Panama City Beach - Part 2 Resort on the Gulf Coast
Written by: Janet Pope
Swimming with Dolphins, a relaxing Florida beach front, tours with the chef and a massage. Who could ask for anything more?
You can hear the waves crashing on the beach outside our hotel windows, and there are faint sounds of the seagulls flying about calling to each other.
As we awoke on Day 2 in Panama City Beach at around 9 a.m., we knew we were late for beach activity as we tuned into the sounds of children's laughter on the sand outside.
We quickly dressed so as to minimize our loss of Florida sunshine, and stopped at the Palapa Beach Club for another great breakfast. This time, I tried the freshly made pancakes with strawberries, and Donald had the biscuits and gravy. Though he found them delicious and a treat, he could actually feel the calories and the carbohydrates enlarging his belt size. We then headed off to explore a little of Panama City Beach, Florida.
Our first destination was St. Andrew's Recreational Area. For a $4.00 parking fee, visitors may explore this natural environment, which of course is more heavily used during the warmer months. St. Andrew’s is a place to walk, jog, bike ride, camp, fish and swim, in a preserved setting. Don and I wanted to exercise a little breakfast off, so we walked a guided nature trail for about 20 minutes. The signage indicated there were many animal species in this Floridian Coastal marshland, but we were happy not to encounter any of its famous alligators.
We headed to the shoreline and just sat a while taking in the sights and sounds of the beach. Visitors were swimming, of course, but many more were strolling, scouting for shells and metal detecting. It was a calm and interesting place to people watch.
There are three main roads through Panama Beach City: Front Beach Road, Middle Beach Road and (of course) Back Beach Road, and they obviously give you their perspective in distance to the beach. We explored all of them.
We drove through the town and passed the standard souvenir shops, 99-cent stores, amusement park rides, fast food concessions, tattoo parlors, seasonal shops closed for the winter, and an abundance of condos and restaurants. We stopped into a few stores in order to help out the winter economy, and I actually bought something with a seashell motif—though I swore I wouldn’t. Anything you can imagine with a shell on it, you can find it here.
After a light lunch on the road, we felt the lure of the Edgewater Resort calling us back. We spent the afternoon alternately sunning, swimming in the heated pool, and relaxing in the hot tub in no particular order. The city we left behind, the nine inches of snow, and the holiday presents that still need to be returned all seemed like a vague memory as we enjoyed the warm Florida weather.
With a full day in the sun under our belts, we showered, changed, and headed back to the Palapa Beach Club. Tonight we began our meal with a Blooming Onion, which wasn’t spicy enough for Donald’s taste. Even I, who won’t use pepper, found it a little plain to taste. But our dinner made up for what our appetizer lacked. After a very generous portion garden salad, Don and I both had the prime rib with sweet potato fries. I asked the waiter what gave them their sweetness, and he told us that after they’re fried, they are sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar.
Our meal was delicious, and this time we didn’t even have room for a half of a dessert.
We spent our evening checking out the local nightlife within walking distance from the Edgewater Beach Resort. We found a shopping strip complete with bars, a movie complex, and a bowling alley and billiards entertainment area for adults. We played a few games of bowling, and then even squeezed in a movie to end our busy day. We’ve found a lot to do here, and to the locals, this is their slow season.
Tomorrow is our last day in Panama City Beach, Florida. Tomorrow we swim with the dolphins. I love this job.
