Yep its been 10 years since my husband and I have visited Panama City. We normally go to Sandestin or Destin or Seaside. This time we decided on a quick trip without the kiddos.
We booked Top of the Gulf through VRBO.com and couldn%26#39;t be more happy with our choice. The owners were so wonderful and the pictures were an exact representation of the condo we are in. It is updated, decorated beautifully, with wonderful views of the beach!! I was actually extremely nervous after reading reviews of this place but now that we are here we feel like we found the little pearl! What a great little condo. We cannot beat the location as we are just steps from LaVela which has been great during the day. We are beach lovers but not seaweed fans and right now the seaweed here is horrible. So we lay out in front of LaVela on the beach and when we get too hot and need a dip in the water we just stroll up to the pool at the club and relax for a while. No cover during the day and a great pool with a variety of ages.
We are not 21 anymore and really noticed that as we went out last night. We were determined not to sit in the traffic (which doesn%26#39;t seem to phase the younger crowd that is here right now) so we walked about 10 minutes to Pinapple Willy%26#39;s down the street. The walk there was worse than the walk back due to the fact that we had drink in hand as we strolled back to the condo! We just drove in yesterday so we will see what kind of day today is...they have been predicting rain for the remainder of our stay but so far none has been seen. Right now its sunny and beautiful. We plan on relaxing today on the beach after we hit up the grocery store and then dinner tonight. I%26#39;ll update more then.
Also a quick piece of advice when traveling down here that we learned from our many years going to destin. Sign up for the free winn dixie card. When you go to the grocery for all of your food you can really save a ton of money if you purchase the winn dixie deals and then use your card. It only takes a second and is worth the savings.
Finally here in PCB after 10 years
Well day 2 was a beautiful and fun day! Once hubby woke up we headed to get a bite to eat for breakfast and ended up at Waffle House. We saw several breakfast buffets around this area which I%26#39;m sure are fine I just don%26#39;t eat enough for breakfast to justify a buffet. After breakfast we drove to Winn Dixie and got the basics for groceries for the weekend. The traffic here is horrible this weekend so if you are able to find the back roads to cut through that will be the best option. We spent most of the day at the beach relaxing. Then came up to the condo and got ready. We ate dinner at Billys which was delicious! We had 2 dozen oysters on the half shell and 1 pound of crab legs. That plus 5 beers on draft was $55.25 which wasn%26#39;t bad at all in our opinion. We then headed to Pineapple Willy%26#39;s to refil our large drinks and ended up sitting and talking with several couples on the deck. One more refil and we hit the road to find Pier Park. We had to stay on the main strip b/c we didn%26#39;t want to miss the park. From Pineapple Willy%26#39;s we drove and drove (and sat in traffic). With no pier park in sight and more traffic ahead we decided to turn around and head back towards our condo. We went to Club LaVela and it was ladies night so I got in for free and drank for free. We got two drinks and hit the pool deck to watch the fireworks. There were tons of fireworks...I%26#39;m sure not as great as the ones that were planned for pier park but oh well. We tried to check out all the clubs at LaVela but most were roped off with no one monitoring thus no way for us to get in. A little frustrating. I%26#39;m sure it was b/c we were there so early so maybe tonight we will have to check it out again but I%26#39;m planning on Spinnakers tonight.
All in all a great day but the benefits of staying close to the clubs did hinder our night last night due to the fact that we are so far down from the pier park that with traffic we just could not get there and instead of getting frustrated at the situation we just relaxed and headed back. It just shows we are not as young as we used to be...I remember cruising that strip for hours without a care in the world. Now I think....wow gas is expensive I can%26#39;t believe people sit in this all night lol.
Finally here in PCB after 10 years
Hey Elly,
So glad to hear ya%26#39;ll are having a good time. DH and I haven%26#39;t been to PCB alone in 15 yrs or so...not since our oldest daughter was about 2 I guess and she%26#39;ll be 17 in August so we miss our ';adult time';. With 3 girls there is no such thing as ';adult time'; any more!!
About Pier Park...I think if you take Back Beach Rd you can get to Pier Park easier and faster than Front Beach. Granted I haven%26#39;t been to PC since last year but I remember seeing a sign off Back Beach that pointed the way to Pier Park one day on our way to Destin. Try that and see if it%26#39;s better for you.
Another question....noticed you are from TN...what part? Do you come down 65? If so do you take 231 or 331? Which do you like best and why?? We take 231 every year when we come down but this year kinda thinking about 331. DH had to have 2 heart valves replaced a week and 1/2 ago and then a pacemaker put in last Monday so IF we get to go end of July as scheduled, I%26#39;ll do the majority of the driving. He doesn%26#39;t mind the little towns and all the turns but I%26#39;d like a ';non stop, direct'; route even if the road is only a 2 lane vs a 4. Plus our daughter%26#39;s boyfriend is going w/us and will help on the driving. I think it%26#39;ll be easier on him too. Appreciate any feedback you can share on that.
Have a great rest of the week.
Karen
We actually did find Pier Park last night after we ate dinner at Shuckums...delicious oysters!!! As for the driving we always take 331.
Why do you prefer 331 over 231?
have you been to hunt%26#39;s oyster bar yet? best fried shrimp i have ever eaten, and fresh oysters too. hope you are having fun, we are headed that way tomorrow.
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