Any recommendations for nice place to stay in/near Clearwater FL in February?

Can you define "nice"? Clearwater and Clearwater Beach have a wide range of prices. Do you mean nice/fancy or nice/affordable?

My personal favorite (and I don't stay in them as I live here) is the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach. The nicest along the Clearwater Beach area is the Sheraton on Sand Key.

I agree with the poster above. I, too, am a local and the Don Cesar is the best!. The Sheraton Sand Key is great and also the Clearwater Beach Hotel. Check out www.flausa.com.

As an expert on Clearwater, having grown up there, the Haddon House Inn is a sure bet. It's directly on the beach, in a residential area. Every summer, my family (8 yo, 12 yo, and husband) stays there for three weeks or so. For children, it can't be beat. They spend the entire day going from the courtyard pool to the beach to the pool to the beach.... And when the adults get tired of all the "fun in the sun", we retire to the raised gazebo that separates the pool from the beach, enjoying the cool Gulf breezes. The Haddon House is a small hotel, with each room being set up like a condo (small kitchen, etc...) It's quite reasonable and clean. It's also been a wonderful cultural education for our children as most of the families and couples who vacation here are European (the owner is Welsh). If you want a vacation that allows you to truly experience FL and the accompanying perks, the Haddon House is perfect. Believe me, we've tried the Sheraton and the Clearwater Beach Hotel, if it's a generic Anywhere, USA vacation that you want, those might be good choices. Enjoy your trip! Oh, and you have to eat@Frenchy's cafe on the beach, one of our favorite restaurants in the world!

Something you both might take into consideration for another visit is the new roundabout built and recently finished at Clearwater Beach where 60 runs into the beach. It is creating traffic tie-ups of huge proportions and it's not even the busy season yet! I can't imagine what it will be like then! I love that beach but now think twice about going to that over Ft. Desoto, or even Sarasota/Anna Maria Island area! It's odd...Sarasota has its roundabout too, but for whatever reason, that one works far more smoothly than Clearwater Beach's.