Ultimate Guide to Panama City Beach: Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort

My son and I were recently invited to hit the road and travel north to Panama City Beach. As part of our trip, we met up with other travel mom bloggers and their children. It was a memorable vacation, and I want to share EVERYTHING you need to know to plan your trip to Panama City Beach! As a native Floridian, it was an awesome experience to visit a new beach and try their best restaurants and attractions. I have to admit, their sandy shores and gorgeous water rivals the beaches I’m used to! Follow along this Florida travel series, and get ready to discover everything that Panama City Beach has to offer.

The Hotel

On a recent trip to Panama City Beach, I was fortunate enough to stay at the Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort, which had everything my family needed for a relaxing, fun-filled vacation and then some! The accommodations have all of the comforts of home, while the 11 pools, four Jacuzzis, golf course, tennis courts, water sports, and spa services offer something for everyone.

Edgewater Hotel Panama City Beach Florida

While the resort has a variety of vacation rental options, we stayed in the beautiful Gulf-Front Towers. We made the spacious, one-bedroom suite our home away from home. Having a full kitchen, a washer and a dryer was super convenient, especially after a hot day on the beach, while the private balcony with endless views of the Gulf was nothing short of heavenly. (Picture it: Coffee on the balcony at sunrise…sigh.)

Being a budget-savvy mama, I appreciated saving a few bucks while on vacation by cooking many of our own meals. We did, however, have to try the pizza parlor onsite (aptly named Paradise Pizza). The resort actually has seven eateries, including two offsite, and they also offer room service, in case you’d rather stay in the comfort of your own luxurious suite.

My family loves the water, so we had fun trying out the various pools on the property. My son had fun playing in the splash pad (which has 12 fountains and water features), while I relaxed with a frozen cocktail…Everybody knows you can’t go on a beach vacation without sipping on a drink with an umbrella in it at least once!

Our favorite was the Polynesian-style Lagoon Pool, which has 11,500 square feet of water with an elaborate system of waterfalls and rock islands. (The Lagoon Pool is the only one that isn’t heated year-round, however.)

Edgewater really has every activity imaginable to keep the good times rolling. In addition to golf and tennis, you can have a bonfire on the beach, a dolphin encounter, take a sailboat ride, rent a jet-ski or kayak, and even take surf lessons! The kids’ Adventure Zone has a ropes course and other cool excursions (like scuba diving in the Gulf and poolside movies) that have been tailor-made for families. When you’re ready for a child-free night (Don’t kid yourself, he wants a break from you, too!), sign up for Kid’s Night Out! Pizza, drinks, and entertainment are provided to kids 5 through 12 in this program at a cost of $25 per child.

Lastly, what’s a relaxing beachside vacation in paradise without a trip to the spa? Head over to the Wellness and Fitness Center to burn off some of those vacation calories in the gym, relieve stress with a yoga class, or unwind with a massage. Get a detoxifying seaweed wrap or sea salt glow body exfoliation treatment before heading back to work on Monday.

Whether you spend your time lounging under an umbrella on the white sands of Panama City Beach or venture beyond the resort property to explore the city, Edgewater is the perfect hotel to return to. On our last morning, it started to drizzle every so slightly, and a beautiful rainbow could be seen from our balcony. Talk about a way to end the trip!