Holiday Inn Express & Suites Panama City Beach - Beachfront

Not sure how this is rated #1 in the area. The door did not lock; you could see plenty of light from the outside, showing it was not properly aligned. The secondary lock did not even catch at the main entry door. The secondary lock on the balcony did not even reach to engage. The handle to the bathroom sink came off when turning it on. The food service the first night we were there took nearly 45 minutes. We were served our food, but our daughter's Healthy Plate was nowhere to be found. When it arrived, it wasn't what was on the menu, and they did not inform us they were out of X, Y, and Z. Further, it was replaced with yogurt and string cheese, which had clearly sat out waiting to be served for quite some time (the kids' order was placed as soon as they approached us, before anything else). The staff was unfriendly all around, except in the breakfast area. Breakfast was overflowing—nothing was ever low, even as late as 9:15 a.m., just before breakfast ended.

We were pleased to be updated to an ocean view suite upon arrival - it was very big for just the two of us. One of the best things about this hotel is it's location on the beach. The pool was nice and a good temperature, although the lazy river was a bit cooler. There was a lot of choice at breakfast but the temperature of the food was a bit cold. It was good to have a bar on site that also served food. Unfortunately the bar was around the pool with limited covering so not a good option when it rained on one of the days during our stay. There are not many bars and restaurants within walking distance but we did enjoy a couple of visits to the Salty Goat across the road which had live music. Plenty of sunbeds around the pool but very expensive to hire one on the beach.

This was our first time staying here and we loved it! The hotel and it's staff were wonderful! The beach was clean and not crowded. The pool area with the lazy river and Spa were perfect. Breakfast was delicious with lots of choices. Would 100% recommend and will be coming back!