My boyfriend and I are thinking of staying at the DonCeSar Resort in St. Pete Beach, FL. (The pictures of the hotel look lovely). We are hearing mixed reviews. Some people are saying the staff has "attitude" and the place is not worth the exorbitant prices. Others are saying its magnificant. If anyone has stayed there and can give us some imput we would be most appreciative. (We are in our late 40's - early 50's). Also, is there any nightclubs/night action on St. Pete Beach?

We stayed at the Don Cesar a few years ago. The rooms were quite small and nothing spectacular but the pool and grounds were very nice. We found the staff to be very pleasant at that time -no hint of an "attitude". The real downside is the price. There is no question in my mind that it was overpriced - the room rates and the food. We drove down to Pass-a-grille each day for breakfast rather than pay Don Cesar's prices. Though it was an enjoyable enough stay and there probably aren't any nicer hotels on St. Pete Beach we probably would not stay there again just because the value isn't there. In fact we have airline tickets to Florida in April and trying to decide where to stay in the St Pete area. We might check out Clearwater Beach - there are a number of nice hotels there.

It's a gorgieous hotel but they alos own the condominium property right next to it. it is beautiful (w bedrooms, balconies) and they get all the
amenities of the don cesar resort and can use all their facilities. We saw friends that were staying there while we were down the beach staying at the Tradewinds, which is also very nice, but pricey too. They do cut their rates as you get closer to a travel date.

Hi,

My husband and I stayed there in Aug for our 1st anniversary...The hotel itself has a lot of character and old charm...however, our room was nothing "special"... for the price of the hotel I felt like they could be better. Also, the rest (can't remember name) something grille was overpriced and the food just "fair". If you would like to travel to the west coast beaches...try Long Boat Key (Sarasota area) I heard the Long Boat Key Club is beautiful, and the beaches there do not compare...

Check out the Vinoy. http://www.renaissancehotels.com
Have stayed at both, and find the Vinoy much nicer. It is smaller than the Don, but has a more intimate feeling. Try for a bay room,with balcony, wonderful view.

We haven't stayed in the Don, but live in the area and have enjoyed it's pool bar and beach areas. There's no doubt in my mind that is the best of the beach hotels in the strip running from St. Pete to Clearwater. Haven't seen rooms, but have read repeated comments about their size. Their public areas are very nice and despite the above unfortunate experience, their chef at Maritana Grille has one of the best reputations in the Tampa Bay area.

As for beaches not comparing to those in Sarasota......hmmm. You'd get some argument there, jan. There's not a whole lot of difference; some of ours are better than some of theirs and vice versa. The Don's beach area is lovely.

Blair is right about the Vinoy. It's a great hotel, but not only is it not on the beach, it's in St. Petersburg, not St. Pete Beach. If the beach is your destination it'd take you about 10-15 minutes interstate driving to get there, find a parking place, then you spend the afternoon feeding the meters.

Have stayed there twice during spring break. It is lovely and did not find there to be an attitude. In my opinion it is the nicest property on that stretch of the beach. The rooms are not big, but the rest of the place is grand. Consider the Tradewinds as it is very nice and the Sandpiper, sister property, but less expensive. In order I would rank them: Don, Tradewinds, and a distant third Sandpiper. The advantage of the Sandpiper is that you can use the facilities of the Tradewinds.

A lot of the hotels on the strip have fun beach bars. Jimmy B's at the Best Western is a favorite. Not to many nightclubs,try downtown St. Pete. Have fun!