Florida, Destin, Panama city or Panhandle area

[yumdrey]

Hello, I am trying to book early summer 2009 in above area. I am checking through II and there's a resort name of "Escapes! to Tropical Breeze Resort at Panama City Beach". Has anyone been there before? I cannot find review or rating about this resort in TUG, it seems like II 5 star resort. Pictures look nice, but I want to get other tuggers' opinion.
There's also resort named "Marriott Legends edge at bay point", but the rating in tug is not that good (below 8.5). Is this resort too far from the beach? Any resort recommendation in that area? Thank you!

[Steamboat Bill]

I really like the Sandestin (Destin) area as it is pretty nice.

[yumdrey]

Thank you Bill, is Sandestin name of area or resort?

[Steamboat Bill]

Originally Posted by yumdrey

Thank you Bill, is Sandestin name of area or resort?

check out

http://www.sandestin.com/

http://www.beachesofsouthwalton.com/Sandestin_beach.asp

http://www.seasidefl.com/

[pcgirl54]

We stayed at the Marriott Hotel there. It is a very nice secluded area in Bay Point and seperate from PB about 5-6 years ago. There is St Andrew's State Park with a nice beach nearby Marriott and we did a bay cruise to Shell Island from a vendor near the bridge toward Panama City which is not the same as Panama Beach City. You can also take a shuttle from the state park to Shell Island and there was a reason we did not but I cannot recall why now.

http://www.shellislandtours.com/faq.htm

http://www.floridastateparks.org/StAndrews/default.cfm

Try this link and you can see the roads and Bay Point.

http://maps.yahoo.com/map?q1=4345%20...L%2032408%20us

Panama Beach City was honky tonky IMHO but there were a lot of people and families with children there. There were a lot of hotels on the PBC strip and a lot of places to eat that are reasonable. A few amusement rides and a couple of dance clubs on Thomas Drive.

The panhandle beaches are wide with soft sand and advertised as emerald coast as the water is greenish tint not aqua.


I highly recommend this drive: We drove on RT 30A west toward Destin and visited the beachside communities Seaside,Watercolor and Rosemary beach. Tall beach homes of pastel colors. Seaside is where they filmed the Jim Carey movie Truman. Town square,pretty homes with sidewalks and a few shops. The beach is across the street. It is worth stopping there. Rt 30 to Destin was more to our liking and we thought if we ever returned we would stay there.

[yumdrey]

Thank you!

[Steamboat Bill]

Originally Posted by pcgirl54

I highly recommend this drive: We drove on RT 30A west toward Destin and visited the beachside communities Seaside,Watercolor and Rosemary beach. Tall beach homes of pastel colors. Seaside is where they filmed the Jim Carey movie Truman. Town square,pretty homes with sidewalks and a few shops. The beach is across the street. It is worth stopping there. Rt 30 to Destin was more to our liking and we thought if we ever returned we would stay there.

Yes, I agree with you...also check out the Sandestin development (Club Intrawest located there) where there is a nice shopping/restaurant development called Baytowne Wharf. I think it is gated, but you just tell them you are going to the mall area. There is a nice long dock to the bay there.

[AwayWeGo]

Our 1st ever Florida Panhandle vacation is coming up in January 2009 -- a straight week-for-week RCI exchange, swapping our 2008 week in our dinky African grass shack for a 1BR luxury suite at Club Intrawest-Sandestin (RCI #6738), Miramar Beach, Florida, USA.

I can hardly wait.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[Steamboat Bill]

Originally Posted by AwayWeGo

Our 1st ever Florida Panhandle vacation is coming up in January 2009 -- a straight week-for-week RCI exchange, swapping our 2008 week in our dinky African grass shack for a 1BR luxury suite at Club Intrawest-Sandestin (RCI #6738), Miramar Beach, Florida, USA.

I can hardly wait.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

Shux...that is a great trade and you will LOVE the Sandestin area and the restaurants in the Wharf.

What is Miramar Beach????

[AwayWeGo]

Originally Posted by Steamboat Bill

What is Miramar Beach?

Google Maps shows it in between Choctawhatchee Bay & the Gulf Of Mexico -- & according to RCI that's where the timeshare is.

We've been favorably impressed with the all-positive reviews on TUG & on RCI -- not 1 discouraging word.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[Steamboat Bill]

Originally Posted by AwayWeGo

Google Maps shows it in between Choctawhatchee Bay & the Gulf Of Mexico -- & according to RCI that's where the timeshare is.

We've been favorably impressed with the all-positive reviews on TUG & on RCI -- not 1 discouraging word.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

The Google maps for this is incorrect....the property is located NorthEast about 1/2 mile where the marina is on the bay side (not ocean side)...look for the Sandestin Gold & Beach Resort on the map and the CI property is just South of it.

[AwayWeGo]

Originally Posted by Steamboat Bill

The Google maps for this is incorrect.

Shux, it's unlike Google to let us down like that with 1 of its Internet maps.

Here's hoping TomTom One won't lead us astray when we aim the minivan down that way come January.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[Holly]

I'm here now at the new Wyndham Emerald Beach Resort in Panama City. We are on the 21th floor, all units are directly facing the ocean. It's awesome, and we are having a fantastic time.

[Mel]

Tropical Breeze trades through both RCI and II. It used to be a small independant resort only trading through RCI.

The building was rebuilt (completely) and reopened about 3 years ago. The II units are most likely those owned through Escapes resort group, and their point program.