My girlfriend and I (both 29) want to take a quick weekend trip to a nice beach somewhere on the Florida panhandle to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I am tittering between, Panama City, Pensacola and Destin. I am leaning towards the Plazzo Condominiums in Panama City because it seems to have the most going on as far as nightlife for adults and still has a beautiful beach... however the whole 'red-neck Rivera' is not that alluring.
Here is our wish list for location and hotel:
Beach front/preferably with beach service included
Nice comfortable, clean rooms
Lively active area for shopping/dining/nightlife
GLBT friendly
Price range is flexible as it will only be for 2 nights, but I'd like to stay under $600 for the 2 nights.
Any lodging suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Florida Panhandle for quick anniversary getaway
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When?
Oops sorry! May sometime before Memorial day.
Well, if it's Memorial Day weekend the place to be would be Pensacola Beach. That's the big Pride weekend each year -
http://gaytravel.about.com/od/previewsofpridefestivals/qt/Pensacola_Mem.htm
If you are looking for bars and nightlife, Panama City has them...but I'm not sure how GLBT friendly that would be.
If you want a great beach place where being gay won't be an issue I'd say Seaside or the area around it -
http://www.30a.com/restaurants.php
Destin would probably work too. I'm not much of a fan of PCB.
Thanks for the feedback... it will most like be May 13-15 though. I will look into Seaside, haven't looked at that at all yet.
The area around Seaside has really grown in the last few years. Lots of upscale subdivisions and the resulting shops/restaurants/etc to support them. Not a lot of hotel options though. Seagrove historically has been less expensive (it predated Seaside) and the area on the other side has really grown. PLUS some of the prettiest beaches in the area.
My other favorite is the Cape San Blas area but that is NO nightlife.
If you are on Facebook, "friend" 30a to get daily updates of what's going on. It's the polar opposite of PCB.
PCB should fit the bill nicely
Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to look more into Pensacola seems more GLBT friendly than PCB.
I live at Pensacola Beach. The residents on the Island are mostly GLBT friendly - we're by and large a pretty laid-back, live and let live, bunch. The same cannot be said of a considerable, and very vocal, segment of the population once you cross the Three Mile Bridge into Pensacola and the rest of Escambia County.
At times the Pensacola News-Journal has several days of anti-gay letters to the editor. You should have seen the uproar when the folks who run the Pride weekend tried to get some tourism tax money to help bring comedian Kathy Griffin in for that weekend. That said, there is a very active GLBT community in the area. Afterall, they started the Pride weekend and it has survived hurricanes, oil spills and a poor economy.
Our beaches are beautiful and most of the time, so is our water. I wouldn't live in PCB or Destin if somebody paid me. Total zoos compared to life here on the Island. However, their water is more consistently that beautiful, clear blue-green than ours because they're farther west of the Mississippi River delta. Heavy run-off into the River, coupled with several days of strong west winds and high surf can turn our Gulf waters to a less appealing shade.
Because Pensacola Beach is small compared to Destin and PCB, our nightlife/dining/shopping is somewhat limited. But for two nights, I think it would be adequate for you. I think beach service is included for most, if not all, of the Gulf front hotels, but since I never stay in them I can't swear to it.
Basically, it comes down less to how GLBT friendly an area is - I think any of the beaches will be more so, than the inland areas - and more to how crowded/lively/touristy you want the place to be.
Not trying to convince you to go elsewhere, just want you to have a realistic picture of what it can be like here. I love it because it isn't like PBC and Destin. I can't speak to the Seaside or Seagrove areas as I haven't spend much time there is years.
Hope you find the spot that's just right for you.