Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach is on the cusp of exploding in to a national resort destination. Destin, South Walton and Panama City Beach comprise the Emerald Coast and is the number two tourist destination in Florida behind Orlando.
The planned opening of the international airport in 2009 in Panama City Beach, the planned completion of a Simon property mall to include the already opened Rave Theater Complex and the naming of Panama City by Money Magazine as the projected fastest growing city in the United States is making Panama City a community to watch. There are numerous gulf front condos and upscale planned communities such as Carillon Beach pictured above.
Sterling Breeze Rentals – Condos to Watch in Panama City Beach
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Panama City Beach Living
The recent announcement that the Seabreeze Jazz Festival is moving from Gulf Place in Walton County to Pier Park in Panama City Beach will give the Sterling Breeze condo rentals a real shot in the arm. The visitors who rent Sterling Breeze condos will have a variety of pluses based on their selection.
Why Sterling Breeze rentals?
(Click on all pictures to Enlarge).
The Sterling Breeze rentals should be full for all five days of the Seabreeze Jazz Festival for several reasons. First, you will be able to walk to Pier Park from Sterling Breeze. You can walk down the beach or down a sidewalk to be built.
This is not pertinent to the Jazz Festival, but imagine the impact on Sterling Breeze rentals when the new Panama City International Airport is finished in about two years. What will be pertinent are the tastefully furnished gulf front units (all units directly gulf front).
For visitors who experience Sterling Breeze rentals for the first time they will be surprised at the unique touches throughout including several flat panel televisions in each unit. The bedrooms are all tastefully decorated and every unit is completely furnished down to forks and knives.
There are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy with Sterling Breeze rentals (although you could spend some time in their fully equipped gym overlooking the gulf). First and foremost is the Gulf of Mexico – but you can also enjoy the beautiful infinity edge pool, the overflow whirlpool and a wine and tapas bar (again with flat panel displays) that overlooks the pool.
The Seabreeze Jazz Festival will make Sterling Breeze rentals a tough reservation for five days in the spring, but rentals in Sterling Breeze should be brisk year round particularly once Pier Park is built out – and certainly once the new International Airport is complete.
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Top 5 Sports Bars for Football on the Emerald Coast
September 25th, 2007 Categories: Panama City Beach Living, Restaurant Reviews, Sandestin Living
It’s that time of the year when sports bars become very important in many of our lives. With the advent of Thursday and Friday night college football games, the only two nights that football junkies can’t get their fix is on Tuesday and Wednesday. And with the upcoming baseball playoffs, look for those two nights to be taken too. Nothing is more fun than gathering with friends and family to take in one of these sporting events at one of our great sports bars. Here are our nominations for The Top 5 Sports Bars in our area in descending order.
Honorable Mention – Sportsbook Grill & Bar in Destin, Pineapple Willies on Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach & Acme Oyster Bar in Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin.
Number 5 – Calypso Beach Cafe and Sports Grill in the west end of Panama City Beach on Front Beach Road next to Calypso Condominiums and Pier Park. My guest and I were there an opening day with a bunch of friends who are avid Ole Miss fans. We watched them hang on to beat Memphis 23-21 in one of the many rooms that are available in this much larger than meets the eye venue. The Rebels haven’t tasted victory again after three more games, although a moral victory/loss to the Gators gives Rebel fans a glimmer of hope.
This is an excellent place to watch your favorite team with over 100 televisions available with 16 of them being larger than 50″. The manager is incredibly energetic and would make for an excellent special teams coach, as the guy is fired up like crazy every time I’ve seen him. We sampled some of their game fare with the best being the sauteed crab claws. They were a little stringy but the sauce was excellent, and everybody at the table was dipping whatever they had (crackers, tortilla chips, quesadillas, etc) in to that sauce. Hoddy Toddy!
Number 4 – Johny O’Quigleys in Destin. Drop the shoppers off at Destin Commons and the readers off at Books A Million or Barnes & Noble and pick them up in three hours or so after the game is over. O’Quigleys is across the street from the mall, has plenty of bar fare and a rollicking place to take in the game with a whole lot of televisions and a lively crowd. We watched the Saints go out of the playoffs last year at the hands of Da Bears at this site, and it was an unhappy partisan Saint crowd that left the restaurant that day. Three games in to the season and the Saints nor the fans have recovered from that beating based on their performance (0-3) so far this year.
Number 3 – Beef O’Brady’s in the Market Shops at Sandestin. Not only do you have televisions at your table to go along with the big screens, but you have an outside area (with bar) to take in games (and people watch) when the weather cooperates – which is most of the time. We arrived late a couple of Saturday nights ago, sat outside and saw the last few minutes of Alabama’s dramatic and exhilirating (for Tide fans) comeback win over the Razorbacks of Arkansas. Tide fans are now back to earth after the Bulldogs returned to the hedges with an overtime victory in Tuscaloosa. Alabama backers still have the inkling that Saban is the one to lead them back to a national championship that they haven’t tasted since the Sugar Bowl victory over Miami in 1993.
Number 2 – Buster’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Miramar Beach. I have to admit that I’m influenced by their oysters and what I feel is the best gumbo in the area that is served at Buster’s. But beyond that there is always a lively crowd on game day at Buster’s watching the 30 televisions that are on display. Buster’s has been a game day tradition for 20 years, and in our area – that’s a real long time. They have a great children’s menu, and it is probably the most kid friendly place to take the whole family to watch the game.
Number 1 – Angler’s Beachside Grill on Okaloosa Island in Ft. Walton – a legend!Click Here to read a full review of Anglers.
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Homes Sold & Homes for Sale in Rosemary Beach – July
August 13th, 2007 Categories: Panama City Beach Living, Real Estate News, Rosemary Beach Living
There were three single family homes sold in Rosemary Beach in July. It was an interesting mix that produced the least expensive sale of a full size home (cottage in this case) in Rosemary Beach in 2007, a short sale and a unique home featured in “Romantic Home Magazine”.
The smallest of the three – 1500 square feet – sold for $925,000, and while another home did sell for slightly less in March – it was a Carriage House with less than 1000 square feet.
The “Romantic” home (blue shutters) is 2686 square feet, three bedrooms, four baths, a beautiful gulf view and went for $3,350,000. Not only is this home one lot back from the gulf front lots, it also has a great view of the Western Green and on to the gulf. It also includes a private elevator, two fireplaces, a private courtyard with fountain and more. Nice…
Homes Sold in Rosemary Beach – July
Total # of Listings 3
Lowest Price Listing $925,000
Highest Price Listing $3,350,000
Average Price $2,091,667
Avg. Price/SqFt $737
Avg. Days on Market 558
At the beginning of August there were 85 homes for sale in Rosemary Beach. They range in price from a two bedroom, one bath, 710 square foot carriage house that is under construction for $809,000 to a 4356 sf home with six bedroom, six and a half baths for $5.495 million.
While this is the most expensive of the homes for sale in Rosemary Beach, it does have great gulf views and the square footage includes a 484 square foot carriage house. It was featured in Decor Magazine and in South Accents Magazine twice including once when the kitchen (red cabinets and stainless steel appliances) was featured on the front cover in March, 2004.
Graph of Homes for Sale in Rosemary Beach – Early August
(Click on graph above to enlarge)
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