Best Beach Vacation Ever

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Overview

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The highlight of this trip is being able to stay in a beautiful condo, so close to the breaking waves that you might be sprayed with seawater on the first floor balconies. It might sound weird, but the white sand is so pretty, soft, shiny and clean--it is like trillions of tiny, tiny diamonds. I've spent days watching my kids play in the breaking waves while I just sat there playing with this amazing sand. The water is like carribbean water--not quite as clear as the Caymans area but very diveable. Lots of conchs.Quick Tips: Spend about twenty percent more on your accommodations and get a beach condo. It is so much more comfortable than squeezing into a hotel room. You'll have a washer/...Read More

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Edgewater Beach Resort

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Hotel

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The Edgewater Beach Resort is perfectly situated along a several hundred yard stretch of beach. There are three, newer high rise towers and two older ones. We've stayed at the resort four times and actually prefer one of the older buildings--the Leeward. That unit is the closest to the water. I almost hate to put this on the internet because we have never had any trouble getting a room in it. I think that people who aren't familiar with the property would be drawn to the newer units because they look so pretty from the outside. The Leeward is so close to the water, however, that you almost feel like you could jump in the ocean from your balcony. We always ask for one of the lower units to that ...Read More

The Edgewater Beach Resort is perfectly situated along a several hundred yard stretch of beach. There are three, newer high rise towers and two older ones. We've stayed at the resort four times and actually prefer one of the older buildings--the Leeward. That unit is the closest to the water. I almost hate to put this on the internet because we have never had any trouble getting a room in it. I think that people who aren't familiar with the property would be drawn to the newer units because they look so pretty from the outside. The Leeward is so close to the water, however, that you almost feel like you could jump in the ocean from your balcony. We always ask for one of the lower units to that we can hear the waves pounding loudly all day and night. It is so relaxing. You can even hear it in the back bedroom.

We get a two bedroom unit and bring our kids and grandmother. The decor is nice, yet durable. We have stayed in quite a few condos over the years and these are better decorated and maintained than many more expensive ones.

The property has multiple swimming pools and spas, stores, salons, restaurants, even a small game arcade. The main swimming pool is about an acre in size and shaped like a lagoon with an island in the middle. There are lots of rental jetskis, wave-bikes, etc. The beach in front of the newer towers which circle the lagoon pool, seems to have more people on it than the stretch of beach in front of the two older buildings. We have frequently been the only people in front of the Leeward and Windward buildings that we prefer. There are rental padded wooden beach lounges with umbrellas available up and down the beach, but our condo had folding lawn chairs and umbrellas that we carried down.

The condos are laid out so that most of the living areas have full beach views. Only the back bedroom, utility room and bathrooms are viewless. The decor is light, bright and nautical. The level of maid service you get depends on how much you want to pay. We did our own dishes, laundry and swept off any sand that blew in ourselves to save the cost of daily maid services. Oh yes, and we made our own beds every day--NOT!!!

The following website has good photos of the resort: www.daviscondos.com. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 14, 2000

Edgewater Beach Resort
11212 Front Beach Rd.
Panama City, Florida 32407
(850) 235-4044

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St. Andrews State Recreation Area

Attraction

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These are the same sugar white beaches as those flanked by hotels and condos in the city. But when you turn around from facing the Gulf, you see dunes, wild rosemary and sea oats instead of your highrise lodgings. The beach gets crowded in summer, especially on weekends. Don't even think of coming during spring break week. But, after school has resumed in late summer the place empties out and you can enjoy it in relative solitude. Dolphins can usually be seen playing in the surf if you watch long enough. The wave action is good but not so strong that swimming is unsafe. This beach has been rated one of the best beaches in the world by multiple beach cognoscenti. With some planning ahead...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 16, 2000

St. Andrews State Recreation Area
4607 State Park LN
Panama City, Florida 32408
(850) 233-5140

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Shell Island Snorkel Trip

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Attraction

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The area around the jetties is great fun because you'll see tropical fish, coral and sponges. What we liked the most, however, was seeing so many dolphins right in the water with us. I've never seen so many dolphins in one place! They were goofy. They even made that squeaky sound at us. In order to see them we kept our heads above the water as much as we did under.

Worth noting---You can bring your own refreshments in a cooler on this trip because the company doesn't provide anything for you. That's a better deal because a lot of boat operators want you to buy their refreshments.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 14, 2000

Shell Island Snorkel Trip
St Andrews State Park, End of Thomas Drive
Panama City, Florida

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Glass Bottom Boat - Shell Island

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Attraction | "Shell Island Glass Bottom Boat"

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This is a three hour tour. It leaves at 1 pm every day and gets to Shell Island in about an hour. We loved the glass bottom viewing experience, the dolphins, the chance to inspect what they pulled up in the crab traps and the trip narrator. My husband loved exploring the uninhabited barrier island so much that I couldn't get him to return to the pier in time to catch the boat back. Passengers are told, 'You have 50 minutes to explore Shell Island. Do not be late. We cannot wait for you. We have to be back to the pier by 4 pm.' We both heard them say that. But...the shells were so interesting and there were lots of birds to scope. The island is truly deserted and uninhabited. The...Read More

This is a three hour tour. It leaves at 1 pm every day and gets to Shell Island in about an hour. We loved the glass bottom viewing experience, the dolphins, the chance to inspect what they pulled up in the crab traps and the trip narrator. My husband loved exploring the uninhabited barrier island so much that I couldn't get him to return to the pier in time to catch the boat back. Passengers are told, 'You have 50 minutes to explore Shell Island. Do not be late. We cannot wait for you. We have to be back to the pier by 4 pm.' We both heard them say that. But...the shells were so interesting and there were lots of birds to scope.

The island is truly deserted and uninhabited. The sand is fluffy and that makes the walking slow. We got ourselves really far away from the pier--much farther than the other passengers. I knew by my waterproof watch that we needed to head back due to the slow-goingness of this fluffy-sand walking. We could see the pier from where we were. It looked closer than it really was. This is a trick of beach optics--things look closer than they are. Anyway, with about 5 minutes to spare we started walking back as quickly as we could. We saw the boat pulling away just as we crested a dune. I'm sure they wouldn't have left without us if they had seen us coming! We panicked. It was four o'clock and we didn't know if anymore boats were coming. We had no water or food! After 15 anxious minutes and a lot of 'I told you so's,' another tour boat pulled up. The operator told us we could go back with them for free. I am telling this part of the story because I want anyone who takes this tour to pay more attention to their watch than we did!

This tour was fun and I would do it again, really. But, there are other tours that allow a little more time on the island. You just have to look around on the Panama City Beach website. The glass bottom boat trip to shell island has a website: www.glassbottomboat.com Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 14, 2000

Glass Bottom Boat - Shell Island
3106 Thomas Drive
Panama City, Florida 32408
(850) 234-8944

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