gstepic
TUG Member
I hope I do not bore anyone to death with so many photos, I know I overdo it. But I am a photographer so can't help myself. When we planned our trip I thought I was going to like Panama City Beach more, mainly because of the resort. The resort is really nice and here is a gallery including too many sunset photos and too many from our 12th floor balcony -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p929599711
We really enjoyed watching the stingrays from our balcony. One area that makes Panama City Beach really nice is the Pier Park area, which is a little more than a mile away. There are a lot of restaurants and places to have a drink and listen to music. We only spent a few hours walking around so on our next trip will spend more time checking out restaurants and nightly entertainment. Here are some photos of the very colorful area -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p818074082
We really enjoyed the short walk to Sharkeys, a nice place to eat, have a drink, and listen to music right on the beach. We also enjoyed driving out to Andrews State park. My wife was able to get some quality snorkeling in at the park. On another day they took the ferry to shell island and were pretty disappointed, I am glad i did not go as I enjoyed my Sharky time. Nearby was Gulf World, which is pretty lame compared to Seaworld, but could be fun for young kids. We took a dinner cruise (can't think of the name, will edit and put the name when I find it). It was ok (the bay scenery was just ok), the food was mainly fried chicken and the music was some old guy (hey, I am one of those so no disrespect) singing oldies. We heard Tuesday nights are a blast as they do a play where the passengers are involved, good reviews on Trip Advisor. I would advise getting there early enough to check out the town of St. Andrews, it seems like a charming town. Wish I could give more restaurant reviews but we fixed a lot of our own meals. Panama City Beach has a reputation for being a spring break town so you will see a lot of little bars and not so fancy places to eat. I would have liked to have checked out more restaurants on the beach as having a drink or meal in a nice setting while listening to music is heaven to me. All in all we did like PCB and whenever we visit Destin we will tack on a few nights at PCB. Most of our nights will be in Destin as we liked that area more. Here is a gallery of the area, mainly some Gulf World photos and several from St. Andrews State Park -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p915967472
Now on to Destin, which was a pleasant surprise. We really liked the Resort, Bay Club II. The grounds were beautiful, a great resort for just walking around or renting a bike, probably paradise for golfers. We liked the pool next to our building and there were three others you could use. Here are some photos of the resort grounds -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p934974122
You could take a free shuttle to the beach or to Baytowne Warf. The Village of Baytowne is on the grounds of the resort and is a very short drive. It is a great place to hang out. Again, what I like are charming places to eat, have a drink, and listen to music and Baytowne had tons of places that fit the description. All kinds of things for kids to do as well. It almost had an amusement park feel to it, but it is also very appealing to adults in my view. Here are too many photos of the Village at Baytowne Warf -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p713031457
Four nights was not enough time in Destin. We did not check a lot of the beach areas and I would have liked to spend an evening in the Harbor Walk Village area, which is next to the Wyndham Emerald Grande. We also took a nice drive on highway 30a (I think that is the highway) that goes though Seaside. If we had time it looks like there were some interesting places to stop along the way. So if you are still awake here are some photos of the Harbor Walk Village and Destin Area -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p964162627
McGuirres, which is across the street from the Emerald Grande is a great place for a meal and to have a beer or two. Next time we will spend more time checking out other beach areas like Ft. Walton. I would not mind spending a day at Pensacola Beach which is only about 45 minutes away. We loved eating at Flounders and Crabs. I liked the boardwark area as well. Please forgive my many misspellings and hope the photos give you a better idea of what to expect if you visit Panama City Beach and/or Destin. We will be returning often.
Gary
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p929599711
We really enjoyed watching the stingrays from our balcony. One area that makes Panama City Beach really nice is the Pier Park area, which is a little more than a mile away. There are a lot of restaurants and places to have a drink and listen to music. We only spent a few hours walking around so on our next trip will spend more time checking out restaurants and nightly entertainment. Here are some photos of the very colorful area -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p818074082
We really enjoyed the short walk to Sharkeys, a nice place to eat, have a drink, and listen to music right on the beach. We also enjoyed driving out to Andrews State park. My wife was able to get some quality snorkeling in at the park. On another day they took the ferry to shell island and were pretty disappointed, I am glad i did not go as I enjoyed my Sharky time. Nearby was Gulf World, which is pretty lame compared to Seaworld, but could be fun for young kids. We took a dinner cruise (can't think of the name, will edit and put the name when I find it). It was ok (the bay scenery was just ok), the food was mainly fried chicken and the music was some old guy (hey, I am one of those so no disrespect) singing oldies. We heard Tuesday nights are a blast as they do a play where the passengers are involved, good reviews on Trip Advisor. I would advise getting there early enough to check out the town of St. Andrews, it seems like a charming town. Wish I could give more restaurant reviews but we fixed a lot of our own meals. Panama City Beach has a reputation for being a spring break town so you will see a lot of little bars and not so fancy places to eat. I would have liked to have checked out more restaurants on the beach as having a drink or meal in a nice setting while listening to music is heaven to me. All in all we did like PCB and whenever we visit Destin we will tack on a few nights at PCB. Most of our nights will be in Destin as we liked that area more. Here is a gallery of the area, mainly some Gulf World photos and several from St. Andrews State Park -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p915967472
Now on to Destin, which was a pleasant surprise. We really liked the Resort, Bay Club II. The grounds were beautiful, a great resort for just walking around or renting a bike, probably paradise for golfers. We liked the pool next to our building and there were three others you could use. Here are some photos of the resort grounds -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p934974122
You could take a free shuttle to the beach or to Baytowne Warf. The Village of Baytowne is on the grounds of the resort and is a very short drive. It is a great place to hang out. Again, what I like are charming places to eat, have a drink, and listen to music and Baytowne had tons of places that fit the description. All kinds of things for kids to do as well. It almost had an amusement park feel to it, but it is also very appealing to adults in my view. Here are too many photos of the Village at Baytowne Warf -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p713031457
Four nights was not enough time in Destin. We did not check a lot of the beach areas and I would have liked to spend an evening in the Harbor Walk Village area, which is next to the Wyndham Emerald Grande. We also took a nice drive on highway 30a (I think that is the highway) that goes though Seaside. If we had time it looks like there were some interesting places to stop along the way. So if you are still awake here are some photos of the Harbor Walk Village and Destin Area -
http://garystepicphotography.zenfolio.com/p964162627
McGuirres, which is across the street from the Emerald Grande is a great place for a meal and to have a beer or two. Next time we will spend more time checking out other beach areas like Ft. Walton. I would not mind spending a day at Pensacola Beach which is only about 45 minutes away. We loved eating at Flounders and Crabs. I liked the boardwark area as well. Please forgive my many misspellings and hope the photos give you a better idea of what to expect if you visit Panama City Beach and/or Destin. We will be returning often.
Gary
Last edited: