20723 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, Florida, United States | (586) 210-9239
Quiet part of Panama City Beach on uncrowded beach
Most rooms are in
waterfront towers with stunning ocean views
All rooms have kitchens or kitchenettes
Outdoor pool and whirlpool
with ocean views
Picnic area, gazebo, and barbecue grills
Free on-site parking
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Style is dated
Many rooms have worn furniture and fixtures
No breakfast offered
The aptly-named
Sugar Sands Inn and Suites is a family-run budget hotel in a quiet of Panama City, right on a
beautiful white-sand beach. The 89-room hotel offers rooms in two
oceanfront towers as well as larger rooms in smaller buildings
across the street. All rooms have kitchens or kitchenettes, but while first impressions are beachy vibe, on closer inspection they are worn and dated. The property has an outdoor pool and whirlpool with ocean
views plus a picnic area, but there’s no breakfast or restaurant available
on-site. Guests willing to stay a bit farther from the beach should compare
rates at the mid-range La Quinta Inn & Suites Panama City Beach Pier Park, which offers more up-to-date rooms and a free breakfast.
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
Simple, homey hotel for independent travelers on a budget
Like so many hotels in the area, the Sugar Sands Inn and Suites is a homey affair that's showing its age. The hotel consists of two light-yellow, five-story beachfront towers and matching
apartments just across the road. Outside, tall palm trees make a tropical welcome,
while inside the lobby, framed pictures of sea creatures and a vivid blue front
desk hint at an ocean theme. The hotel is in a quiet area and thus attracts mostly
families and couples -- this isn't a spring break, party-hard destination by any stretch of the imagination (though spring breakers are welcome here). There's not a lot of indoor common space for guests to
hang out -- just a few tables in the lobby -- but the outdoor areas all offer nice ocean views. With that in mind -- and given the outdoor grills and kitchen facilities in every room -- this hotel is best suited to travelers who want a little independence at reasonable rates right on the beach.
Location
Beautiful beachfront location in quiet, residential area
The majority of the rooms at Sugar Sands
Inn and Suites are located directly on a sandy beach, while the remainder are just across State Road 30. The area is mostly residential, with condos and small beach hotels nearby. The wilder area of Panama City Beach -- the part of town where most of the spring breakers cluster -- is about 15 minutes east from here, meaning the immediate area stays relatively quiet. Pier Park is around an 11-minute
drive and has shopping
outlets, restaurants, and an IMAX cinema. It will take just over 10 minutes to reach by car to reach Gulf World Marine Park, while Panama City Beach Winery is a 20-minute drive from the hotel. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is within a 25-minute
drive.
Rooms
Beachy rooms with kitchens or kitchenettes, but dated style and a bit of wear
Rooms at Sugar Sands Inn and Suites have a seaside
vibe with white furnishings, beachy photographs, and sunny color schemes. That being said, the look isn't exactly contemporary, and the ubiquitous tropical- and floral-printed bedspreads on all beds hearken back to an earlier decade. Some of the furniture has seen better days, and most of the loveseats and chairs that we saw were sagging. Drop-tile ceilings also looked in need of some attention in certain units, with chips and rusty frames. Rooms have a budget look about them, with metal shelving exposed in many rooms, meaning things like ironing boards are hung on the wall and visible from the beds. There are a
variety of room types at the hotel, but all of the beachfront rooms have furnished
balconies offering excellent ocean views. All rooms come with either kitchens or kitchenettes, which are handy for saving money on eating out at restaurants for every meal. Kitchen/kitchenette features vary, but can include microwaves, full-sized refrigerators, ovens, coffeemakers,
and limited cookware/serving ware. Additional features include air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs. Rooms are also available with separate bedrooms and living rooms -- some include multiple bedrooms. Bathrooms have shower/tub combos or walk-in showers, and basic toiletries and makeup remover towelettes are a nice touch.
Features
Beautiful sand beach, seasonally heated outdoor pool, and oceanfront picnic area
The hotel’s best feature is its
location on a flat, sandy beach. The property has a seasonally heated outdoor
pool and a whirlpool with lounge chairs on a brick deck. There's also a picnic area with picnic
tables and charcoal grills. A white, wooden gazebo with bench seating offers a
covered spot to take in the ocean views. There are vending machines and an ATM
machine in the lobby, and coin-operated laundry machines are available on-site.
Parking and Wi-Fi are free.
