Holiday In Florida’s Emerald Coast: Holiday Inn Express Niceville-Eglin AFB

A quiet setting in the small town of Niceville

There really isn’t much happening in the town of Niceville, but the Holiday Inn Express Niceville – Eglin AFB has that small town village feel. There is a creek within walking distance from the hotel where you’ll get a view of the water. There is a pool within the hotel. It’s outdoor, so if you visit here in winter, expect the water to be a bit cold. It’s not the biggest pool but it will suffice for a quick dip and a cool off, especially during summer. The hotel is quite big, encompassing two buildings, so make sure you get inside the right building if coming ‘home’ after a big day at the beach. There is a small fitness center on site as well for those who are looking to put in some gym time during their stay.

The room

The room may not be as quiet as you may expect. The walls are quite thin, so you may hear people walking through the corridors, or loudly shutting the doors from the adjacent rooms. However, the bed you will encounter during the stay is queen sized and is quite comfortable. The hotel also made two pillows available for everyone, one pair of soft pillows, and the other, firm pillows, depending on the guest’s preference.

The bathroom has a shower/tub combination, and you can expect it to be clean and fairly spacious. The temperature in the room is one where you can adjust to your preference instead of a centralized temperature for the whole hotel. There is also a flat-screen TV with many cable channels available. Size wise, the room is spacious enough for two people, maybe even three or four, if you are traveling with children.

Excellent breakfast buffet

Holiday Inn properties often gives the impression that it can be quite pricey, but this hotel definitely has a plus: it has a free breakfast buffet from 6AM to 9:30AM. The buffet has a lot of choices, from sausages to pancakes, eggs, bagels, English muffins, bread, and blueberry muffins. They change their menu daily to give even more variety. There are a lot of drink stations offering tea, coffee, and even apple and orange juice. You can spend an hour or so just trying out the breakfast, or even trying to learn to make your own pancake or waffle from the machine.

The area: Niceville/Destin

There is only one major tourist spot in Niceville, which is a boardwalk hiking trail called the Turkey Creek Nature trail, a five minute drive from the hotel, and the Air Force Armament Museum is around a 15 to 20 minute drive away from the hotel.

The Turkey Creek Nature trail is a nice walking trail that curves around a creek, which means that if you’re willing, you can go swimming in the creek and see plenty of fishes and even turtles. The walk is simple and not demanding, and you’re surrounded by tall trees and water, which makes for a nice combination.

The Air Force Armament Museum is free to enter, and it has some truly interesting exhibits, including a historical weapons exhibit that features heavy machine guns from World War I to World War II. The inside of the museum has excellent information on the Air Force and the various missions that it has done. The key highlight of the museum, however, is on the outside. There are over 30 replicas of various aircraft, ranging from fighter jets to drones, to bombers and helicopters. They are massive aircraft and a wonder to look at.