You have to love a town that embraces the title "Redneck Riviera".

Unlike the hip, slick and cool beach towns of south Florida, PCB beach is a laid back kind of place. A little threadbare maybe, a little past it's "sell by" date, but, hey so am I.

On the other hand, beach front rooms are cheap. And when I say beach front, I mean open the slider and you are in the sand. The beaches along this area are fabulous, the hotels are pet friendly, and the water is warm and calm. I spent many mornings, just soaking up the sun, and playing fetch with Harley.

A little to the south is an actual surfing beach - not much wave action for a California boy like me, but by Gulf of Mexico standards it is pretty good. There are several surf shops where you can rent a surfboard, or a boogieboard and get a little wave action.

There are several restaurant/bars along Front Beach and Thomas Streets, all of them, like the rest of the town, just on the edge of seedy looking. But they all seem to have good fresh seafood, the local oysters are great, and you will see things like frog legs, alligator and fried crawfish on the menu.

Also, the deep sea fishing is good to excellent along here, with several charters and party boats operating in the area.

So, for a laid back beach vacation, or maybe a few days' side trip to recover from Orlando, Panama City Beach is a great choice. For more information about this, or any of the TOP 10, check out www.daveholmantravel.com or email me at sales@daveholmantravel.com