Coral Reef Panama City Beach

Coral Reef Condominiums is a 14-story Gulf-front building at 6609 Thomas Drive, on the east end of Panama City Beach next to Sterling Beach. Built in 1999, it calls itself the family place to stay on Panama City Beach, and its small unit count and big floor plans support that.

There are about 82 units, and they are spacious for the area. Two-bedroom condos are about 1,430 square feet, and three- and four-bedroom units run roughly 2,060 to 2,100 square feet. Units have Gulf views, full kitchens and balconies, and the building has elevators and an on-site resident manager.

The pool area is set among tropical landscaping, with two Gulf-front pools, one of them heated for evening swims after a walk on the beach. There is also a sundeck, a clubhouse, community barbecue grills, community Wi-Fi and storage for owners. The beach is directly behind the pool deck. The spacious layouts give families room to spread out, and the heated pool is available in cooler months. An on-site resident manager handles day-to-day building needs, and guests park in the building’s lot close to the elevators.

St. Andrews State Park is about five minutes east for hiking, snorkeling and the ferry to Shell Island. The restaurants, marinas and charter boats along Grand Lagoon and Thomas Drive are close, and Rick Seltzer Park is a short drive. Pier Park and the central attractions are about 20 minutes west.

Units at Coral Reef are individually owned and rented through their owners and several rental companies, so furnishings, bed layouts, parking rules and extras such as seasonal beach chair service vary from one unit to the next. The roomy three- and four-bedroom plans and relaxed pace of this end of the beach suit families, reunions and longer stays.