Trip Report 8-12 thru 8-17

Trip Report 8-12 thru 8-17 Continental Condos

This was our first trip in 16 years without kids. Wohoo! Hubby and I rented an efficiency condo directly from Continental. The price for Sunday thru Thursday night was $58 a night, plus $20 cleaning fee and taxes. Can’t be beat. I didn’t notice any place else advertising a cheaper rate while we were there and I was on the lookout. The check in went without a hitch and we were allowed to check in 2 hours early. The complex was clean and parking was ample. It is an older complex and not a fancy as some of the others. However it met our needs perfectly. The kitchen was small, and both of us were not able to be in there at the time. We never cooked, just used the frig and sink. The Bed was very comfy and the balcony was enough room for the two of us. We were able to lay bed and watch the waves roll in which was very nice. We didn’t have a DVD player only a TV. Very basic, however the room was decorated in a fish theme that was cute. I didn’t much care for the carpet, would have preferred tile, but that is a personal preference. I would recommend the Continental Condos to anyone, especially those on a budget. It is within walking distance to All American Diner, Sharkey’s, Schuckums, and Calypso. Gulf World is directly across the street.

After getting settled in we walked to Sharky’s for lunch. The place was nice, outside and inside dining directly on the beach. There is also a playground and pirate ship for the young ones. I ordered a burger and fries and Hubby had oysters. The service was very slow and the food just mediocre. We didn’t have to wait to be seated which was a plus. I don’t think I will go back there, just not that impressed.

We spent time on the beach for a few hours. The seaweed was a problem, but only for the first few feet. You could wade out into the ocean and find a clear spot to swim. Wasn’t much of a problem for us and it cleared up completely by Tuesday. The beach was beautiful and we walked for a good long while today. Because of the sloping sand it was a little difficult to walk but not enough to keep us from it. For dinner we went to Schuckums mainly because it was close and we were pretty tired from traveling and our day at the beach. We had to wait 5 minutes to be seated inside, but could have been seated immediately outside. Hubby wanted inside to cool off. The food was standard fried seafood, the portions were big and they offered beer by the picture. (All the others we visited did not). I had shrimp and hubby had crab cakes. The food was fine, I also had the steamed veggies, which were some of the best I have had.

Day 2 -- We went to All American Diner for Breakfast Bar. It was good and the service was very good. Spent the day on the beach, swimming, laying under the umbrella reading and walking. Perfect day at the beach. Water was very calm and seaweed was starting to vanish. Because we had a large breakfast we skipped lunch. Diner at Saltwater Grill, which was my favorite meal of the trip. The food presentation was wonderful and the portions huge. We didn’t have to wait to be seated and we arrived around 6 PM. The only downside was the fish were not in the aquarium due to maintanence. That was a bummer. But the atmosphere was wonderful and service was excellent. They also have a martini bar, which we tried a specialty martini, (sorry can’t remember the name, but it was blue). Having never had a martini I guess it was ok. We just wanted to try something different. Our experience at Saltwater grill was wonderful; I encourage everyone to try it.

Day 3 much like day 2. We had diner at the Boatyard. No wait, service was great and we were seated right by the Pirate ship as it left the bay. It did fire a cannon that startled me! Looked to be packed with kids going on the sunset cruise. The food at the Boatyard was good and being able to watch the boats come and go was very nice. We walked around the docks for a while after diner and just enjoyed our evening out.

Day 4 (same as before almost) Can you tell we are mostly beach bums on vacation? I love just being on the beach relaxing and playing in the ocean. We did make a trip to the Museum of Man and the Sea. It was $5 to get in and it was interesting to us. If you like diving and the like I think you will enjoy the museum. We left there and headed to St. Andrews Park to snorkel and ferry over to Shell Island. When we arrived we found the purple flags flying due to jellyfish. As we approached the beach several people were getting out of the water after being stung. Needless to say we decided to skip the snorkeling. I was amazed to find more people at the park than at our condo. It appeared very crowded to me. We visited the gator pond, saw a few gators and returned to our condo beach area for the remainder of the afternoon. Amazingly, green flag flying here, no jellies in sight. I don’t know why they were so bad at the park. Hubby wanted ribs for dinner so we went to Spinnakers. We were seated right away and our waiter was great. Ribs were very good also. We were seated next to the beach and did a little people watching at dinner. I would recommend Spinnakers also. Our experience there was good. It also turned out to be our cheapest meal. I forgot to mention we stopped by Pineapple Willies for lunch mostly to pick up the kids a T-Shirt. The food was ok and service was good. I had enough left over to take back with me. The gift shop had lots of T-shirts marked down to $10. Our teens love them. So not a bad deal.

Day 5 Our last day on the beach. We made use of it by getting on the beach early and enjoying every last minute there. The waves were much higher today and we had lots of fun floating in the sea and being wiped out off our floats from the waves! Hubby was laughing hysterically at me most of the time. The water was so beautiful today, so clear and pretty aqua color. It was so amazing to be there. I miss it so much already. Dinner at Breakers. We were hoping to see the band but found out they only play weekends during this time of the year. Place was almost empty. But the large windows with a view of the ocean and sunset were awesome. Food was good, broiled seafood platter and stuffed gulf shrimp. Server was ok, his English was the best and it was hard to communicate however he was very attentive. Spend the evening strolling on the beach.

Over all it was a fantastic vacation. We enjoyed ourselves and our time on the beach. I wish we could have snorkeled at St. Andrews and went to Shell Island. I also didn’t visit Thomas Donuts as I had planned. But our trip was wonderful. I can’t believe how much PCB has change since I was a kid and a teenager. I will visit again soon.

Trip Report 8-12 thru 8-17

Thank you for your trip report. My brain is overloaded with all of the great tips from this site! I leave Saturday morning for PCB, and I can%26#39;t wait. I know that I want to try Spinnaker%26#39;s Grill and The Boatyard for sure. Thanks for the tips. I%26#39;m glad you and your hubby had a wonderful trip!

Trip Report 8-12 thru 8-17

Does Continental Condos have a pool, or hot tub??

They have a small pool at the side of the building. It has probably 20 lounge chairs around it. The complex does not have a hot tub. When we got in the pool there was probably 10 others and it didn%26#39;t seem crowded. It has a ledge around it that is nice to sit on and place your feet in the water. It also faces the beach which was nice.