My husband and I will be staying at Twin Palms Condos over Labor Day. Anything we should know or be prepared for?

So, I guess no one out there has stayed at the Twin Palms? We've been to PCB several times but always get a hotel, thought we'd try the condo thing this time. Are they as nice as the website shows or are we in for a big surprise?

We are also coming for Labor day and staying at the edgewater resort and we rented from a private owner. We have done it several times in daytona and orlando and they were always really nice, but i have found their nicer from the owner than the resort.

TNgirl, I live at Edgewater when I'm not in Tennessee so Edgewater is all I really know about, but friends have told me that Twin Palms condo is abolutely beautiful. The new condo developments I have been in are really nice and luxurious.
I think Twin Palms is the prettiest of all the new stuff going up.
I'm sure you will be pleased.

Thanks for the info!

TNgirl, my family is staying at the TP resort the second week of July. Will let you know. We live in Powell, TN.

That would be great! We're from W. TN

I'm definitely taking my shark repellent.

I bet the kiddie pool in St. Andrew's State Park is going to be a popular place this summer...

Sharks have always been in there. They hunt close to the sand bars sometimes and run their pray up to the bars to corner them. You just have to keep watch. Remember WE are the intruders in the water.

There are tons of Stingrays in the water this year. They schooled around us all week and were jumping out of the water. They were very kool to watch and swim with. Plus, I had a Sea Turtle surface right beside me one day in waste deep water.

Very true. People who are unfamiliar with the Gulf take some things for granted... but I think good advice for anyone is to not go past the first sandbar. Not only is there more marine life beyond the sandbar, but also the undertow can get really bad around the sandbars.

The recent shark attacks aren't the beginning of a trend... there are just lots of people in the water right now. Florida's tourism is way up this year, and with more people in the water, there will statistically be more incidences.

And because of the sensationalism around shark attacks, people tend to forget that beachgoers have a much higher chance of drowning or being struck by lightning. Last year 13 people drowned in area waters... and we've already had a couple drown this year. [Correction: That was 2003 when 9 ppl drowned.] Plus a man was killed and a boy injured by lightning on a Walton County beach.

The best bet is to use common sense and err to the side of caution when safety is an issue. If you need advice, ask a local police officer, lifeguard, or your hotel concierge.

(See our Beach Warning Flag System and Swimmer's Tips)

Be smart and you'll have lots of fun and a great vacation.

There's an old saying about swimming in the ocean that goes something to the effect of: Once you're in water over ankle deep, you've become part of the food chain. ;)