When you first think of Panama City and Panama City Beach, you probably don’t think of it as a place for a romantic getaway. Panama City has been known as a popular spring break and summer vacation for college students for years. However, if you know where to go, it can be very romantic. My wife and I spent one of our most romantic weekends ever in Panama City. It was actually where we were engaged to be married and now 12 years later, it always brings back fond memories for us.

Panama City Beach has beautiful beaches. The shoreline is 17 miles long so you should always be able to find your own semi-private spot. The sand is white and powder soft, the water is emerald blue, and there are many water activities available. We traveled from Atlanta both times we vacationed in Panama City and I think many people from Georgia and Alabama do the same.

St. Andrews State Park is a 1260 acre park located on the eastern tip of Panama City Beach. It is well known for its sugar white sands and emerald green waters, and has over one-and-a-half miles of beach on the Gulf of Mexico and Grand Lagoon. Water sports enthusiasts can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, and canoeing. It has a campground, pier fishing, hiking trails, or you can take a ferry to Shell Island. Shell Island is a 700 acre park that is rather undeveloped with some of the best shelling around. There aren’t many things more romantic than walking with your sweetheart on the beach collecting seashells!

Across the bay from St. Andrews State Park is the Marriott Bay Point Resort which is where we stayed both visits. The resort is a quiet departure from the touristy section of Panama City Beach. The rooms are tropically decorated with private balconies with beautiful views of the gulf, lagoon, or the resort’s two golf courses. The golf courses are both beautiful and challenging with one of them having water on 17 of the 18 holes.  They have a spa on site if you really want to relax and be pampered.  The Kingfish restaurant is very good and offers a great breakfast buffet and even a champagne brunch on Sundays. The outdoor heated pool is very nice and even has a pool bar that you can swim up to. There is a boardwalk to a private beach with an open-air martini bar on the way to the beach. The beach offers a variety of water sports and also offers trips to Shell Island. Overall, the resort is a nice place to spend some quiet time with that someone special.

Our favorite restaurant in Panama City is Capt. Anderson’s. It is located on the waterfront and offers great seafood and steaks. You can even sit and watch the boats come in with the catch of the day. It is very popular so be prepared to wait in line but at least you will be close to the water while you wait. Some other nice restaurants in Panama City include Boars Head for steaks and The Boatyard for fresh fish and sushi.

Panama City is a great place for a romantic getaway if you know where to look. On the day that I proposed, we enjoyed relaxing by the pool, and even took a Wave Runner from the Marriott through St. Andrew’s Bay. We had a wonderful dinner at Capt. Anderson’s and then went back to the open air bar for some drinks and some live music. I convinced my future wife to join me for a walk on the beach where I recited some poetry and then got down on one knee to propose. I put a ring on her finger and my wife gave me a wonderful and passionate kiss and we have been happily married for over 11 years. Panama City will always be very special to us because it was the place where we began our beautiful life together! We hope that some of you don’t overlook Panama City when you are looking for that next romantic getaway.

For my birthday several years ago, my wife took me on a romantic getaway for the weekend to the Mad River Valley in Vermont. Since my birthday is in February, you may have thought my wife was taking me to Sugarbush and Mad River Glen for a weekend of great downhill skiing! When my wife told me where we were going, I was a little puzzled because I have never downhill skied before and frankly don’t think I am coordinated enough to make it down the mountain without breaking something. However, she told me that we weren’t going skiing but we would have a great time, and she was absolutely right!

New England is full of romantic Bed & Breakfasts and we stayed at a great one this weekend called the Inn at The Round Barn. The first thing you notice as you drive up was the unique architecture of the round barn attached to the main building. When you enter, you hear classical music playing and smell cookies and hors d’oeuvres to welcome you. The guest rooms are very comfortable and romantically decorated. There is a lap pool, a game room with an antique pool table, and a lot of books. The food is very good and very fresh as much of it comes from local farms including their own. The grounds are beautiful and you can go snowshoeing in the winter and hiking when it gets warmer where scenic views of the mountains are everywhere you look!

My wife arranged for us to go cross country skiing at Ole’s cross country skiing trails. Neither of us had ever been cross country skiing but they had a nice program for beginners. Within a half hour, we were out on the trails and it was a lot of fun. My wife was a natural but even though I fell a few times, we were laughing as she came over to help me up every time! It was very peaceful to be out on the trails surrounded by the beautiful scenery. We both enjoyed it immensely!

The next day, she arranged for us to have a horse drawn sleigh ride in the mountains. She called ahead to the Mountain Valley Farm to arrange for a private, romantic, sleigh ride. We were pulled by a team of two horses and we were given a bunch of blankets to keep us warm. We really enjoyed cuddling under the blankets while we observed the breathtaking scenery provided by the Mad River Valley and the surrounding Green Mountains. When it’s not snowing they have hay rides, wagon rides, and even formal carriage rides for weddings or other special events.

Even though we went to the Mad River Valley in the winter for our romantic weekend, it is a great place for romantic getaways year round. The scenery provided by the Green Mountains is always beautiful and provides for many outdoor activities. In the spring and summer, there are great hiking trails and places to go road and mountain bike riding. There are opportunities to go canoeing and kayaking on the Mad River, nice area golf courses, and even glider rides. For you fans of ice cream, you can take a tour of the Ben and Jerry’s factory in nearby Waterbury, VT.

If you have not been to Vermont in the fall, you have really been missing out! Throughout the state, there are no end of scenic drives where you can see beautiful mountain vistas full of the vibrant fall foliage colors. There numerous small towns which provide interesting architecture and covered bridges. We heard of a tradition where you have to kiss when you pass through a covered bridge and we always figure that we will do our part to keep the tradition alive!

The Mad River Valley is a beautiful place year round for a romantic getaway and provides you with a wide variety of outdoor activities to satisfy any couple!

My husband and I recently escaped to the beautiful beaches of Florida. We live in Michigan and this time of year we deal with temperatures in the minus degrees. So when my husband mentioned escaping to mid-70 degree weather I was overjoyed.

Cocoa Beach is a short ride from the Orlando International Airport. Flying into Orlando is one of the cheaper airports to fly into. Please see our link below for some great prices on flights to Florida.

I love staying in romantic inns, but they can be costly. An alternative is staying in a condo or timeshare. These places allow you to have a little bit of home while on vacation. It’s fun to eat out at nice restaurants, but my husband and I also enjoying making our breakfast in the mornings. Having a full kitchen is wonderful. We opted for a time share condo at the Ron Jon Resort. Our condo overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. It’s very romantic watching the sunrise over the Atlantic, especially while watching it from your balcony!

If you can’t find a condo or timeshare or would prefer a hotel, there are a great many hotels in the area, many of which are oceanfront. Click on the links below for some good oceanfront hotels.

Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront


Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach


Doubletree Cocoa Beach Oceanfront

If you’re a nature lover, don’t miss the Cocoa Beach Kayaking Guided Nature Tours. All the guides are incredible (and girls all the kayaks are tandem, so you can sit back, relax and take in the beautiful scenery while your beau does all the work). You’ll paddle at a leisurely pace along the Thousand Islands of Cocoa Beach. Bring your binoculars to observe the bird life in the most diverse estuaries in the Indian River Lagoon. Don’t forget your camera for your up close and personal view of bottlenose dolphins and the Florida manatees. If you forget your hat, sunglasses or bottled water don’t fret because there provided free of charge.

Another romantic sight seeing tour is Space Coast River Tour on the Blue Dolphin leaving from Merritt Island. It’s a relaxing and enjoyable two hour tour departing through the working Port of Canaveral and into the Banana River to see wildlife. The wildlife ranges from bottlenose dolphins, huge lovable manatees, brown pelican, osprey, endangered bald eagle, great blue heron and many more.

If your really into seeing the endangered Florida manatee and would like to know where to see many of them in one place, please email me and I will send you the directions.

A romantic restaurant not to miss is Milliken’s Reef, it truly has it all. The dining room is very romantic from its white tablecloths, candlelight and piano jazz bar. The ambience is relaxed. The seafood is incredible. You should definitely try their conch. They also have a Tiki bar outside overlooking the water. Milliken’s Tiki Bar has it all: from palm trees to tiki torches, live island music and sand for a dance floor. If you are just looking for good food and not the romantic ambiance, there are many great restaurants in the area including Grills, Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty, and Slow & Low Bar-B-Que.

If you are looking for a room with a great view, a romantic dinner, a relaxing tour on the water looking at wildlife, Cocoa Beach is the place for your next romantic excursion. And by the way, there is nothing more romantic than just walking hand in hand with your sweetheart on the beach! Enjoy your trip!