With all the new condos in Panama City Beach, this could be the best season to find a bargain for spring break. So start early and shop around. The best way I have found is to search 8-10 websites and email the owners and ask for their best rate. I had one friend last year who identified the building they wanted to be in and then went to vrbo.com and emailed every owner in that building who had a vrbo page. There are always a few owners who want to make sure they have rentors even at a deeply discounted rate. Then sit back, relax and enjoy your spring break in Panama City Beach.

Alright, I know this is my Panama City Beach Blog but for the last 2 Labor Day weekend's we have traveled to Hilton Head. In 2006, we stayed at the Westin. The Westin is a true resort with a fantastic atmosphere and I would highly recommend it to my readers.

However, this year we chose to stay at the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort. Although the facility has Resort as part of its name, I would not consider this much of a resort. We stayed in unit 215 in the Admirals Row Building. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived we were greeted by a large Palmetto bug (or roach) in the guest bathroom. And we continued to be greeted by atleast one each day of our stay. In fact our youngest daughter woke our entire family at 7 a.m. the first morning as she ventured to the restroom only to find another roach staring her in the face. I consider the accommodations to be fair to average at best but nothing approaching what I consider resort accommodations. Since we traveled with 4 other families, I base my opinion not only on the condo we stayed in, but the other 4 condos our friends stayed in as well.

Also upon arrival, the 2 plastic chairs on the balcony were broken and more importantly dangerous to sit on. After notifying the management, they did deliver 2 new chairs the next day. I would give them credit, but I would not have expected chairs in this condition in the first place.

I will most likely stay elsewhere when visiting Hilton Head in the future.

Thanks for being loyal readers. I promise my next post will stay focused on the Panama City Beach area.

I have to admit, I have not visited Regency Towers (one of my usual stomping grounds) in 2 years. Why? Well I thought I would try some of the newer resorts popping up all around panama city (ie. Emerald Beach Resort).  But truly I have missed staying there.  Regency Towers in Panama City Beach has many great amenities  including 2 beachfront pools, parking right in front of the building, tennis courts, hot tubs and a poolside cafe and boardwalk leading to the beach.

Regency Towers is an oldie but a goodie.  For more information on regency towers resort click on the link above.  For more on Panama City Beach click here.

One of my family's favorite treats is eating at Schooners which is located on the east end of panama city. Schooners is an open air restaurant located right on the beach. They usually have live music and the food is delicious. My favorite is the seafood gumbo which is what I ordered this time as well (along with an order of hush puppies). Both my girls ordered the children's shrimp plate (which is served on a Frisbee) and a frozen strawberry daiquiri (virgin of course). All the children's plates are very reasonably priced and come on a frisbee you can take back to your vacation home for endless hours of entertainment. The live music is always enjoyable and you can sip on cold one or enjoy your favorite frozen drink. For more information on dining in panama city click the link. To comb thru a list of condos in panama city click here.

Wow! How about crab legs....Okay so the rest of the buffet is just good. But the crab legs at Bishop's are great.....The price was around $21 for adults and $12 for my kids. They have an all you can eat Buffet and the crab legs are the highlight. This was my family's first time to Bishops. Here is what we learned. Get a huge plate of crab legs for your table. When the table is about half way done, send a member of your party to the buffet for another plate of crab legs. So by the time you return no one is waiting. Good food, good value. My family will definately return to Bishops. This is a must for your visit to Panama City Beach Florida.

For more on Panama City Beach and restaurants or dining in Panama City Beach click on the links in this sentence.