Is there a more convenient area, or does it matter?
Imho opinion, the “Miracle Strip” get’s prettier as you go east, both Destin and Panama City are nice... it’s too damn cold to go the to the beach for me, that north wind is wicked... indoor activities are a must, I am personally partial to Orange Beach...
Honestly, what the locals call Ft Walton Beach, which is west of the Brooks Bridge, is really run down and I personally don’t enjoy the hotels in the Highway 98, the Miracle Strip. Okaloosa Island, which is between Ft Walton Beach and Destin, between Brooks Bridge and the Destin bridge, has some nice up scale hotels on the beach side of the road. That’s a great area to host. If you use Destin, get away from the hotels immediately across the Destin Bridge or the harbor area. The hood is immediately behind them and is really unsafe after dark. All that said, I would suggest Okaloosa Island beach side, or Destin east of the Destin Bridge a mile or more!