Hotel Effie has partnered with the Emerald Coast Autism Center for a special one-night event hosted by celebrity chef Hugh Acheson on July 15 at 6pm-10pm. The pre-fixe dinner will take place at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Ovide, nestled in the heart of the world-famous Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

The venue of the day is the relatively new and buzzed-about Hotel Effie. Named after the owner's matriarch, the Hotel has a family element that emanates through the graciousness everyone working here seems to possess. Walking into the bright and spacious lobby, I feel transported to a swanky metropolitan city, minus the ostentatiousness that comes with that. The modern yet breezy design is refreshing from the typical beach casual decor we Floridians are so used to seeing. Perhaps it's because I am finally off 30-A? Anyone who stays on 30-A knows the running joke of Destin/Sandestin being a faraway "big city." So take it from me, Hotel Effie came to play.