My family, me, my wife, 2 x kids 7 & 5 will be going on holiday to the Tampa area end of May 2003. Can anyone suggest a good 4/5 * hotel. We normally stay at the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando to give you an idea. All we need is a large pool and and a quiet hotel in which to soak up the Sun and R&R

The new Marriott in downtown Tampa is beautiful, but wouldn't you rather stay at a place on the Gulf instead of in Tampa?

St. Pete beach has the Tradewinds resort which is very nice. Great for the kids!

The new Mariot Waterside is more downtown but very nice.

Clearwater beach has a nice Hilton which is beside a public park on the beach with a great playground for the kids. Also, lots of great restaurants in walking distance.

Do you have to actually stay in Tampa?

Mariott Waterside in Tampa

Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach

The only two 4* hotels in Tampa Bay area are Hyatt Westshore and the Vinoy. Both are on Tampa Bay, not the Gulf, the Hyatt on the Tampa side, the Vinoy on the St. Petersburg side.

If you want to stay beachfront, you might try the Don Cesar in St. Pete. Not 4*, but the nicest on the beach.

Has anyone stayed at the Best Western All Suite hotel behind Busch Gardens? It looks like a nice place with lots of ammenities. We are thinking of staying there in February.

The Hyatt Westshore is a fabulous place with a couple of great restaurants, a nice pool area, and a tremendous view over the bay. If you aren't determined about being on the beach, you couldn't beat it!

When we travel we always stay at 4-5 star hotels so I think I know your expectation level and would caution you about a couple of the recommendations. First, the Marriot in downtown Tampa is appr 2 years old and has water views but no beach. Very nice, and especially good location for a home base to go to Disney or the beaches. However, you may not be able to book ahead of time at this one since it caters to business travelers and when my sister tried to book for Christmas last year they wouldn't confirm a reservation until 2-3 weeks before arrival. The Tradewinds is a whole different thing altogether, There is no luxury here at all, it is a resort with 3 hotels that sit side by side. They were not always one resort so each differs in accomodations and none are the caliber of the Hyatt Grand Cypress. It is more of a beach hotel with several pools, tiki bars, and lots of beach. People don't stay here for luxury accomodations. Hyatt Westshore is very nice for accomodations and views, but again would be a home base since anything in Tampa would be about 1 1/2 hours to Orlando and 30-45 minutes to the beaches. This hotel also caters to business mainly. The Vinoy is a completely refurbished 1920's hotel that is very nice, located in downtown St Pete just down from the pier. So there's lots to do, but still has only water views and no beach. Drive time to a beach would be about 15 minutes. The only hotel with luxury accomodations that is on the gulf is the Don Cesar. It is where presidents and movie stars stay when they are in this area. It is near all kinds of things to do on the beach and is by far the closest to the Hyatt Grand Cypress (other than age)that the Tampa Bay area has to offer. We have personally stayed at all of the hotels mentioned and can tell you the closest to your description will be the Don Cesar. Best wishes, hope you enjoy your stay!

Simon, Lyn gets an A-Plus! Perfect descriptions, and I agree, the Don Cesar is the way to go. Since you have a family, you might want to consider their "Beach Suites" - about two blocks north of the main hotel, condo style - great for families. But you'd miss some of the amenities, unless you don't mind walking a few minutes down the beach.