Panama City Beach is situated in Northwest Florida in the South East of the USA, and has wonderful year round mild temperatures, great beaches and friendly people. The area, known as Bay County, overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and the beach has natural dunes and reported crystal clear-blue waters. If you’re lucky enough, you might decide to visit in October when the town holds the annual Indian Summer Festival, a three-night music festival boasting great entertainment and good food.

The resort has been receiving improvements since early 2000 so you will find now high-rise condo’s (apartment blocks) or small beach huts on the waterfront. An all out beach party is said to be had here, all year round. Currency is US Dollars ($).

Who Comes To Panama City Beach?
Panama City Beach has year round mild sub-tropical climates which attracts visitors not just in the summer season. Local teenagers frequent spots like the beach and the ‘Strip’ however there is a more structured party atmosphere too, asides hanging around on the street, and there are clubs and bars to speak of that attract those in their 20′s to late 30′s from various American states and Brits and other Europeans come here for the beautiful beaches and big clubs.

When does the Season Begin in Panama City Beach?
Panama City Beach resort has great weather – for nine months of the year it’s above 22.7Âº (March to November) and the water is usually warm too (above 17Âº in March to Nov) with the hottest months being June to October.

Airport Information
There are plenty of airports in Florida, from Daytona Beach International Airport to Orlando International Aiport. In a perfect world, the best airport is Panama City – Bay County Airport which is only a 15 minute journey from the resort. Prices vary depending on type of transport – limousine, taxi, luxury car – but most people choose to hire a car for the duration of their stay and all the large companies operate here so you can book before you go (Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, Avis).

Panama City Beach Nightlife
There are loads of beach clubs here, plus the usual bars and nightclubs, but mind the strip if you don’t want to hang out with teenagers or students! Clubs get busy and you can buy VIP discount cards (like the Rockstar VIP card) for around $60 / â¬45 / £30 which entitles you to jump queues and get free drinks, discount on entry to various attractions and entry to VIP events along with free entry to that club. However, be aware that most clubs do this type of card, but the entry fee may only be $5 / â¬3.70 / £2.50 if you get there early, and most people get free drinks anyway so don’t waste money and check it out properly first.

If you’re staying in the resort everything is within walking distance however if you’re staying at Panama City you will have to catch taxis to get to the busy spots. A few clubs to note that have had rave reviews are the enormous Club La Vela and The Spinnaker which both have pools (read: pool parties), indoor and outdoor areas and food.

Local Drinks
A glass of house wine can cost $4.50 / â¬3.30 £2.25 or a branded wine around $6.50 / â¬4.80 / £3.25. Perhaps you would like a cocktail, at around $9 / â¬6.60 / £4.50 you can get an ‘Island Iced Tea’ but it’s strong – very strong – so take care. A draft beer, like Bud, is just $2 / â¬1.50 / £1.

Local Cuisine
Panama City Beach has oodles of restaurants – Chinese, Italian, American, Mexican – and they are mostly averagely priced. You can try some seafood at somewhere like ‘Pier 77′ or ‘Billys Oyster Bar’, both on Thomas Drive, where a meal for one with wine might cost up to $20 / â¬15 / £10. I’ve heard that ‘Calypso Shrimp’ is worth a try at the ‘Calypso Beach Cafe and Grill’ for under $8 / â¬6 / £4.

Boy/Girl Ratio
Although I couldn’t find any exact figures on this, you can expect a pretty equal match of males to females simply due to the fact that everyone comes here – singles, couples, families and groups.

Panama City Beach Beaches
Students visit the beach by day and it can get quite drunken and rowdy, however there are lots of areas of the beach that are quiet and great for children and the beaches are gorgeous.

Just west of Panama City Beach is Laguna beach, currently famous for the Laguna City series shown on MTV and Panama City Beach has lovely pale soft sand and loads of activities to take part in.