Hotels Near Massalina Bayou in Panama City

My wife and I arrived after midnight. We had worked all day and driven several hours to Pnanma City. When we arrived the lobby doors were locked for security and a sign directed you to use your room key or pick up a phone that was on the wall. As we had no key, I picked up the phone. It rang between 20-30 times and was then answered. The lady advised she was on the third floor and would be down shortly. A few minutes later, she arrived and unlocked the door. She checked us in without incident and was friendly. As I was extremely tired from a 20-hour day, I just wanted to get to sleep, so we went straight up to the room. My wife immediately noted several medium lengths to long black hairs in the room. They were on the floor in the bathroom, in the sink, in the shower. We were both too tired to address the situation at that time, so we took some pictures to address it in the morning. We cleaned the hair up and went to sleep. In the morning, we approached the desk clerk and explained what had happened. Her response was a little terse and caught me off guard. She wanted to know why it was not reported when we noticed the issue. I explained I was tired and a little cranky and felt it would be better to address the situation when rested and less apt to be impolite. We attempted to show the pictures, but she seemed somewhat ambivalent. We told her all we wanted was for the room to be cleaned while we were gone for the day and her attitude seemed to mellow. She said she would notify the general manager of our concern. When we got back, the room was cleaned, and all the hair was gone. We were not contacted further. Many of my reviews talk about how issues arise, and I try not to judge the issue, but rather how it is addressed. I do not think this was handled in the best way possible. As for the rest of the hotel, it was clean, and the public areas were nice. The location is okay, but not great. We chose this as it was the closest Bonvoy property to our son's residence. I think I would drive a little further on future visits.

Hotel needs some updating.. especially in the bathrooms. The fixtures in the shower were all loose... shower curtain was moldy. Room seemed damp all the time. Not sure if a dehumidifier is needed or what, but the sheets felt wet when you sat on them. Actual room seemed fine, just had issues with the bathroom. The ”key tags” they use only seemed to work half the time. I got a lot of exercise going to the front desk. They would only give us 1 key tag. Kind of a pain because if one person left the room, the other had to stay in the room because they didn't have a key to get back in!! Phone did not work to call the front desk. It seemed plugged in, but there was no dial tone. There were only 2 bath towels in the room. Well, the room was so damp, they never dried. I had to go to front desk to get more towels. You should put at least 4 towels in a room that has sleeping for 4. Breakfast was less than exciting. Only thing we had was the pineapple juice. Front desk staff was not very friendly... it won't kill you to smile at a customer. They all looked like they hated their jobs.

Drive to the beach for five minutes, walk a little bit, reasonable price, close to the wonderwork and zoo, clean and tidy, regular breakfast

Panama City Beach ain't much but beach (and one particularly large shopping mall), but if it's beach you want, and a beachside room, this is the bomb. Nice pool and/or bathtub-temp ocean 50yards further south - take your pick! Rooms were great, guest laundry a nice asset, and staff very helpful. The only fault was being charged 3 nights when we only stayed 2, and it did take us 2 long-distance phone calls and some very direct conversation to get the refund on our card, but it did come through.... 2 weeks later. That's careless. Watch the billing. Otherwise....great place and yes we would return.

Wonderful stay — depending on what the guest is looking for. To start, this motel is a step back in time. Late 1950s, early 1960s vibe. This would be OG Panama City Beach, folks. From the parking lot, this is straight out of a movie set from mid century America. The “front desk” is in a round building separate from the motel — the way they used to be when folks hit the road for long vacations and drove up to their room area. Free coffee in the check in area and the absolutely nicest front desk staff you will ever meet. Friendly, attentive staff is a hallmark of this place. Lots of staff on hand to help out. I have stayed in $500/night hotels on NYC’s prime areas and not had staff this attentive and friendly. The room was large (especially by modern standards), bed comfy and balcony overlooked pool and the Gulf. Refrigerator was larger than the standard hotel mini-fridge and can hold quite a bit of food. Microwave is standard hotel size. The pool was hopping. Lots of families, retirees and young adults. Teenagers took over at night and had a great time. A huge checkers and chess board was fun for the kids to clown around with. There are steps to the beach, and you can get umbrella and chairs set up down there. Lots of people just seemed to picnic by the pool or sun deck, and had drinks at pool bar. Plenty of towels available for the pool chairs. Again, staff is amazing. They are even patient when a dozen children (age 10 or so and under) from lots of different families pile into the bar chairs and ask for glasses of water that are served with a smile and as if those soaking wet kids are the most important guests they have. Now, for why this place isn’t for everybody: building design is vintage, no-nonsense concrete and brick. It is not a modern high-rise. There is no elevator. If you need help, tell staff in advance, and they will put you on the parking lot level so you can drive to your door. There are ice machines on the east side of each level. It is not fancy, and if you want modern, this is not it. Remember, one person’s “dated” is another person’s time-travel fun. This is a step back to mid century US vacation heyday. The biggest difference from that era: The mix of guests is delightfully diverse. In short: I found it to be a fun place, clean, comfortable, had all the amenities we needed and was a good value. Would not hesitate to stay here again and would recommend to folks who would appreciate the vibe. I hope someone doesn’t come in and “update it” beyond its historic roots.