The Panacea Motel — Hotel in Crawfordville

I stayed in the 1 Bedroom Apt for the summer season and was mostly pleased with my stay. There was ample space to live comfortably, and the kitchen was well stocked with all you need to sustain yourself (toaster oven with air fry technology was a gamechanger). The king bed was comfortable, and the water pressure was great. However, this is definitely an older building, and the renovations only go so far. There is a sizeable gap between the frame and front door, so the front room is always a bit warmer than the bedroom. There is a fan in the living room which helps circulate the air, but it’s on the same circuit as the kitchen lights, so both must be on at the same time. There is no screen on the back window, so opening that up for some fresh air welcomes all the lovely bugs as well. The bathroom window could also stand to be replaced. BUT the AC unit works well, and the apartment stayed cool.

It must be disclosed that there is a concrete company right next door that starts work as early as 5am, and they are LOUD. If you are an early riser, consider it a built-in alarm clock, otherwise, be warned (also known to work a Saturday here and there…). The 1 Bedroom unit is sandwiched between two other units, one only separated by a door, so you can hear EVERYTHING. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a trail to the bay, but if it continues to be maintained as it has been, it may be unusable to you. (I was unable to use it for over half my stay when someone decided to take a four-wheeler back there several times, even when it rained. Landlord was notified, but nothing was done to prevent or fix the issue.) The property offers a coin-laundry room as well, but the coin machine was Out of Order the entirety of my stay. Panacea is a very small town where rolls of quarters are hard to come by; I recommend the bank in Crawfordville for any of your change needs. You may also want to get both WiFi logins from the landlord, as the internet assigned to my room didn’t work half the time (there was mention of a booster/access point being added…never happened). Lastly, this property looks very much like your run-of-the-mill motel, people WILL knock on your door asking for the office or if they can get a room. Keep your door locked, some were convinced this unit was the office and tried letting themselves in. I’ve advised the landlord to get some sort of sign advertising it as an Airbnb, but again, never happened.

All in all, this is a cute and (mostly) quiet place to call home for a bit. Beautiful, relatively private beaches are 15-20 minutes away. The local Dollar General is a market variety so fresh produce and significant groceries are close by. The few restaurants sprinkled along the highway are good, and the local park has a nice walking trail. Crawfordville (20 minutes away) has several larger grocery stores and some chain restaurants. 10/10 a location that is isolated enough, but also close enough. I enjoyed my stay but would have enjoyed it more had a few more accommodations been taken care of.

P.S. "New management" moved into the front most unit (Room 1) a week before I left. Some cosmetic changes were in progress, but too little too late. I hope it changes...

This was a last minute, made a wrong turn on the road home …beautiful mistake. (As I always tell my kids it’s not the destination but the journey! And this was a lovely addition to the family journey!) From the time I called - exhausted and needing a place for my family of FIVE on the coast (Bay) LAST minute -was an amazing experience. (Try finding anywhere on the coast, bay or gulf in any month last minute!! For more than 4 people!!!) And by last minute I mean the day of…Customer service was excellent…. Which is harder to find now a days! (Post covid) When we arrived the cottage was lit up for us and clean, smelled like someone had just went in and made it perfect for us. (It was so cute from the doorstep and beyond!) Large, gorgeous and fun. Puzzles, board games and tv to keep us busy for our last minute family booking. I was BEYOND shocked. Much better than the typical “hotel” stays we had been doing on the way home from down the coast back to the Midwest) I’ve never stayed in a motel before honestly and this set the bar! It was impressive. So this was an amazing accidental stay. Great memories here. I’m so grateful for the kind lady who answered the phone! (Thank you so much if you happen to see this!) There was a large yard and a hot tub which we didn’t get to experience because of the late stay. I also saw golf carts for rent! How fun! The negatives…. Location is excellent for off the Hwy and location to bay!!! But the noise level and no pool would be all I can come up with if I was staying long term. (Business next door) and I am digging DEEP for any negative because it was honestly so ABOVE any expectations. Price was excellent. Customer service was excellent and the cottage was also. The area for the day we spent there was fun for a family. Welcome center, aquarium and bay side beach was a great day. Lots of restaurants worth visiting. (Hidden gem this town!) Thanks again! We soooo appreciate your hospitality and lovely place!!! I would definitely...

We stayed for three nights in February 2025. There was a little mix-up with the reservation. We initially booked it for two weeks prior, but this was when the South was blanketed in snow and ice like never seen before. We were afraid the roads would be difficult to travel, so we requested they move our reservation out by two weeks. We are two female cousins, who do a lot together, but do not share a bed. We initially booked a room with two queens. That info was lost in the new reservation and they were going to put us in a king room. I asked if they could look again for a room with two beds. The only thing they had was the 1 bedroom apartment. So it was actually a little upgrade and we felt very secure right next to the office.

This unit had everything one would want for an extended stay. They had an electric two burner hot plate and an assortment of pots and pans we could have used if we wanted to cook. We only used the microwave to heat up some breakfast bowls. The rest of the time we ate out or ate at our cousins' place on Alligator Point.

We look forward to staying there in the future. We loved the retro decor and the convenience. We were close enough to where our New York cousins were staying on Alligator Point, making it easy to get out there and back. We were close to Angelo's, our favorite restaurant when we are in the area. Posey's is practically across the street and it's also good. We ate at Las Palmas, the Mexican restaurant, the first night. After sitting empty for a few years, we were glad to see it being utilized again.

So, don't wait. Go ahead and book a room now. It was a very...