2012 Panama City Beach, FL - Spring Break in July
Most of our last couple trips were to foreign locales so Tim began expressing interest in some sort of domestic travel. After some research we settled on checking out Panama City Beach, FL. It had a tropical feel but at Florida panhandle prices! So off we went for a week long visit to the Florida gulf coast.
Getting There:
Woo hoo, for once a mid-day flight!! This was out of Regan airport which is kind of unusual for us but it's easy in, easy out there. Within 2 hours we were stepping off the plane at Northwest Florida Regional Airport which is a tiny airport near Fort Walton Beach, FL. We hit the Alamo counter and they upgraded us from a tiny car to a Nissan Rogue crossover. I ended up really liking that thing! We hit the road for the hour drive to PCB but ughhhhhh it was a Thursday afternoon which I guess means the start of weekend beach traffic! No matter where we go there's always traffic!! A short while later on the other side of Destin I spot a Sonic Drive-in and INSIST we stop for a bite to eat!
We set off a gain and finally get to our resort around dinner time.
Calypso Resort and Towers:
We decided to try something a little different for this trip and rented out a vacation condo through Sterling Resorts. I guess the way it works is that people by a unit in the building and then rent it out to vacationers via Sterling Resorts or some other management company. You get hotel like property amenities with an apartment style unit, but it's kind of a crap shoot as to what your unit is going to be like. We stepped into our unit on the 9th floor and...LOVED IT! We had a very nice 1 bedroom unit with a large kitchen and huge master suite. I probably could have slept in the garden tub it was so big! We were very, very happy with our unit and with the view as we were oceanfront. The resort boasts a lot of amenities like 2 pools, beach chair/umbrella rentals, free dvd rentals, a tiki bar, gym, and garage parking.
Trip Advisor Review: Click here for my review
Things We Saw/Did:
Day 1: Get to PCB and check-in and marvel at how nice our condo it. We then decided to hit a local grocery store to stock up on some food and booze for the week. The benefit of having a kitchen is that you don't have to go eat out for every single meal. We made a huge pot of spaghetti that first night and had leftovers for lunches during the week.
Day 2: It's a tad cloudy out so we decide to use the morning for some exploration. We are located just across from Pier Park which is one of the main attractions in PCB. It's huge shopping/entertainment complex full of bars, restaurants, beach shops, a movie theater and some department stores.
We decide on sushi for lunch at Hana Japan which is more or less fast food sushi. I guess FL is not exactly known for its sushi! After lunch we walk around a bit and try to strategize about what places we want to eat at and when over the next week. We head back and then hit the beach!
The beach here is really quite beautiful and lived up to all the descriptions I had been told about. Looooong stretches of bright white sand beach and bluish-green waters. We get our umbrella and chairs and lay out for a bit.
After some sun we get cleaned up and head back to Pier Park to check out Reggae J's Island grill for dinner. Seafood is of course on the menu! The place also has a parrot that the trainer walks around with and plays with. I kinda feel bad for it given that it has to live it's life hanging out in a really loud restaurant with people constantly coming up to it and gawking at it!
We make it an early night b/c tonight is the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics and I can't miss out! Too bad I got home about 30 minutes and missed the queen jumping out of the airplane. Thank god for replays on the internet!
Day 3:
We get a late start after lying around watching some Olympic action and then I get in the car and go for a drive to one of the local beach stores. The umbrellas and chairs are free, but no towels and so I go in search of a beach towel. I drive around the strip to get the lay of the land and then settle on one of the mega beach stores and find myself a towel and cute pair of shorts. Back at the room later for some lunch and then we head for the beach and work on our tans all day.
By late afternoon we decide to check out the pool and the tiki bar. WEAK drinks. Alas it's Florida, so here comes the afternoon thunderstorms. We also discover there's a bit of a design flaw with the resort...when EVERYONE heads for their room at once they can't handle it! The hallway leading to the elevator vestibules is barely wide enough to accommodate 2 people so guess what happens when everyone tries to go there at once. Yeah, if you aren't quick enough you're not even getting INTO the building to stand in the teeny tiny hallway! I decide to hoof it and took the stairs 9 floors up.
As with all afternoon FL storms they are over quick and the sun is shining again. After getting cleaned up we decide to walk down to Sharky's restaurant/bar about 15 minutes down the road. This place is huge and packed so we take a seat at the bar and order one of their giant mixed drinks and enjoy our dinner. We don't stay too late and go back to the room to watch some more Olympics!
Day 4:
Lather, rinse, repeat. It's basically day 3 all over again, but dinner tonight is at the Hofbrau house! We've been to the Vegas one so we were really excited to try out this one. It's not nearly as big or lively as the Vegas version but the food is gut ja!
Day 5
More lounging at the beach until the craziest looking thunderstorm ever develops. It looks like a scene out of Independence Day and you're just waiting for a space ship to appear
For dinner tonight we are finally having some real seafood and drive to the other end of PCB to try out Captain Anderson's. Mmmm, was this place good! I had crab stuffed lobster and it did not disappoint in the least!
Day 6
Well it's time to head home...good thing too b/c it's raining cats and dogs. We head out at check out time but have a few hours to kill so we decide to check out Destin. Our first stop is...Bass Pro Shop! Yeah we stop for lunch at Quiznos and stop into a shopping area. While Tim is checking out Bass Pro Shop, I am exploring the local Express. We get in the car and head down to the end of Destin to check out Harborwalk which is a little shopping/dinining area next to a Marina. Deciding that we are done walking around in the rain we head back to the airport, drop off the rental car and then sit through a flight delay before getting our way and back home!
The Details:
Dates: 7/26/13 - 7/31/13
Accommodations: Calypso Resort and Towers
Airline: US Airways
Photo Album: Click here for my album
Getting There:
Woo hoo, for once a mid-day flight!! This was out of Regan airport which is kind of unusual for us but it's easy in, easy out there. Within 2 hours we were stepping off the plane at Northwest Florida Regional Airport which is a tiny airport near Fort Walton Beach, FL. We hit the Alamo counter and they upgraded us from a tiny car to a Nissan Rogue crossover. I ended up really liking that thing! We hit the road for the hour drive to PCB but ughhhhhh it was a Thursday afternoon which I guess means the start of weekend beach traffic! No matter where we go there's always traffic!! A short while later on the other side of Destin I spot a Sonic Drive-in and INSIST we stop for a bite to eat!
We set off a gain and finally get to our resort around dinner time.
Calypso Resort and Towers:
We decided to try something a little different for this trip and rented out a vacation condo through Sterling Resorts. I guess the way it works is that people by a unit in the building and then rent it out to vacationers via Sterling Resorts or some other management company. You get hotel like property amenities with an apartment style unit, but it's kind of a crap shoot as to what your unit is going to be like. We stepped into our unit on the 9th floor and...LOVED IT! We had a very nice 1 bedroom unit with a large kitchen and huge master suite. I probably could have slept in the garden tub it was so big! We were very, very happy with our unit and with the view as we were oceanfront. The resort boasts a lot of amenities like 2 pools, beach chair/umbrella rentals, free dvd rentals, a tiki bar, gym, and garage parking.
Trip Advisor Review: Click here for my review
Things We Saw/Did:
Day 1: Get to PCB and check-in and marvel at how nice our condo it. We then decided to hit a local grocery store to stock up on some food and booze for the week. The benefit of having a kitchen is that you don't have to go eat out for every single meal. We made a huge pot of spaghetti that first night and had leftovers for lunches during the week.
Day 2: It's a tad cloudy out so we decide to use the morning for some exploration. We are located just across from Pier Park which is one of the main attractions in PCB. It's huge shopping/entertainment complex full of bars, restaurants, beach shops, a movie theater and some department stores.
We decide on sushi for lunch at Hana Japan which is more or less fast food sushi. I guess FL is not exactly known for its sushi! After lunch we walk around a bit and try to strategize about what places we want to eat at and when over the next week. We head back and then hit the beach!
The beach here is really quite beautiful and lived up to all the descriptions I had been told about. Looooong stretches of bright white sand beach and bluish-green waters. We get our umbrella and chairs and lay out for a bit.
After some sun we get cleaned up and head back to Pier Park to check out Reggae J's Island grill for dinner. Seafood is of course on the menu! The place also has a parrot that the trainer walks around with and plays with. I kinda feel bad for it given that it has to live it's life hanging out in a really loud restaurant with people constantly coming up to it and gawking at it!
We make it an early night b/c tonight is the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics and I can't miss out! Too bad I got home about 30 minutes and missed the queen jumping out of the airplane. Thank god for replays on the internet!
Day 3:
We get a late start after lying around watching some Olympic action and then I get in the car and go for a drive to one of the local beach stores. The umbrellas and chairs are free, but no towels and so I go in search of a beach towel. I drive around the strip to get the lay of the land and then settle on one of the mega beach stores and find myself a towel and cute pair of shorts. Back at the room later for some lunch and then we head for the beach and work on our tans all day.
By late afternoon we decide to check out the pool and the tiki bar. WEAK drinks. Alas it's Florida, so here comes the afternoon thunderstorms. We also discover there's a bit of a design flaw with the resort...when EVERYONE heads for their room at once they can't handle it! The hallway leading to the elevator vestibules is barely wide enough to accommodate 2 people so guess what happens when everyone tries to go there at once. Yeah, if you aren't quick enough you're not even getting INTO the building to stand in the teeny tiny hallway! I decide to hoof it and took the stairs 9 floors up.
As with all afternoon FL storms they are over quick and the sun is shining again. After getting cleaned up we decide to walk down to Sharky's restaurant/bar about 15 minutes down the road. This place is huge and packed so we take a seat at the bar and order one of their giant mixed drinks and enjoy our dinner. We don't stay too late and go back to the room to watch some more Olympics!
Day 4:
Lather, rinse, repeat. It's basically day 3 all over again, but dinner tonight is at the Hofbrau house! We've been to the Vegas one so we were really excited to try out this one. It's not nearly as big or lively as the Vegas version but the food is gut ja!
Day 5
More lounging at the beach until the craziest looking thunderstorm ever develops. It looks like a scene out of Independence Day and you're just waiting for a space ship to appear
For dinner tonight we are finally having some real seafood and drive to the other end of PCB to try out Captain Anderson's. Mmmm, was this place good! I had crab stuffed lobster and it did not disappoint in the least!
Day 6
Well it's time to head home...good thing too b/c it's raining cats and dogs. We head out at check out time but have a few hours to kill so we decide to check out Destin. Our first stop is...Bass Pro Shop! Yeah we stop for lunch at Quiznos and stop into a shopping area. While Tim is checking out Bass Pro Shop, I am exploring the local Express. We get in the car and head down to the end of Destin to check out Harborwalk which is a little shopping/dinining area next to a Marina. Deciding that we are done walking around in the rain we head back to the airport, drop off the rental car and then sit through a flight delay before getting our way and back home!
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