Hampton Inn Ft. Walton Beach

Hampton Inn Ft. Walton Beach sits on the Gulf at 1112 Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island, at the eastern end of the island’s Santa Rosa Boulevard hotel row. The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island is about four tenths of a mile away, Paradise Parasail operates just down the beach, and the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is within walking distance. Its next-door neighbor is Waterscape Resort, and the Holiday Inn Resort, Four Points and Hilton Garden Inn line the beach just to the east. Okaloosa Island is the eastern end of Santa Rosa Island, and its hotels are clustered here near the Brooks Bridge and the Marler Bridge, with long stretches of undeveloped Eglin Air Force Base land farther west.

The hotel has 100 rooms. It was built in 2000 and the entire property was renovated in January 2022. Room types include kings and double queens, and every room has a furnished balcony or patio, with ocean view rooms looking straight out over the Gulf. Rooms come with a microwave, a mini refrigerator, a coffee maker and streaming entertainment, and the building is entirely non-smoking.

Hampton’s free hot breakfast is served every morning, including the brand’s waffle station and kid-friendly choices, and grab-and-go breakfast bags are available for early beach mornings. The lobby has a beverage station and a small market for snacks. Outside, a heated outdoor pool sits beside the dunes, with barbecue grills and a picnic area nearby, and a boardwalk leads to the beach. A 24-hour fitness center and free Wi-Fi round out the amenities, and the front desk is staffed around the clock with concierge services for local recommendations and dinner plans.

The hotel is pet friendly, allowing up to two pets with a combined weight limit of 75 pounds for a nonrefundable fee, which makes it one of the easier beachfront options on the island for travelers with dogs. Self-parking is available on site for a daily fee with in-and-out privileges. Check-in is at 4 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is about 12 miles away, which makes the hotel an easy first or last night for travelers flying in and out of the area.

Hampton Inn Ft. Walton Beach suits families, couples and business travelers who want a dependable branded hotel with breakfast included and a beach just past the pool. There is no full-service restaurant on site, but the seafood spots, bars and shops at The Boardwalk are a short walk away, and more restaurants line Miracle Strip Parkway. Downtown Fort Walton Beach is across the Brooks Bridge to the west, Destin’s HarborWalk Village is a few miles east across the Marler Bridge, and Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field are both nearby.