KathyK

We just spent Easter weekend at the Holiday Inn Sunspree after having spent a lovely week before that at Siesta Key. I would not recommend this hotel based on our experience. Management was unwilling to respond to problems that the hotel created. First of all, my husband asked on check in how to use the internet with out being charged, and then followed the clerk's instructions. Upon check out we had $60 of phone charges on our bill. The manager was unwilling to remove the charges and stated that even though we followed the verbal instructions that if we used the local area code we'd be fine, we should have read the manual in the room to see what exchanges we could use. We're on vacation and took the iniative to ask and were not given full instructions. We don't stay in hotels much, we prefer condos, so maybe this is the norm, but beach chairs have to be rented, and coolers are not allowed in the pool area or on the beach. After spending $250 a night for a room, we couldn't take a cooler of bottled water and diet cokes to the beach. Before booking this hotel I called with specific questions and found that some of the answers were not truthful. I was told that this is a "walking beach" when in fact it is not, that the room that we had would have a balconey when in fact it did not, etc. We won't be back.

user339993

I recommend renting a condo along Clearwater to St. Petersburg beach. We have stayed at Indian Shores and Indian Rocks beach and choose a condo building with a pool. Works out great for our family. Sorry for your disappointment.

user339993

I recommend renting a condo along Clearwater to St. Petersburg beach. We have stayed at Indian Shores and Indian Rocks beach and choose a condo building with a pool. Works out great for our family. Sorry for your disappointment. We actuallly had high speed internet service with the condo this year as well as new plasma tvs - all included in a weekly rental. Can't be beat!

KathyK

I agree that a condo is a much better way to go, but we were only in CLearwater for 2 nights after a week at a condo in Siesta Key and I don't think most places will rent a condo for less than 1 week.

gptravel

I know it's been a few months, but were the actual accomodations clean? We're heading down in Oct, and usually stay at the Hilton. But a group we want to travel with is at the Sunspree. Also, how can they control whether you bring a cooler to the beach? Isn't it a public beach?

KathyK

Our room was clean, the common areas were not quite as clean. I don't know the status of the beach, but coolers weren't allowed. It's a small beach in front of the hotel, not like the expansive beaches we are used to on the Florida coasts. I found the management so unresponsive that I would never return.

orangetravelcat

A friend and I stayed at the HI Sunspree Clearwater Beach several years ago. There was a concession "shack" that rented out beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. I believe that the beach is public; I don't see how one could be prohibited from bringing a cooler to the beach. I can see how a cooler wouldn't be allowed at the hotel's pool, but should be able to bring one to the beach.

KathyK

There were signs all over the place that coolers were not allowed on the beach. We didn't try to challenge their rule but it was obvious that if we had attemtped to bring a cooler rather than purchase from the pool concession, we would have been stopped. I found this hard to believe when I got there, but this was what the situation was. .