Panama City Beach vs. Key Biscayne
This past month, September, 2022, I had the opportunity to visit Panama City Beach and Key Biscayne, Florida, within ten days of each other. With both locations being in the same state, and both being known for their beaches, I thought it would be good to offer a comparison. I visited both places on vacation, and one of them was the clear winner for me.
Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach is located in the Florida pan handle (at the very top of the state, to the far western side). Overall, I would say that this location has a very touristy vibe to it. Lots of kitschy souvenir shops, big restaurant chains with a nice mix of mom & pop shops. For some, the touristy aspect might not be what you’re looking for in a vacation spot. I was pleasantly surprised that it still maintained a small town feel even with all the giant shark statues and amusement parks.
In this location, I stayed in a four bedroom, four bathroom Vrbo condominium. Our condo sat right on the beach. It had all the amenities we might need, but we didn’t do any cooking during our trip. I would absolutely recommend a rental over a hotel room. I love being able to stretch out and enjoy an entire space. Our condo had a giant balcony that offered stunning views of the beach and water. We ate many meals out there and also enjoyed watching the lightning storms pass across the Gulf of Mexico.
Andrew Becker
Creative Director
Landon Fuller
CEO
I have to talk a little about the beach and water that were literally right outside our condo. I have never in my life felt such warm water. It was also crystal clear, and the sand on the beach was white and powdery. All of this is ideal if you love lounging on the beach or playing in the water. This was also a beach that an avid beachcomber like myself loved exploring. There were so many shells. I have never seen that many on a single beach before. We did discover that there are a lot of jellyfish in the water, but either they’re not the stinging variety or they just have no interest in human beings. Our group spent a lot of time in the water and no one got stung. Several people that had been there for a week said the same thing. Not a single sting. It was awesome seeing them up close in the water, not to mention all the other fish and hermit crabs.
There were tons of food options around town. We loved Pineapple Willy’s right on the beach. We also went to First Watch twice for breakfast, and we had a special birthday dinner at Firefly and it did not disappoint. Panama City Beach isn’t a tiny town, so you will need a rental car if you want to get out and see a lot of what the town has to offer. The majority of our trip was spent on the beach, in the water and out about enjoying all the yummy food and drinks. Overall, we had a fantastic time and we’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to spend some quality time at the beach.
Key Biscayne
Okay, so from my glowing review of Panama City Beach, you might have guessed that Key Biscayne wasn’t my favorite. There are a couple reasons for this that I’ll try and explain. There were also some really great things that I’ll try to hit on as well. So first off, Key Biscayne is a tiny island just southeast of Miami. You can get there by driving over a couple bridges from Miami proper. This location is nearly six hundred miles south from PCB. That should tell you that the weather isn’t the same.
Key Biscayne was the hottest place I’ve ever visited in my life, including The Sultanate of Oman, where I was deployed for six months, which averages 120 degrees in the summer. It was in the high nineties everyday plus the incredibly overwhelming humidity. Most days it said the real feel was 100+ degrees. I sweat more in the six days we were there than I’ve sweat in the rest of my life combined. I was that hot. The locals all told us that the weather they were experiencing was normal and that they rarely see much of a break throughout the year. It was stifling and if you stepped out into the sun, you immediately started sweating.
My husband and I really didn’t think it would be that bad. We went there to enjoy a four day tennis clinic at The Ritz Carlton. Needless to say, we didn’t enjoy the tennis at all. It was just too damn hot. I literally soaked through my clothes every time we went out on the courts.
Andrew Becker
Creative Director
Landon Fuller
CEO
The island itself was absolutely beautiful. It’s a very small island and the community clearly prides itself on taking care of things. The streets were lined with palm trees and all sorts of tropical plants, making everywhere feel like a garden oasis. The Ritz Carlton was also absolutely amazing. This was my first time staying at one of their resorts, and because of my experience there, it probably won’t be my last. My husband and I have been blessed to travel all over the world, and I don’t think we’ve ever stayed someplace that went so out of their way to make things right. When we checked in, we asked if it was possible to get a room on the top floor. We’re both light sleepers and we’ve learned that it really helps to not have people stomping around above you.
All of the fourteenth floor consisted of penthouse rooms. They upgraded us for free to accommodate our request to be on the top floor. The following morning we noticed that all the lights in our bathroom were flickering and soon discovered this can give you a massive headache if you stay in there too long. They sent up an electrician team who changed out all the bulbs and even rewired the light switch. This didn’t solve the problem, so they gave us the adjoining suite to use along with the room we were already in for the duration of our stay. On top of that, they comped our breakfast for the entire length of our stay, which if you’ve stayed in a nice resort before, can cost you a pretty penny. We did get the opportunity to see the Harvest Moon during our stay, and it was spectacular. I’d never seen the moon shine so brightly. We also really enjoyed all the wildlife we came across, especially the giant iguanas. They pretty much come and go as they please, including walking across the tennis court while we were playing.
On a non-tennis day, we rented E-bikes at the hotel and rode out to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. It was a easy ride and very scenic. Of course, we were soaked through with sweat by the time we continued our ride to Boater’s Grill for a leisurely lunch. I need to talk a little bit about the water and beach. The water was very warm, but very murky due to all the seaweed and seagrass floating in it. The sand was more coarse and a darker color. Unfortunately, I gotten eaten up by sand mites our first night there, so the backs of my legs were covered with itchy red bites for the rest of the trip. The people in both locations were friendly and helpful. Since PCB is larger, there were definitely more options for food and entertainment. Overall, the giant deciding factor was the weather. Don’t get me wrong, PCB was hot and humid, but it was nothing compared to the oppressive heat in Key Biscayne. It just zapped our energy and made it near impossible to enjoy anything outdoors. My friends are already talking about returning to PCB on our next annual girls trip.
