Sterling Beach

Sterling Beach is a Gulf-front condominium building at 6627 Thomas Drive on the east end of Panama City Beach, set between Coral Reef and the Crescent Beach neighborhood. It fronts more than 300 feet of beach, and its location near Grand Lagoon keeps it close to St. Andrews State Park and away from the busiest part of town.

The condos are on the large side, with three-bedroom, three-bath units common in the rental mix and four-bedroom plans also available. Units have fully equipped kitchens, washer and dryer and, in many cases, private Gulf-view balconies. Elevators serve all floors and parking is on the property.

The shared amenities stand out for a building of this size. A free-form pool of about 4,000 square feet is heated seasonally, and there is a Gulf-front hot tub and a fitness center facing the water. A 48-seat private theater and a meeting room make it useful for family reunions and group trips, and charcoal grills and a picnic area sit near the beach. Seasonal beach chair service is included with some units. Its 300-plus feet of frontage gives the building plenty of sand for its size, fitness equipment faces the Gulf, and high-speed internet is provided.

St. Andrews State Park is about seven minutes east for trails, snorkeling and the Shell Island shuttle. The Sea Dragon pirate cruise and the restaurants and marinas of Grand Lagoon are a few minutes away, while Pier Park is roughly 20 to 25 minutes west. The airport is about 40 minutes by car.

Units at Sterling Beach 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 large units, theater and meeting room suit multigenerational families, reunions and groups traveling together.