Panama City Beach---HELP!!!

[RookieDisneyMom]

My family is planning our first beach vacation. I researched many hotels and condos to rent for a 4 night stay. I really like the Edgewater Resort and the prices is in our budget. Has anyone rented directly from this resort? I have read good reviews and bad reviews on the resort so I am curious if any fellow Disers have had any encounters with this resort and if it is a good resort for a family?

 

[Mom loves Disney]

We have used them in the past and was disappointed one time. Make sure you specify what type of room you want. If not happy upon arrival go back and see what they can do.
We now have an aunt that has a condo at Edgewater so we just rent from her. We really like the resort. Have Fun!!!

 

[DisneyJana]

We have stayed at the Emerald Beach resort by Wyndham.. Very nice - directly on the beach and has a Starbucks in it!!
You can rent directly from the owner by using the vrbo.com site.
Have also stayed at Tidewater, Splash, Calypso and Tropic Winds.
You can rent any of these from vrbo.com. They are all in the newer " west" beach part of PC close to the Pier Park shopping and dining attractions.

Hope this helps

 

[mafibisha]

Just wanted to suggest that you check into Destin too. We've been to all the Emerald Coast beaches and Destin is by far the most family oriented and beautiful. There isn't a "bad" or run-down part anywhere. Its more expensive because of it, however.
The sand however, is fabulous all along the gulf coast. I really miss it!!

 

[crusoe2]

I believe Edgewater is where my MIL rented a condo for a big family trip a few years ago. If I'm thinking of the right place, there are two main sections - a highrise that is right on the beach and a large area of 2 story bldgs across the street from the beach. The units across the street from the beach are on a golf course. There can be a lot of difference between units. As things worked out, MIL couldn't get there on check-in day so we went down ahead of the rest of the family and took care of checking in. The first unit they sent us to was right next to Hwy 98 - the main drag w/bumper to bumper traffic, kids on motorbikes and those dune buggy things they have for rent down there. Lots of traffic and noise. People had their car radios blaring and kids were yelling back and forth from car to car - just the usual nighttime beach party atmosphere. We didn't really mind it but we didn't want to stay right next to it. I mean I could stand on the balcony and tell you exactly what people were wearing (or not), could hear people's conversations, etc. We and DH's brother had babies at the time so we knew this unit was not going to work for us. Besides that, the unit looked like it was decorated in the 70's. We called the office and, after some haggling, we were able to get moved to a much nicer unit that was located near the back of the property. Made for kind of a long walk over to the beach but it was definitely worth it. We had a quieter location and the unit had been recently refurbed and had MUCH nicer furnishings. Once we were moved, we were fine and thought it was a great place to stay. Loved the pool at the highrise. The ones over in the golf course area were just plain basic pools but the main pool was really nice.

Bottom line - if you stay there, you want to be very clear about where your unit is located and I would recommend trying to get pictures of the specific unit so that you know what you're getting. I also recommend getting there as early in the day as you can so that you can resolve any problems with your unit before it gets late. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we didn't get there till about 9PM. By the time we resolved all our problems and actually got into the quiet unit we'd been promised, it was midnight and we still had to make a grocery run. At the time of the night about the only place open is a big huge Walmart down the strip and that place is busy at all hours.