15285 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, Florida, United States | (618) 248-8274
Direct access to Panama City beach
Walking distance to restaurants, shopping, and other tourist attractions
Air-conditioned rooms, some with kitchens
All rooms have balconies with views of beach and sea
Popular beachfront seafood restaurant and bar; kids eat free
Free kids' club during summer season
Heated outdoor pool, picnic deck, and barbecue grills
On-site laundry room and computer station
Free parking and free common area Wi-Fi
20-minute drive to airport
Property is run down and dirty
No Internet access in rooms
We smelled smoke throughout the non-smoking property
Families may find many guests here to party
The 122-room Seahaven Beach Hotel is a budget property right on the beach in Panama City. Each of the outdated guest rooms at this large, motel-style property has a flat-screen
TV, air-conditioning, and private balcony with idyllic views of the sea, and the hotel also offers a heated outdoor pool and a popular beachside seafood restaurant, Sharky's. It’s worth noting however that the property
is run down, giving many guests cause for complaint, and we smelled cigarettes throughout even though the property claims to be non-smoking. For an alternative budget option, it's worth checking out nearby Beach Tower Resort Motel, which has more modern, well-kept features at a similar price point.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Budget beachfront property in need of maintenance
The Seahaven is a four-story motel-style property
that was built in the 1970s and is in need of an upgrade.
The beachy lobby is clean, with cream tiled flooring and blue walls, a white
paneled reception desk, and a homey seating area with jute carpets, wicker chairs, and wooden tables, but other areas of the hotel are in worse shape. Corridors and
stairwells have peeling paint and are extremely dirty, and previous guests have
complained of empty beer bottles being left on stairs. The terrace around the small outdoor pool has seen better days and the plastic lounge chairs don't add any style to the area. There is a popular restaurant on site that specializes in seafood and stiff drinks, which has good beach views and draws a mix of locals and tourists.That being said, the hotel is geared towards budget travelers, including families, though plenty of guests who are in town to party stay here too.
Location
Direct access to beach and lots of attractions within walking distance
The hotel is located right on Panama City’s
main street, Front Beach Road, where there are a range of other hotels as well
as gift shops, grocery stores, and restaurants. The Seahaven has direct access
to the stunning beach and there are a few tourist attractions within walking
distance, making it a convenient spot for vacationers. Gulf World Marine Park
is just a couple of minutes’ walk northwest while Russell-Fields Pier is just a
two-minute drive or a 15-minute walk in the same direction. Miracle
Strip Amusement Park is a 10-minute walk from the hotel while Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport is a 20-minute drive northeast.
Rooms
Simple rooms that are noisy, outdated, and need a deep cleaning
Guest rooms at the Seahaven have a basic brown
and cream decor and are in dire need of some TLC. Spare, generic wall art and outdated light wood veneer furniture don't do much against the dark patterned carpets or the bed runners that are an attempt to smarten up the rooms. Many guests have complained
about the poor levels of cleanliness, including stained and dirty bed sheets, uncomfortable beds, and mold in the bathrooms. When we visited, many rooms smelled of smoke, despite this being a non-smoking property, and walls are thin, meaning noise can be heard from
outside traffic as well as neighboring rooms. Rooms have modern flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, though in-room Internet is not available.The hotel offers a range of room categories: Some units have full kitchens and all have air-conditioning and private balconies with
lovely views of the beach and sea. The
largest room category is the three bedroom penthouse, able to sleep 12 people
and featuring a kitchen with a washer/dryer. All rooms also have free local
call capabilities, ironing boards, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and
daily housekeeping. Bathrooms are basic, with old wallpaper, shower/bath combos,
free toiletries, hairdryers, and large mirrors, but there were plenty of stains in bathtub caulking and near the ceilings.
Features
Popular beachside restaurant and bar, heated outdoor pool
On-site
dining is available at Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant, a popular beachside venue that serves a range of
seafood, salads, and cocktails. Kids eat free, but the hotel does not offer a free breakfast, though juice and coffee are set out in the morning. Tea and coffee can also be prepared in the lobby throughout the day. Another bonus for those traveling with children
is the free kids’ club that runs during the summer season with a variety of daily
activities. The hotel’s small outdoor pool is heated, but it overlooks the parking
lot rather than the beach and isn’t particularly well-maintained. There is a picnic deck on site with barbecue grills for families and guests looking to save money on meals, and on-site parking is free. Free Wi-Fi is only available in the lobby, and a computer station and laundry room are also on hand.
