Fall Break at the Springhill Suites Panama City Beach Beachfront | Florida
- Taryn
- Feb 24
- 7 min read
For Fall Break in October of 2024, I drove my teens to Panama City Beach (PCB) from our home in New Orleans. As a fairly new resort hotel that opened in 2019 with a gorgeous beachfront location and a large number of amenities, I chose to book the Springhill Suites Panama City Beach Beachfront.
I absolutely love the Emerald Coast along the Florida panhandle during October. It's typically way too hot for me in the summer, but fall generally has perfect temperatures. Additionally, it's usually less crowded than the spring and summer months. However, for this trip, it was busier than most fall days we've been in the past as it coincided with Columbus Day holiday weekend.
CHECK-IN
After parking in the on-site garage (take note that there is a daily charge), which takes up the first three levels, we took the elevator up to the lobby. We were instantly greeted with large windows that presented breathtaking Gulf views. We arrived around check-in time, but since it was a holiday weekend and the hotel had just hosted Hurricane Helene evacuees, our room was not ready. The desk staff member who assisted us was very apologetic and gave us a credit for the restaurant to get refreshments while we waited for our room. The staff stored our luggage and we proceeded to the restaurant, the Compass Kitchen + Bar on the same level.
We weren't terribly hungry so we ordered drinks and desserts. We selected the hot lava chocolate cake and the croissant bread pudding--both were delicious, but the bread pudding was absolutely divine!
The lobby affords many comfortable lounge areas overlooking the beach and also extra dining tables to enjoy the buffet breakfast in the mornings.
THE ROOM
After about a half hour of enjoying our refreshments at the restaurant, our room was ready, so we headed up to the 8th floor. We absolutely loved the room. It was super clean, spacious and modern. Each bed came with three pillows and all were very comfortable.
The inland view was very lovely, but I would recommend getting a room with a beachfront balcony. We booked very late, so the balcony rooms were sold out. I very much missed being able to sit out on a balcony drinking coffee while watching the waves. Balcony rooms do cost more, but with the gorgeous views of the Gulf Coast they are totally worth it.
The room includes a sofa and coffee table, whereby the sofa transforms into a sofa sleeper, but the three of us fit comfortably in the queen beds and didn't need the sofa sleeper.
We thought that the desk area was super cute with its clean design and palm decor. The mini-fridge is hidden in the cabinet and there were two complementary bottles of water and in-room coffee, which is very handy in the mornings.
The bathroom was very clean and had very bright lighting. Bottles of refillable body wash, shampoo and conditioner were attached to the tile in the bath/shower combo. A hair dryer hung from the wall by the sink and towels were well-stocked.
THE POOL
From the elevator, Level P leads to the pool area where you do need your room key to enter. The hotel has a small lazy river attached to a beautiful zero entry pool. The hotel didn't appear to supply tubes, so guests brought their own.
Located near the lazy river end of the pool, there are cabana rentals that are a great splurge--guaranteeing covered lounge space with optional privacy and amenities such as a ceiling fan, television and add-ons like hydration or mimosa packages.
We did find it difficult to secure poolside lounge chairs midday on one of the days at the hotel. So, if you visit during peak times, you'll need to come early to get chairs or just rent a cabana! Towels were furnished by the hotel and were well-stocked.
It was also pleasant to relax poolside in the evening and take in the beauty of the sunset and see the stars begin to appear. The colorful pool lights at night are really fun and many guests still splash around in the pool in the evening hours.
THE BEACH
The beach was pristine and access was a piece of cake from the pool area via a boardwalk linking the two. There was beach chair & umbrella service available for the fall season. And on that note, the hotel has made it very easy to book umbrellas & chairs as well as renting cabanas, ordering food & drinks, and making restaurant reservations at the Make A Reservation page.
Just to the right of the front desk in the lobby, there is a lovely expansive terrace where you can see views of the beach and pool. You can also see the MB Miller City Pier in the distance, which is a short walk along the beach from the hotel. Some guests even took their morning coffee or evening cocktails out on the terrace to take in the wonderful scenery.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
The Springhill Suites offers an amazing complimentary buffet breakfast with a variety of options--probably more than I have seen at most hotels with free breakfast. That said, on one of the mornings during our stay, the breakfast was insanely crowded. If it is crazy busy then it becomes difficult to find a place to sit as well as some of the items start to run out. This really is understandable when that many guests arrive at once.
Our first morning was not overly crowded, and though it was busy, it was way more manageable. We found it to be quite unpleasant on the really busy morning, so I recommend avoiding the peak breakfast times during busy seasons if you can.
The food was surprisingly tasty for a complimentary breakfast, which explains its popularity. We loved that they had fresh fruit such as bananas, a waffle maker that made mini waffles, hot foods like french toast, and plentiful topping choices for waffles or oatmeal.
We ate dinner one night during our stay at the Compass Kitchen + Bar. As already mentioned the desserts at the restaurant were delicious. My vegetarian daughter really liked her caprese salad and my green salad with chicken was fantastic. Both had fresh ingredients and the chicken was grilled perfectly and was flavorful.
We also enjoyed a poolside lunch one afternoon after ordering Build Your Own (BYO) sandwiches from Jelly's Cafe & Eatery next to the pool area. There was no poolside food or beverage service, but you can easily order from your phone and pick-up from Jelly's nearby. The cafe' also has BYO pizzas and breakfast sandwiches, Starbucks coffee, ice cream, and insanely delicious shakes. Additionally, Jelly's is stocked with beach necessities such as hats, flip flops, and sunscreen.
If you are interested in having adult beverages by the pool, then the Latitudes Pool Bar is your place. This bar is next to the pool and with its extensive selection of beachy cocktails, beers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages, it has something for everyone. Latitudes was still open for the fall season, but closes for the winter. Beverages can also be ordered from your phone.
ON-SITE ACTIVITIES
Kayak and paddle board rentals are handled at Springhill Suites by beach attendants through La Dolce Vita, who also manage beach chair & umbrella rentals. Advanced reservations can be made online at La Dolce Vita.
If anyone in your group needs to burn off some energy out of the water, there is a large grassy field adjacent to the pool area, where some guests played sports. The hotel also provides numerous outdoor games.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Pier Park
When you are ready for a break from the sunshine, emerald water and sugar-white sands, pop on over to Pier Park. Here you can go shopping, visit numerous restaurants, and get delicious ice cream. We cooled down on a warm fall day with yummy scoops from Kilwin's.
With a couple of sweet tooths in the family, the I LOVE SUGAR store at Pier Park was a big hit. It's so entertaining taking in all the colorful candy options while loading up on favorites.
Also found at Pier Park is the giant SkyWheel, which presents sweeping views of the stunning PCB beaches--a fantastic option at sunset! Additional activities at Pier Park include the Emerald Coast Mirror Maze & Laser Tag, XD Darkride Experience, Axe Throwing and Dave & Buster's.
Gulf World Marine Park
We were ultra excited to participate in a Dolphin Encounter at Gulf World Marine Park. Besides dolphin educational shows, the marine park offers dolphin swim adventures and interactive encounters. Since we didn't want to get in the tank, we skipped the dolphin swim and did a meet 'n greet style of encounter instead. And we LOVED IT!!!! The swim adventure was packed, but we were lucky enough to be the only ones signed up for an encounter and ended up with a private experience! Sweet!!!!
The dolphin encounter was extremely organized and felt safe. We got to meet and interact with a sweet boy named, Cajun, who was from our home state of Louisiana after previously being rescued off the coast. We were instructed on how to command Cajun to put his nose up to our palms and also taught commands for dolphin kisses and hugs. The encounter was really a unique and amazing experience and digital photos were included in the price.
The Dolphin Stadium and tanks seemed to be in pretty good shape, but the rest of the park could use some updates. At the time of our visit, the Sea Lion Stadium was under renovation, which is wonderful, but again hopefully there are additional updates throughout the park for all the animals in the near future. Otherwise, I mainly recommend this marine park for its interactive dolphin encounters at this time.
CONCLUSION
We had a very pleasant stay at the Springhill Suites (PCB) Beachfront during our Fall Break. The location right on the beach was the perfect way to enjoy the white sand and blue-green waves of the Emerald Coast. The fall weather was extremely comfortable and it was nice to relax by the beautifully landscaped pool area. It was handy having a couple of bar & dining options on-site so that you don't have to leave for every meal and the complimentary breakfast buffet provided many delicious options for all of us. Do be aware that the water parks nearby are closed for the fall & winter seasons, but there are honestly still so many things to do in this area.
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