Twenty-seven miles of beautiful white sandy beaches, emerald waters, 320 days of sunshine annually and lots of child friendly activities.
Why go?
Panama City Beach is in North West Florida, and although it’s a long haul trip for your family, it’s also the ideal destination to unwind for a long break in the sunshine. It has 27 miles of beautiful white sandy beaches, emerald waters, 320 days of sunshine annually and lots of child friendly activities: from building sandcastles and shelling on the beach to water parks and nature trails, it offers endless amounts of family fun.
Activities
Panama City Beach is renowned for its aquatic adventures, so take to the water and enjoy snorkelling, canoeing, paddle boarding, skim boarding and fishing.
For an activity your kids won’t forget, go dolphin spotting: Shell Island has the highest population of bottle nosed dolphins in the world so get your camera at the ready. If you and the kids want to get up close and personal to these friendly water creatures, head to Gulf World Marine Park where you can be a trainer for the day and help care for the dolphins, sea lions, tropical birds and reptiles.
You can even spend a night snoozing with the sea life on an educational overnight stay where you can learn about the night time habits of marine life. For a retro amusement park, head to the fun filled Miracle Strip at Pier Park.
Accommodation
The majority of accommodation at Panama City Beach is self-catering. Splash! is Panama City Beach’s newest beachfront resort that has a waterpark, including kids’ pool park with waterslides, interactive water toys, a lazy river ride and a dive-in movie theatre.
Edgewater Beach Resort will be launching the exciting new Adventure Zone in summer 2013 that will also feature a Splash Zone and Sky Trail.
And for views overlooking St. Andrews Bay, you’ll find a luxury retreat at Baypoint Wyndham Resort with a private beach and golf course.
The lowdown
Cost: Two bed, two bathroom accommodation at Splash!; from $159 per night.
How to get there: Delta flies from London Heathrow to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (via Atlanta); from £642 return.
Travel time: A flight from London is around 10 hours, and transfer time to Panama City Beach is just 15 minutes.