Meet the Owners: Destin & Fort Walton Beach Rentals

We own both homes and we manage both homes ourselves - there is no management company between you and us.

Who you are actually booking with

Paul and LeeAnna, owners of The Way Vacations, on the private beach at Southbay by the Gulf in Destin, Florida

Paul and LeeAnna on the Southbay beach in Destin - the same stretch of sand our Pure DESTINation guests use.

We are Paul and LeeAnna. We own two homes on the Emerald Coast, and we manage both of them ourselves. When you send a message through this site, it comes to us. When you call, one of us answers. There is no management company, no reservations desk, and no rotating staff in between.

We spent years vacationing on Okaloosa Island before we owned anything here. In 2023 we bought our first rental, Heaven on Surf, at Gulf Dunes in Fort Walton Beach, and spent that first year on significant upgrades rather than renting it as we found it. In 2024 we added Pure DESTINation, a Gulf-front townhome at Southbay by the Gulf in Destin.

That is the entire portfolio. Two homes, both ours, both run by us. We are not building a management company and we do not take on other owners' units.

What owner-managed actually changes for your stay

Owner-managed is an easy phrase to put on a website. Here is what it means in practice.

You are talking to the decision maker. Ask whether the sofa bed is any good, whether two families will really be comfortable, or whether the balcony gets afternoon sun, and you get a straight answer from someone who has slept there - not a scripted reply from someone who has never seen the unit.

Problems get handled, not ticketed. When a guest told us the air conditioning was struggling, Paul had it dealt with the same day. That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and it is why our repeat guests are repeat guests.

We know the buildings, not just the units. Where to park, which door to use, how the elevator situation works, what the beach access is actually like at each property. We put that in writing before you arrive.

We choose what goes in the homes. The beach chairs, the umbrella, the cooler, the kitchen equipment that a rental usually skimps on. Guests who fly in and cannot bring gear tell us this is the difference, and it is the single most common theme in our reviews.

Both homes are professionally cleaned between every stay. We are owner-operators, not a two-person cleaning crew. Cleaning is done by professionals on a fixed checklist, every single turnover.

Why booking here usually costs less

The large booking platforms are genuinely useful for discovery, and both of our homes are listed on them. But they are not free. Airbnb charges the host a percentage of every booking, and owners recover it by raising their nightly rates. Vrbo takes a commission from the owner and then adds a separate service fee to the guest's total at checkout, which rises as the reservation total rises.

None of that exists on this site. Same homes, same owners, same beds - typically 10 to 15 percent less for an identical set of dates.

Do not take our word for it. Open the same dates for the same home on any booking site, compare the all-in total including every fee, and book wherever it lands cheaper. We are comfortable with that comparison, which is the point.

The two homes

Pure DESTINation - Destin

A Gulf-front townhome at Southbay by the Gulf, 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, sleeps 10. Southbay owners and guests have 300 feet of private deeded beach, and the sand is a two to three minute walk from the door.

See Pure DESTINation

Heaven on Surf - Fort Walton Beach

A 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath condo at Gulf Dunes on Okaloosa Island, sleeps 6, with a Gulf view from both the living room and the balcony. No pets in the building. Our smaller home, and the one couples and small families book again and again.

See Heaven on Surf

Our track record

Between the two homes we have hosted hundreds of stays and collected hundreds of reviews. Across that entire history we have never received a review below four stars. We would rather show you that number than a hand-picked quote, so the reviews page carries the feed rather than our favorites.

Read our guest reviews

Airbnb Superhost badge awarded to Paul and LeeAnna of The Way Vacations

Airbnb Superhost. Airbnb awards this to hosts who maintain a high rating, a high response rate and a near-zero cancellation record, and it is reassessed every quarter.

Vrbo Premier Host badge awarded to Paul and LeeAnna of The Way Vacations

Vrbo Premier Host. Vrbo's equivalent recognition, based on review scores, booking reliability and cancellation history over a rolling twelve month period.

How booking and payment work

More than 30 days before arrival: 50 percent is due when you book, and the balance is charged to the same card 30 days before you arrive. You do not have to do anything for the second payment.

Within 30 days of arrival: the reservation is paid in full at the time of booking.

Card security: card payments are processed by Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment processor. We never see or handle your card number.

Licensing: each home is individually licensed with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation under its own license number. The number for each property is shown on that property's page.

Ask us anything before you book

Most of our guests have a question before they are ready to commit - whether the layout works for their group, what the drive from the airport is really like, whether a particular week is a good idea. Ask us. We would rather spend ten minutes on the phone with you than have you arrive somewhere that was not the right fit.

Call or text (448) 488-4050, or email book@thewayvacations.com.