I am an ex US Air Force crew chief, working on F-15 fighter jets. Currently, I am a stay at home da...
I am an ex US Air Force crew chief, working on F-15 fighter jets. Currently, I am a stay at home dad, and my wife is in the military. I have a degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology and in Advertising. I like to trip little kids in the park.
Member since:19.01.2005
Reviews:12
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Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists descend upon Panama City Beach Florida for spring break and every year, thousands of people are hit with one of the most entertaining cities in Florida, well, during spring break anyway.
Safety The city of Panama City Beach is actually quite a bit safer than one might suspect. While there are loads of people coming from all over the place, and keeping track of trends is somewhat difficult, the police are out in force. You'll find them mostly riding bikes around the beach shops, however, you will see them out on the beaches as well, flip flopping around.
They are even out late at night on the beaches making sure that no one is doing anything that they shouldn't be. Patrol cars are also out directing traffic and keeping the order as best as they can on the streets and around the outskirts of Panama City Beach.
Cleanliness While the city does get a little beat up from time to time for the most part it's not all that bad. I have never really had any major complaints with the area at all. They do have quite a few trash cans and make a great effort to ensure that the area is kept clean, but sometimes it does get a little on the rough side, especially after major beach parties.
The beach Panama City beach, is a great soft sand beach, that is actually known for it's sand dollars. The problem is that you aren't going to really find all that many, because there are just so many people there, making finding even one full sand
dollar virtually impossible.
One thing that you can have a lot of fun doing though, is going out at night and catching the crabs. I remember one night, myself, my friend Ryan, and I all went out to the beach, but we all went and made sure that we got safari hats first. So, we got our safari hats, and made our way out to the beach to harass the crabs. We would find massive holes, and we would dig them out. Of course we'd let them go, but first we'd measure them and see who could catch the biggest of the crabs. We got bit so many times that night, it was quite painful at times.
The Parties Of course in a party town, you're going to make sure that you party, so obviously if you are going to party, you're going to have to know where to go.
The best place and probably the most famous in the world currently is Club La Vela, located right on the beach. This is the world's largest club, with so many dance floors, it's just unbelievable, they have all sorts of live music all of the time. There are crazy competitions and so much going on during spring break, that you'll definitely have a great time, no matter what your style is.
Another great party place is actually right next to Club La Vela. It's Spinnakers Beach Club. This club is a whole lot of fun and a whole lot cheaper than La Vela. The great thing about Spinnaker's is that it's a lot calmer and has a massive beach deck. You aren't bombarded with extremely hard music and you don't have to dance to have fun. This is a great place to go and just hang out and meet other people. They have a dance floor and they have many of the things that La Vela has, however, they have a lot more tables and you can eat food there, making it a great place to go, eat, and greet.
One of the newest and best additions to Panama City is Coyote Ugly, which has become extremely packed. Based on the movie, Coyote Ugly features a bunch of sexy bartender ladies, scantily clad, dancing on the bar top, and spraying the men down. This club has a lot more women than you'd expect, and is a whole lot of fun, regardless of what you want out of your trip.
Entertainment Of course on a beach, you would assume that you are just going to go to the beach and that's it... well, not in Panama City Beach, home to apparently the world's most identical putt-putt golf courses.
Pretty much wherever you go in Panama City, you are going to find a putt-putt golf course and go-cart place. They are all pretty fun to go to and have some pretty insane courses for the go-carts, but they are everywhere and once you have done one, you've done them all.
During the day, just hang out at any of the many beaches and you are sure to find some live entertainment, either local or national bands, that will just pop up from time to time. There are lots of car shows that happen, bike rides, and all sorts of things that just pull through the city time to time.
Shopping If you want something that is truly Panama City, then you will have absolutely no problem finding it. You can either visit a shop that features a massive shark where you have to walk through it's mouth to get to the shop, or you can visit one of the many Beach stores, which are massive in size, with multiple floors and sell nothing but beach and pool fun supplies. One of these locations is called the Palace. They are everywhere, and aren't hard to find at all.
Another great place to shop, but it's more on the adult side of things, would be Condom Knowledge, they have several locations all over the place, but they sell a lot of hilarious novelty items that you just can't find anywhere else. Definitely a cool place just to check out or to buy something for yourself. A lot of fun!
And if you really want to take a piece of the beach with you, check out She Sells Seashells, which is a massive sea shell place, that sells all sorts of individual shells extremely cheap. They even have different items that are made out of shells that you can take home and place on display in your home. Really cool store! Great prices!
Restaurants Obviously, while you're in Florida, you can get some of the greatest seafood around, but who needs Seafood when you've got Hooters. One of the best Hooters in the world, is right in Panama City Beach, Florida. Filled with some of the finest in fake women, this hooters sits right on the beach and draws massive crowds every single day.
Another great restaurant that is a little more family friendly is Hooks, a massive pirate ship that actually has individuals dress up as pirates during certain times of the year to serve the food. They serve a very wide variety of food, but focus mainly on seafood, obviously. This place is a whole lot fun for children especially. The food here is actually pretty good and their prices are more than reasonable.
Hotels Since I never actually stayed in a hotel here, I just lived here with the military, I'm not really sure of where to stay or where to recommend. My wife stayed in a few hotels while visiting me and she recommends the national brands such as the Hampton Inn and apparently the Comfort Inn are both quite nice and much more affordable than the massive skyrisers right along the beach. These hotels were both about 15 minutes away from the beach. However, there are lots of hotels to choose from right on the beach, if you don't want to have to worry about travel.
Overview Panama City Beach is a great city to go, especially during the peak seasons. There are always things going on in the city, that make the city that much more fun. All of the clubs are constantly featuring different events as well, so there's always something going on.
If you are looking for something a little calmer, then make sure to come during the summer months, which is when the area converts from sexy Spring Break mayhem to a more relaxed family oriented environment in the summer months.
And if you're just there for the bodies... there are more than you can imagine!
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Advantages: Excellent trek leader, activities, flexibility and facilities. Disadvantages: Expensive pre-trek hotel night, cooking and cleaning for yourself and putting up tents
Renza 03.10.2009 (03.10.2009)
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