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Many of the lodging selections here revolve around extended-stay options: resorts, condos, and time-shares that allow for a week or more in simple efficiencies, as well as fully furnished homes. There are also cabins, such as the ones that rest between the dunes at Grayton Beach. In any case, these are great for families and get-togethers, allowing you to do your own housekeeping and cooking, and explore the area without tour guides.
Local visitors' bureaus often act as clearinghouses for these types of properties, and you can also search online for vacation rentals. On the coast, but especially inland, the choices seem geared more toward mom-and-pop motels in addition to the usual line of chain hotels. During the summer and over holiday weekends, always reserve ahead for top properties.
This urban-chic hotel provides the tree-lined downtown district with a bit of trendy fun courtesy of loft-style rooms with bright, minimalist decor. The hotel encourages travelers to get social in the w xyz bar, which buzzes after dark, or around the pool table in the re:mix lounge. Guest rooms are on the small side but have great amenities for the techie—a plug-and-play connectivity station and complimentary Wi-Fi—as well as bathrooms with rain shower heads.
Old-world charm and lovely architecture make perfect partners at this resort in a unique “planned village community” with lots of amenities, including four swimming pools, two hot tubs, two tennis courts, a playground, and a full-service spa and salon. Rosemary Beach is 2 miles away, and it's a 6-mile drive to Panama City Beach’s Pier Park.
Not only does this boutique property, the newest hotel within the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort complex, have coastal chic written all over it, but its sleek rooms have Gulf or Choctawhatchee Bay views. The vistas are also spectacular from the Ara Rooftop Pool & Lounge, which serves creative cocktails, as well as salads and other quick bites. At Ovide, chef Hugh Acheson uses French techniques and seasonal local ingredients to prepare inspired dishes at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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