Whenever I head to a new place I love to explore everything the area has to offer. My mom has lived in Panama City Beach for almost three years and there are still SO MANY things we haven’t done yet! My brother and I came down to visit her for Mother’s Day so I decided to surprise them with a Sunset Sail on a catamaran with Paradise Adventures. The catamaran leaves from the pier at the Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf & Spa Resort which is in such a picturesque area. We arrived for our sail about an hour early, so after we checked in we walked along the beautiful private beach. There is a lovely restaurant on the pier that guests can enjoy appetizers, “hand helds” like burgers, wraps, fish tacos and more! They had a huge cocktail list that everyone seemed to love - which even included booze pops!!!
Once it was time to board our vessel for the evening - the 52 foot “Privateer” Catamaran - we were greeted by our captain, Ryan, his crew mate Nolan, and our bartender for the evening, Courtney! They were all AMAZING the entire trip! They told us stories of past sails and gave us so many recommendations for the area. We were serenaded with live music from Andrew Peebles, a local artist, and he really got everyone excited for the evening. His music was such a great soundtrack to our voyage! The boat was absolutely beautiful and very spacious, with plenty of seating, sunning nets in the front (which I LOVED!), a shaded area with booths and tables and a fully stocked bar. Each of our tickets came with a complimentary glass of wine, Sangria, cold beer or non-alcoholic beverage, which was perfect to get the evening started! Courtney was amazing and her signature “Privateer Punch” was SOOO delicious! Captain Ryan took us through the Grand Lagoon area, into St. Andrew’s Bay, and around St. Andrew’s State Park, which has the most pristine white beaches. Nolan and Courtney raised the jib (the triangular sail at the front of the boat) and before we knew it we were starting to set sail. They even let me help raise the mainsail which was SO EXCITING! We passed through the inlet between the park and it’s neighboring Shell Island and, to our great delight, WE SAW DOLPHINS! There were so many playing in the water and we even got to see a few jump out! Once the sun started to go down, we sailed out into the Gulf of Mexico where we saw manta rays, more dolphins, and the most stunning sunset of our entire trip! The sail lasted about 2 hours which was the perfect amount of time to take in all of the scenery, grab some delicious beverages and enjoy the warm breezes of the water while spending quality time with your loved ones!
If you are ever in Panama City Beach I HIGHLY recommend taking a sail with Paradise Adventures. The crew was absolutely amazing and the atmosphere was so much fun. It was definitely a highlight of our trip and a great way to surprise my mom for Mother’s Day! If you are feeling more adventurous, they also offer snorkeling trips, dolphin sightseeing, and a 3.5 hour adventure tour that includes an inflatable waterpark and more! Or if you are more of a private party kind of person, they offer private sails, pontoon boat rentals, and a variety of water sports! There is definitely no shortage of fun with Paradise Adventures Panama City Beach!
xoxo Alexandra
