Top Of The Gulf By Emerald View Resorts

United States , Panama City - FL
PANAMA CITY BEACH, 8817 S. Thomas Dr.
Show on Google | Map

75 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2019

Richard

Sad place ....

They given us the room at 6:00 pm no consideration whatsoever we have a baby with us we asked please can we check in at 4:00 pm at least...
No happening in this place so if you travel with children don’t go to this place safe time and energy
We call all them at the office to check the status of our room... because them office staff never call us even the managers

Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2019

Stephanie

Drivers License was given to the wrong person.Had to wait 2 hours until the lady returned back to the property to get my drivers license back

Family

4/10

Poor

11 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Don’t stay at any of Emerald View properties

The room was not ready for a little over 2 hours after check in, big hole in the wall, smelly, blinds didn’t work so no privacy plus sun came in each morning & woke me up

Friends

2/10

Poor

27 Feb 2019

Terry

A rip off

Room was not ready, tons of hidden expenses that should have been waived for someone staying in a old and poorly furnished room with missing blinds and curtains. A very old and outdated small tv with a non-working remote. Didn't get a parking pass which ended up costing me an additional $40.00. I was charged condo fees to stay less than 48 hrs. Very unhappy overall with the experience.

2/10

Poor

01 Oct 2018

Kris and Krystle W.

Beware Beware Beware

Do not rent this condo!!! It is a third party rental which means you can not contact the “owner”! You get charged ALL these extra fees on top of paying the regular rental price. The room is not pictured as what you see advertised!! There were no blackout blinds on the windows, so a street light comes on at dark which is right outside the window and stays on all night. We had to take sheets and comforter off the extra bed to cover the windows to have somewhat darkness which didn’t really help. The tv is an old 19inch box tube tv(Come On Flat screen tvs are $150 now a days) which with the price we were charged I’m pretty sure they can afford one. Upon checking in, we had to go to Grand Panama Emerald View resort counter to receive our key which we were never told until I called long after check in time. We were also handed 2 pillow cases and we were told to cover our own pillows because they weren’t put on there while the maid was cleaning. The Top of the Gulf is a GREAT place to stay. We have rented from Actual owners there before and had great amenities and rooms. Just DO NOT BOOK THIS LISTING!!! You can not get your money back or ask for a change of room due to no one knows who the owner is, well that’s what they told us!!

4/10

Poor

04 Sep 2018

Hunter

Upon arrival, we were hit with several additional fees that we were unaware of. Our room was completely unsatifying as for what you expect. When first getting the key, you have to drive a mile and a half to pick it up and drop it off.

2/10

Poor

15 Aug 2018

Amanda D.

Property was great and the environment was nice as well

My kids loved the pool that was their favorite place to be. The room could use some updating but was overall clean. Didn’t really have that gulf view like we were told we were getting. Our vacation was going great until we swiped our debit card to purchase a bag not ice at the property. Someone stole our information and charged up over $1,000 on our account this happened immediately after we swiped our card and that was the only place our card was used. You might want to check that out. Wonder how Many other people were taken by the same thing happening to them. Needles to say our vacation didn’t end well. Also the machine wouldn’t take cash so that left us with no choice but to leave the property to go get ice or swipe the card. Might want to consider putting in an ice machine so this doesn’t happen again.

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2018

Thien

Good stay for 3 night

Family

4/10

Poor

14 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

The halls of the building were not clean and were run down. The unit we were in was dirty, dirty dishes in the cabinet. The furniture was old, rundown and uncomfortable.

8/10

Excellent

02 Jul 2018

Tim

Stay was fine but ,there was a little confusion on the check in .
Causing me to have to visit the front desk at another hotel bare foot and shirtless!
Due to being locked out of my room.
Past that everything was good!

Family

2/10

Poor

16 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Bait and switch

The fees were represented before booking. Were even more than that advised by the confirmation. Rude staff when ask. Dirty condos with a smell. Real bait and switch operation. They even sent me confirmation of billing an additional 72 dollars on another person's credit card.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

08 May 2018

Donna

Bike weekend stay

I got the room through expedia. They told me we didn't owe but about 28.00. Emerald called me and I had to pay 189.00 more. Got there, had to go all the way across town from Top of the Gulf to check in. They gave us one car pass and when we got to Top of the Gulf the guard told me that was for a car not a motorcycle and he couldn't accept that and we had to pay again for a motorcycle pass and for one more motorcycle pass. We had to go all the way back across town in all that traffic to get a refund for that. Remember, this was bike weekend and it took a long time to go across town on the strip. Room was bad, but they did give us a good room for the same price. Really, no problem with Top of the Gulf rooms or people. Just didn't like all the nonsense with the parking and paying 20.00 for two parking spaces when we could have used just one. Also, we rented a golf cart to ride because it was easier than our motorcycles and they would not allow us to bring the golf cart in the property. We couldn't even go back to our room as long as we had the golf cart. Just stupid things like that. It was really inconvenient!

4/10

Poor

01 May 2018

Brittney

Was not what we paid for!!!

We was told we would only be charged for the room and the other charges would be refunded which did not happen. We was charged 500.00 for a room that should have been like 100.00. The room was very poor condition. The property and people was nice but the room was not worth the price.

2/10

Poor

19 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Not the best

I am very disappointed with my stay. The check in process was complicated! I called to get the code to the door and was told to call someone else and that person told me to call someone else. I was finally told to go to Grand Panama. Went there and they tried to charge me $696 more! I told them that the $500 deposit should be waived and that I had already paid the $195 balance. She said she didn’t see that- so I pulled it up on my phone and what do you know. She found where it had been paid also.
Room was not decorated but I was okay with that and the bird poop on the window made the view not as appealing.
The washer did not work. Called about that and was told to call someone else. That person told me to go see the HOA- thank goodness that lady was helpful!
A worker offered my 2 sons $5 to plant palm trees- when they turned him down, it’s almost like he made it a point to get on to them over every little thing! They were walking to the beach with a volleyball in hand and he made sure to come over and tell them they couldn’t have it around the pool and that people had complained about them and he took the ball from them. Another worker have it back and told them not to worry about him.
We will bot be back nor will I recommend anyone I know to stay there!

4/10

Poor

07 Apr 2018

Trish

We were super excited for spring break found emerald resorts (Top of The Gulf) online pictures were nice and the price was fair so we booked it. We choose a room/studio condo with 2 queen beds but when we arrived we got a queen bed and a sleeper sofa. I called the desk to inquire about my reservation and was told they do not guarantee beds only sleeping space for the number of occupants. I was extremely puzzled as while I was looking through the site several of their rooms/condos state the beds available. She then proceeded to tell me that a sleeper sofa is a queen bed or equivalent to it. At this point I was beyond pissed but I did not want to ruin the trip I asked for a different room and was told nothing else was available. Frustrated and defeated I gave up and said we would make do not two days into our trip did the air conditioner die. Yay super exciting(not) close to 80degrees on the 6th floor was no fun so we called maintenance at 10am on Tuesday. Maintenance shows up on Wednesday and determines the air conditioner is done for so they facility now has to relocate us. The front desk calls me and tells me they can move us to a bungalow however we would loose the amenities we payed for, I respectfully declined stating I paid for those amenities I deserve them. They said we have a room at a different location with amenities but you have to pay extra I said absolutely not so they magically found a room with 2 beds in our building. It was so frustrating Never again!!!!!

4/10

Poor

06 Apr 2018

Gena

Poor maintenance

The hotel took two days to get light bulbs in the room, claiming their matenience would not come to fix the problem at 5:00. Very disappointing.

Family

2/10

Poor

26 Mar 2018

Kim

It was horrific! I will never use Hotels.com again

Family

4/10

Poor

23 Oct 2017

John & Diane

Nice Hotel close to beach

Roaches! We paid to much for this Condo to have roaches. Bathroom toilet did not flush good. Dish washer door did not shut so we could not use. Elevator, our room was on the 2nd floor when you hit the floor 2 button the elevator would go to the 5th floor and stop, doors would not open just sat there. We hit 2 button again and it would go back down to 2nd floor. This happened 3 or 4 different times.

2/10

Poor

12 Sep 2017

Marco

Don't Stay Here!

Check-in was confus[ng as there was no guidance provided during booking stating that one had to go to a different location (The Grand Panama) two miles away to complete the process. The room was habitable, though worn, and could use some improvement. The A/C did not work. Fan would blow, however we could never pull the temp down below outside temperatures. There was no hot water and the water pressure was dismal. No extra towels were located under the sink as advertised on the booking site. In-room wi-fi was sporadic and constantly dropped the signal. Booking site advertised bill could be paid at checkout as long as a deposit (credit, debit, or cash) equal to first day's room charge was made. I already had a deposit equaling one day's charge deposited at the time I booked yet I was required to pay the entire charge for the stay up front. If I had known of these issues in advance I would not have booked here.

Partner

2/10

Poor

11 Sep 2017

Verified traveler

Nasty room bed had hair in it bead bug on wall

Customer service was not good at all room was very nasty didn't even stay in it an when I asked for a refund they wanted to charge me for a cleaning even tho I didn't stay in the room

4/10

Poor

04 Sep 2017

Beenie

H*** NO!!! Never again

I will never again go to this "Hotel" Horrible they turned the air off. In FL in July!!! What the heck.Yes it was right on the beach but you had to go to another Hotel to register then go back because they forgot to give us the pass code to get into our room. The trash stunk up the hall ways. One of the elevators didn't work. I would rather stay a little bit away from the beach and not pay $221.00 a night when it should have only been 194.

2/10

Poor

18 Jul 2017

Verified traveler

I was very unhappy.

The room wasn't clean, our refrigerator leaked. When it was time to check in it wasn't ready and we didn't get in for 30 mins after. I tried to call the front desk but no one ever returned my call. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

8/10

Excellent

02 Jun 2017

Douglas

My stay would have been all excellent if at the time of booking the room my main question Was. Does it have a private balcony. And I was told yes. All rooms had private balconys and that was not the true. My room only had a window no balcony. So therefore I will choose another location to stay for any future visits. That was the main and only thing that I was looking forward to so without that my stay was not as enjoyable to

Family

2/10

Poor

16 May 2017

Cristeen

DO NOT STAY HERE EVER

Absolutely the worst place I have ever stayed! Never again would I stay at a place like this. The "condo" was nothing more than a horrible room. What was advertised as luxurary is more like dirty ghetto. They couldn't even get my reservation right. I am fighting now for a refund.

Family

2/10

Poor

04 May 2017

TIEN

HORIBLE HOTEL.

checked in desk is 10 minutes drive from the hotel. room shake is missing other can look through the room while sleep.
room very dirty and old. no tv, no cable, no internet. missing light bold room very dark. I called staff, no repair.
HORRIBLE HOTEL, TRY IT AND FIND OUT YOURSELF.

2/10

Poor

30 Apr 2017

renee

roach motel

The room smelled of cigarette smoke and was very run down towel bars if you touched feel off but the worst thing was the roaches I know we saw 15 in 2 days as soon as we got home everything had to be exterminated I told the lady at the front desk and she was like oh really needless to say we will never stay here again

Family

4/10

Poor

25 Apr 2017

Reggie

accommodations were poor room was terrible for the price could have stayed some were much better.
there was mold in bathroom ad room had strange odor.
had to pay cleaning fee which was not included in original price paid almost $1000.00 for dump.

Partner

4/10

Poor

18 Apr 2017

Jamie

Very disappointing hotel.

I reserved the room through Expedia at a special rate. I then went to check in and the room was not ready until almost an hour after check in time. I was also charged almost the same amount in fees as I paid for the rental. What should have been a stay costing around $350.00 wound up costing over $500.00. Upon arriving at the room there a few dead roaches on the floor, dirty coffee filter in coffee pot. The couches were so filthy and old we had to put a sheet over them to sit on. The blinds were old and missing several slats. The staff were notified about the lack of privacy on the window and only took photos. We had to drape a sheet over the open area to have privacy. I have never had a problem booking a room before but this was extremely disappointing and frustrating as well. The on site staff were very helpful and courteous. The couple running the pool site refreshment area were the best part of our stay. I have experience in property management and in my professional opinion this room was not tenant ready. The owner needs to take better care of their property.

4/10

Poor

22 Mar 2017

Charles

Top of the bug.

The room was ok. Just not very clean. There was bugs so we had to take care of that. And when you walked bare foot your feet turned black. The people was nice and helpful. Good location and the pool area was nice.

Family

2/10

Poor

17 Mar 2017

Tanya

Disgusting smelly room

This was the worse experience I have ever had in Florida.. The room was disgusting......there were no blinds hanging. The bed had stains all over it as well as the couch. I couldn't even sit on it. The toilet had feces in it. And once I got there to check in to what I thought was a resort.....I was not allowed to use the pool or beach chairs because the homeowner of the room didn't pay her dues. I paid well over 500 bucks for this room and had to leave and check into a motel 8 which was wayyyyyy nicer then this place 100%!!!! I don't recommend it to anyone especially if you plan on taking your children with you.

Partner

4/10

Poor

28 Feb 2017

Shellie

Disappointed!

We're not told to check in at different location, it was closed, finally found where to get room code but unable to pay till morning. Were locked out of room in morning because balance hadn't been paid, ugh! Unexpected charges. Bedside table had a broken leg, my new phone and glass of wine fell to the floor! Cleaning it up I discovered the floor was disgusting! Not happy!!!

4/10

Poor

27 Feb 2017

Caitlin

trying to check in or find an office was very difficult and a waste of time. The "hidden fees" charged were also overly priced. I will never use this hotel again.

Family

2/10

Poor

09 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

didnt like at all. never will i go back,.

2/10

Poor

01 Jan 2017

Paul

Never again. Wasted money.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 Oct 2016

JAMES

Not motorcycle friendly.

Not motorcycle friendly, having to pay for parking for each motorcycle vs parking space is ridiculous when staying in the same room also. More than one bike will fit in parking space. Not the same rules for all motorcyclist also. Not staying here again.

Family

4/10

Poor

24 Oct 2016

Jason

No extra towel was an inconvenience

Family

2/10

Poor

08 Oct 2016

Michael

Don't do it!

Checking in was confusing and frustrating. Condo was very dated. Desperately needs to be remodeled. It looked like no one had put any effort to keep up with any maintenance. Roaches! Way overpriced.

2/10

Poor

03 Oct 2016

Lisa

Overrated price and no room service

I was very disappointed in the cost when I book The Room it showed me $71 know where did it tell me I had to pay additional fees at check in to get my keys and no one gave me directions on where to go I had to search and search for where we were supposed to check in and get the keys and then to not have wash clothes in there and nobody telling us that there's no room service at all and to be telling someone that they have an ocean view when you know that there's no ocean views in that hotel that you rent out to people and also this was a lot of unnecessary money to pay I could have got a cheaper Hotel down the street I am so disappointed, after checking in we were told that we could call for any issues we called and could never reach anyone left to 3 messages and no one ever showed up if you post that you have to bring your own Linens then we would have brought them but to not tell you because I've never been there before was very disheartening and very disappointed I will never stay there again if I ever go back to Panama City in this place I'd never again and that was my first visit to Panama City I'm disappointed

Family

2/10

Poor

03 Aug 2016

Ron

Screwed and didn't no it!

30 minutes out from arriving at the hotel I received a phone call from Hotels.com informing me that the hotel was overbooked and I did not have a room. Not what you want to hear after driving 12 hours. Went to the property management company anyway and found out that hotels.com never confirmed my reservation and therefor I never did have a room in the first place. The property management, not hotels.com, put my family in another hotel but it was not on the beach and it did not come close to the room I had reserved. Be careful if you book with Hotels.com because they did not make much of an effort to resolve this and the people I had to talk with on the phone could not speak English very well.

Family

2/10

Poor

31 Jul 2016

Cindy

Disappointed ! Bad management!

I would like to just start by saying how disappointed we were by it all. I am terribly embarrassed that I chose Travelocity and chose the "Top of the Gulf "Condo for my parents to stay at while we were all vacationing in Panama City Beach.I feel completely responsible. Having said that I would like to tell you about the stay. The first initial inconvenience was that the office to register was not near the condo it was about 30 min away with traffic that was difficult for my parents . I requested a non smoking double bed condo. The condo smelt of cigeratte smoke and there was ash trays in it ..my parents are non smokers! The room had one full size bed and a tiny pull out that I would not consider to be a full size. I specifically asked for two double beds and non smoking this was a big inconvenience on them and uncomfortable for them. They required two full size beds. When trying to call the "office" that proved difficult. So again my elderly parents had to drive all the way back to inform them of the room issues only to be told "they are only management and nothing can be done" I'm perplexed by that ...I thought "managements job was to help and solve problems with customers? I would like to add that a maintance man showed up later on mid week to put a new filter in and we assume it was due to the smoke smell in condo that was brought to their attention ,but were never told that it why? I did make a formal complaint with Travelocity . No response!

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2016

This is NOT a hotel, but Condos

When I got there, I found out it was not a hotel but a condos which are rented out by several realtors. Since we were dropped off by the taxi from the airport, we were at a lost on how to check in. There just happened to be a realtor at the place at that time, but she could not check us in since the room we had was not one of their properties. She did allow me to use her phone and contact the realtor that had our room, which was 3 miles from there. I had to walk 3 miles there to sign the papers and pay the fees, then 3 miles back.There really needs a better way to check in!! So, if you book a room here you need to make sure how and where you check in first.
Now, saying all the negative first, I will now say that the room was clean, with a kitchen, and we had a nice view. There is a laundry room on each floor and a family fast food just outside by the pool that sold bag ice. This made it great to fill the ice chest while heading to the beach which was just pass the family fast food restaurant.

2/10

Poor

16 Jul 2016

Grossed out

Disgusting!

First of all, we got there at 3 and didn't get out room until five. It was extremely outdated. The room stunk like rotten eggs and was filthy. The bathroom was SO tiny you could barely move. There was only one mirror in the entire room. Oh and there were ROACHES! Yes roaches!!! I will NEVER stay there again! I was very uncomfortable and hated that had my small children there.

8/10

Excellent

09 May 2016

Alexis folsom

1st room wasnt even finished

when we got our first room it was terrible. none of the lights worked, and the smell was just terrible and the beds were a mess, and lets talk about the floor, it looked like they tore it up and never replaced it. just bad. oh and the tv, broken in the closet. so called the front desk and they moved us and it was much better. The beds were made up and actually bigger. It didnt have a smell to it like the previous. it was just all around nicer. only things i would have liked were more towels (they dont have a maid service we only had 4 towels for 3 days) and a balcony. but after the room change it was great. just wish they didnt have so many hidden fees.

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jan 2016

Bridget

New Years Stay

The room, kitchen, and bathroom was overall clean. There was no onsite front desk people. If there were they were definitely hiding. The front desk was at another property. Check out time was at 10am (you have to use a code to get in and out of the room) it automatically locked us out at 9:45am while we were still getting our stuff out. It took 20 minutes to call around to figure out how we could unlock the door (hence I said no one is on property or at least no where to be found) finally got a hold of the front desk (which is at another property) they gave us a code and we got the rest of our thing. But it's not a bad condo to stay in. It was a very good price and very clean

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

23 Oct 2015

Verified traveler

Hidden fees

I booked with expedia for a great price but when we got there we had to pay lots of hidden fees, like insurance for the room, cleaning fee and parking fee. Will never stay there again. Also our room 416 bathroom smelled like sewer the whole time we were there, the room was pretty clean but very out dated. Never again!

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2015

Kelly C.

Great little getaway

Perfect location. Great access to the beach and within walking distance to a lot of different places. Will definitely book with them next time we go down

Partner

2/10

Poor

14 Oct 2015

Andrea

Awful experience - DON'T STAY HERE!

No one at the front desk for check in. None of the #s posted on the office door work. No security / no parking monitor, even though they charge extra for it. We paid an extra $10/night for a bay view; we got a view of the parking lot. Outdated appliances. Dishwasher almost caught fire. DVD player, telephone, and hair dryer don't work. Mold on the ceilings and under stove and dishwasher. Fridge leaks. Beds are broken and mattresses are swaybacked - feels like they haven't been changed out in several years. chipped and cracked furniture.

Family

4/10

Poor

07 Oct 2015

Tim

We survived and thrived despite the inadequacies.

Shocked to discover that there is no towel or bedding exchange daily but we dealt with it by purchasing new towels which added a little extra expense. We were informed that we had use of the laundry on other floors than the one that we were staying on. The bedding was worn and had some damage so I was concerned about that on my departure. Also the heating/cooling thermostat went dark and the unit stopped working; thankfully, the weather was mild and we endured comfortably without the system. The toilet was very low to the ground, and the seat was either mal-adjusted or broken. All these things were reported to a parking attendant as the "office" was closed on our day of departure. The office was for the most part unattended and/or closed the entire stay except for several hours on a couple of days. I had to make several trips to "finalize" my registration. The fees charged were more that I was informed they would be by $55.00. Hotels.com representative promised to refund $30.00 to me but I have not received that yet. Would I repeat this stay again? No.

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Sep 2015

Christina

It was great. I had fun. Only complaint was there wasn't a 24 hr desk service but overall it was great...looking forward to the next trip

Partner

2/10

Poor

21 Sep 2015

lefty

terrible experience.

When i first arrived at the hotel, i was told that I needed to go to another hotel to pick up my parking pass and room code and then return before I could even get on the property.
Once this was done, the room code didn't even work.

Then I found that the shower was broken and when that was fixed, l found that the tub wouldn't drain.
On the night before my last night, the seal under the door failed and caused a serious noise problem (from the wind ) - this was never fixed.

Worst hotel experience ever!

4/10

Poor

15 Sep 2015

Warren C.

Not like it looks in the pictures

Much older rooms than depicted. Nice staff and cheap rooms, but I guess you get why you pay for.

8/10

Excellent

21 Aug 2015

Amy

Great location, great beach, staff was helpful, check in was a breeze, pool area is very large, loved it!

Family

2/10

Poor

18 Aug 2015

Verified traveler

It was a horrible choice by staying there. No ice vending machine. Towels weren't provided, you have to wash the old ones in the laundry mat there. They said there were 2 beds when I booked the room but there was only 1. They considered the pullout couch a second bed. No house keeping there what so ever. Person working the front office was never there. I will never stay there for as long as I live.

Family

4/10

Poor

17 Aug 2015

selena

close to the beach and entertainment

Not a hotel. Travelocity did not state this was a privately owned condo. Rented 2 rooms. ended up costing $2,000.00. Had to wash your own towels and wash rags every day in a coin operated machine. Do not have time on vacation to wash everyday. Health inspector their during stay. Security would not let us park golf carts on parking lot that we rented and was responsible for, for 24 hours. Hard to find quarters for washing once office closed. Office only open Wed. - Sun. 9 - 5. Rooms were non smoking which was fine, but one room was next to a sitting area outside were guest/owners smoked which every
time you open door smoke would come into the room. You had to wash towels and rags everyday before you could take a shower. Not good coming from the beach when you have 8 people waiting to take showers so you can go out for dinner and have to wait for towels and wash rags before you could start getting dressed. Our first day could not swim in pool due to cleaning. Found out child had bowl movement in pool. It rained and the hall ways to rooms flooded.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Aug 2015

Dyonsia B.

Family Trip

The overall trip was nice, it was a little mini vacation for the kids before school start back. The room itself could have been better....it was real old and could use much updating. It was not what I expected at all. The location was great we were able to walk to the beach from the room and my kids enjoyed that and they enjoyed the pool.

Family

2/10

Poor

06 Aug 2015

Janet

Don't let the picture fool you!

A DUMP - it should be removed as an Expedia option!!! Room A/C vent created dust bunnies on the ceiling over the beds, requested cleaning which was minimal so I had to finish the job, the bathroom was the smallest I have ever been in, open air hallways have peeling paint and rusty door frames, smokers occupy the outdoor chairs in the hallway making it unpleasant to walk from room to elevators or sit in any of the chairs, no decks, making dropped something that rolled under the bed on the last day of our 6 night stay - looked under the beds - extremely dirty, may not have been vacuumed and washed in a month.

2/10

Poor

04 Aug 2015

Jason B.

2nd part of Florida Trip after visiting Universal Studios

The hotel was not a hotel, but a condo on the beach and is more suited for a week long stay. We booked it for 2 nights and were hit with fees as much as the hotel booking. We called and requested help from the condo and booking company and were told to read the fine print. Since we paid there wasn't anything they could do. Just know that the fine print says you will be charged other fees when you arrive.. Site rules says that I can't say how much. My wife lost her 2 uncle Bens. So much for eating out.. The check in was also a hassle. We had to drive across town to check-in at the Emerarld and drive back to get into the condo, so, There is no onsite check-in. I would book at a good price for a week, but not for a couple of days.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jul 2015

Verified traveler

Descent but not great

We stayed here for a few days and the check-in staff and security guards were nice. However, the unit we stayed in at first had no air we called to get the AC fixed and were given an hour wait time, two and a half hours later we still didn't have air. AND we had been in our room waiting on the guy to show up. Ended up fixing it myself by doing the maintenance on if that someone else should have done before we checked in. The hot water was not hot, showers were close to cold. The fridge didn't work, the freezer did so to we had to almost freeze our food & drinks and shift them out to keep them eatable. Regular maintenance should occur on each unit...

4/10

Poor

19 Jul 2015

Verified traveler

Could have been a lot better

There was never anybody around our room was not that clean I had a cockroach under my pillow when I woke up the closet was full of lamp shades and paint cans! Which I was unable to put my dress in closet horrible spot to stay if your getting married

Family

6/10

Pleasant

13 Jul 2015

Cat

Overall a pleasing visit

The room I booked was incorrect when we got there. I asked for a 2 double beds and got 1 double bed and a pullout sofa. When we pulled the sofa out there was a sign do not use broken. Well we got it to work because i didn't want my children sleeping on the floor. The next day we moved to the correct room. That room was updated and better than the first one. Only 2 problems we had with this room was the shower leaking and the a/c unit didn't work properly.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2015

Verified traveler

Nice condo! Loved it

The only negative thing I have to say is they don't have enough carts to take your stuff back out to the car for everyone when it comes time to check out. We ended up making several trips back and forth just to check out. Other than that our stay was perfect. I'll be back!

2/10

Poor

29 Jun 2015

Christina

DO NOT STAY HERE

The entire room smelled of sewage, mildew, and mold. There was no remote for the TV. The blinds were broken and had gaps, providing no privacy. Especially at night, when we had a lamp on but it was dark outside, you could easily see straight into the room from the parking lot (see pictures). I contacted Vacasa, who got the property manager to come over. He brought a remote, which he programmed for us, but said Sorry, nothing can be done about the smell. They all smell a little like a basement, he said. He gave us three beach towels as a consolation, said they would contact Expedia about a possible credit, and I never heard another word. There were only 2 rolls of TP to last a family of four six days. The only garbage bag provided was the one in the can. I spent my own money on bags, toilet paper, and air fresheners. This was a terrible rental and a horrible experience.

8/10

Excellent

28 Jun 2015

alverna m

visitor from Wisconsin

try to get registered upon arrival was a nightmare. told we had to drive miles down the road to a different motel to get room number code. there we were sent across the street to another motel for information. when called motel.com they gave us a different room code. The motel said message box full can not take calls.

Family

2/10

Poor

24 Jun 2015

Timothy

BEWARE! Hidden fees, grouchy staff, disgusting roo

TERRIBLE!! Over $150 in hidden fees, and we're advised it would be $109 to cancel. Check in was hassle, security had to give us directions to Grand Panama to check in. One of the elevators doors had fallen in, instead of repairing it they put a bookshelf in front of it to block it off. Over 2 hours later, got to our room and immediately left. Room was gross. There was a pot in the oven, a beer can and tobacco spit cup beside the bed. The toilet seat did not even FIT the toilet. The bed felt like it was a wooden pallet. Smelled horrible!!! Sheets looked like they were 150+ years old. 1930s tv on a leaning shelf. "Beach view" was over 4 blocks away. I've stayed in "roach motels" better than this!!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2015

mia

wonderful! best time I've had in many years.

the hotel receptionist was extremely helpful, it was my husbands first time in Florida and I haven't been since 1997, we had a very wonderful memory in Panama City Beach 2015, we will see you again beautiful beach. We definitely are telling everyone we know how great the stay was at Top of the Gulf.

4/10

Poor

12 Jun 2015

NANCY

Wouldn't stay here again!

I wouldn't stay here again we were there for 3 nights and never got housekeeping even after we were forced to pay an additional 150.00 at check in that included housekeeping and a damage fee that was nonrefundable!

Partner

2/10

Poor

09 Jun 2015

Verified traveler

Awful

Lots of hidden fees and rules everywhere room was old and outdated.

4/10

Poor

08 Jun 2015

Verified traveler

The towels were dingy, sand in bed

got the had to pay extra fees, sheets were not change from guest before, sand in bed... Paying extra 160. I'm not very happy, plus our room was supposed to be ready when we got there, it was not until 3pm... I was told it would be when we arrived about 10am-10:30am. I'm never booking with Expedia ever again. One other thing mold in bathroom roof

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jun 2015

Evelyn

no towels

We needed to wash our towels ourselves. There was no housekeeping. A $150.00 charge was tacked on at the check in for checkout room cleaning.
Security was Great though. the pool was super clean and the beach was great!

Family

2/10

Poor

05 Jun 2015

Cindy

Don't stay at Top of the Gulf!!!

This will be the last time we stay in Panama City Beach. This was the worst experience I have ever had on vacation. For starters we were suppose to check in at 4:00 pm. We went to the hotel and they sent us to the management office. There we were told our room was not ready. Go to dinner and wander around for awhile and they would call us when it was ready. We had left Tennessee at 7:00 am and were tired and just wanted to relax but we left and ate and shopped some. We never got a phone call so we went back to the management office and they kept trying to call the condo office to check if it was ready but no one would answer the phone. At 9:00 pm they told us to just go to the room and if it wasn't cleaned to call them back. The room was not what we booked for starters. We asked for 2 double beds and got 1 bed and a pull out couch that was very uncomfortable and had 1 sheet and no pillows with it. We had 3 towels to share between 4 people. When we asked for more towels we were told that you only get one towel and you have to wash them. The laundry room we had to share with the 1st and 2nd floor and there were only 2 washers and 1 dryer. The 2nd dryer was broken the whole time. We complained to the hotel staff and were told they couldn't help us to call the management office. When we called the management office they didn't answer the phone and we couldn't leave a message because the mail box was full.(Probably full of complaints.)

2/10

Poor

02 Jun 2015

sandra

Left early

No DVD player as told. Had a gym that was a empty room and no game room as told. DVD player did not work. My party was ready to leave early.

2/10

Poor

27 May 2015

Verified traveler

Don't waste you time and money.

I booked this hotel despite bad reviews. First I didn't get any confirmation email with the correct address where to check in. We arrived at the hotel and spend about an hour trying to figure out where to check in. Finally somebody gave us the number of the front desk. The front desk is located in a different hotel where we needed to drive:(Second the front desk receptionist gave us absolutely different additional fees from what Expedia sent me in its confirmation email. So I had to pay extra fees what I didn't expected! Also, I wanted to check out earlier and receptionist in the front desk told me before I was checking in that it will be possible to cancel my last 4th night if I call to Expedia but actually Expedia couldn't cancel it because the hotel management didn't give their authorization. Why would she told me this?? She gave me incorrect information. The bottom line is that the beginning of my trip was spoiled! I spent hours calling to Expedia and hours on worthless conversations with management of the hotel.

4/10

Poor

18 May 2015

Jordan

Alright Condo... Best things was the bar by pool

Not the best place we have stayed, nor the absolute worst. The only reason we booked this room was because it was a really good deal. We arrived around 4 in the morning and had to check in at another location, not our condo. It took us over 30 minutes to find because it had no markings. Once we arrived we noticed that one of the elevators was broken. The door was hanging off the elevator and the only thing blocking it from people entering it was a book shelf.

Our condo itself (316) had to be one of the nicer ones there. It had a great set up and nice view. We had no cable the 2 nights we were there and no WIFI.

We paid $171 for two nights. On our second day we got a call saying that we hadn't checked in, nor paid our balance...Which was false because we booked through hotels.com and was never informed of any other fees. Whenever I went down to the office the guy said I had to pay a cleaning fee of $150....Which had I known that like the other hotels listed..I would have stayed at a much nicer place.

The only thing I would recommend about this condo is that they have a bar/to go food by the food and the two owners are absolutely awesome. The made the best food and drinks and weren't over priced.

Family

4/10

Poor

04 Apr 2015

Nick

Great location, but that's about it

This is barely an acceptable accommodation for spring break. Its close to Club LaVela and party spots on the beach, however there wasn't much going on inside the "resort". The blinds in the room don't really keep out the sunlight in the morning, so don't expect to sleep in. For your own health and safety please don't open the compartment under the stove...

2/10

Poor

06 Oct 2014

Jim

Not the product shown in the photos.

In all of my years going to PCB, this was the worst. It was extremely filthy. The room had foul sewer smell coming from the showed. Doors swollen and didn't want to open or close. It was either too warm in the room or too cold. The two pristeen queen size beds were small double beds on cheap rusty frames. The linen was old and stained. The hallways had a urine smell. Shall I continue? I'm very disappointed in experia for allowing such a bait and switch scam.