Summit Beach Resort

Summit Beach Resort is a 15-story Gulf-front condominium resort at 8743 Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach. Built in 1984, it has about 449 units, and it offers a full set of resort-style amenities alongside a wide choice of floor plans.

Units range from one-bedroom condos of about 740 square feet to two- and three-bedroom plans, plus a few four-bedroom units of roughly 3,200 square feet. Condos have full kitchens and balconies that look over the Gulf and pool deck.

The pool deck has two pools, including a heated pool, two kiddie pools and two outdoor hot tubs, and there is also an indoor spa. For activity, there are tennis courts, pickleball, shuffleboard and basketball courts, a game room and a fitness center with a dry sauna. A tiki bar sits by the pool, Bikini Bob’s restaurant is on site, and a gift shop and barbecue pits are available. A water sports center operates on the beach in season. The on-site restaurant and tiki bar mean guests can grab lunch without leaving the property, and the basketball and shuffleboard courts keep older kids busy.

Thomas Drive puts guests between the central attractions and the quieter east end. Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, WonderWorks and the Shoppes at Edgewater are a short drive west, and St. Andrews State Park is about nine minutes east for hiking, snorkeling and the Shell Island shuttle. A Walmart Supercenter and other stores are nearby for supplies.

Units at Summit Beach Resort 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 courts, pools and on-site food make it a practical choice for families and groups who want plenty to do without leaving the property.