hotel advice for st pete beach or clearwater

[ritarussell]

Hey Cruisers!

 

We have decided to fly into St Petersburg a few days before our cruise aboard the Imagination from Tampa. So...where can we stay that is nice? Which beach is nicer, st pete or clearwater - and should we rent a car or can we get a shuttle to the hotel and then to the pier. We will be flying in on Thursday evening - spend Friday pretty much at the resort/beach, then leaving on our cruise on Saturday. Thanks for any advice!!

[Gumtree]

Rita -- I live in the area & I'd recommend St Pete Beach .. the Tradewinds is a nice resort and the beach front at that location is very nice as well. There's alot within walking distance (restaurants, shops, etc.) I'd definitely rent a car - it's about 45 miles from the airport to the beaches. Clearwater is also nice - Sand Key would be my choice. You'll need a car to get to the pier .. there is really no mass transporation around here (we have a bus system, but I wouldn't use it). I think you could do a car rental for much less than taxi - just be sure to book the car in advance to get a good rate. What month will you be here? Let me know if you have any other questions.

[PaulMedik]

I have stayed in both towns and Clearwater beach is, hands down, a MUCH better beach than St Pete. The sand is like talcom powder in Clearwater Beach and St Pete sand is like ground up seashells; very coarse. We were so disappointed in the beach at St Pete that we drove to Clearwater Beach just for the beach even though we had an ocean front suite in St Pete.

 

I can't recommend a particular hotel in Clearwater but I did check several areas in St Pete and the sand was terrible throughout. They also had a huge pipe on the beach in St Pete and were pumping in new sand due to erosion.

[moonmom]

Hello...i too prefer clearwater beach...for the reasons the above poster mentioned. i have stayed several times at the hilton on CWB and have been very happy there. Its right on the beach, 2 pools, restaurants, right next to the pier and you are right in the middle of the action.

 

I would have no idea as to your transportation options...

 

Have fun!

[dot]

We live on the Tampa side of the Bay. Be very sure you give yourself plenty of time to get across the Bay on your way to the Port. If there happen to be an accident on the causway you could get caught in traffic for hours. Just be on the cautions side. There are plenty of things to do if you have a few hours to kill at the port. Channelside is wonderful as is Ybor City. Both have a trolley available to ride on.

PS/You will love Clearwater (tradeswinds is my choice) but the don't even come close to the waters and beaches of the carribbean. Have great cruise. We go June 12th on the Miracle.

[ritarussell]

Thank you all for your advice. I think we will just rent a car for the two days. I will check into pricing for Clearwater resorts...don't want to spend TOO much - would like to have the majority of our $$ for the cruise. We will be traveling in Mid-November. And by the way, we will have out 4 and 8 year olds with us as well.

[ahoys]

Just remember that beach hotels are going to have a "beachy" feeling. If you spend the $$$$ you'll get a nice resort. If you go for the budget hotel, expect worn carpeting and bedding and the smell of salt, sand, and other odors in your room. If you anticipate that, and bring room deodorizer with you, you'll have a good time. You can get a hotel in Clearwater across from the beach for a good deal, and there are lots of restaurants and touristy shops close by.

[mavrik582]

I don't know how much the hotel is in November, but I stayed at the Don Cesare and it is BEAUTIFUL!! The pools are gorgeous, the sand is so white, and they have a really good ice cream shop! :o)

[bleuseas]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Harborside a few years back. It was brand new at the time. It's actually located in Indian Rocks beach, FL, not far from Clearwater/St. Pete. It isn't on the beach though. If I remember correctly it was waterfront on a channel with a private marina. It was not your typical Holiday Inn by any means.

 

It had a lot of neat amenities that the kids liked (ages 2 & 5 at the time). It has a Key West/Pirate theme and it's own splashpark with a pirate ship and small waterslides. I remember thinking how nice the harborside room was at the time and eating outside our room byt the water. It wasn't too expensive at the time as compared to the Tradewinds, which we've also stayed at a few times before kids. The Tradewinds is beachfront and also very nice but can be pricey.

[Lemarier]

We have not been to the area YET - but have booked the Hilton Clearwater Beach. We got a great deal through AAA of $99 per night. It looks nice and I am glad to hear from another poster here that it is a good location close to action. We are traveling with our two kids - 20 and 17 for 2 days prior to our cruise on the Miracle. We did rent a car through Hertz which will plan to drop off at the airport on the morning we sail and then take a cab to the pier.

 

Can anyone tell me what is near the Hilton Clearwater Beach that we can do with our kids?

 

Kathy

[ppeckham]

10 years ago I had a conference at Tradewinds in St. Pete. It was a decent hotel. The resort is comprised of several small hotels the one company purchased. The hotels are connected via a canal. Pretty nice property. They were rennovating the rooms at the time. We got a discounted rate of $149 for a suite.

 

The Don Cesar further south is pretty amazing. Prices are a bit high on that one.

 

We too are flying in a day early. At one point we planned on staying in St. Pete but decided to save our money for the cruise and stay near the airport. We're renting a car so we can drive to the beach for a few hours.