Brooks Bridge. Destin’s HarborWalk Village and Crab Island are a few miles east across the East Pass.