Want to finish our road trip of Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana with somewhere in Florida before flying home from Orlando. Have probably decided on spending around 4-5 days in Sarasota. Should we stay in beach location or downtown? Would like nice hotel with swimming pool, prefer to leave car and walk, nice restaurants, bars, shopping and maybe some sightseeing. We don't mind doing from one to the other but would prefer to stay in the area which would fit more of our criteria.

Does it absolutely HAVE to be Sarasota? What time of year are you traveling?

No doesn't have to be Sarasota. Have posted on here before re places to look at. We have been to Naples which we loved and are looking for somewhere similar and Sarasota seemed to fit the bill. We will be there beginning of May.

If you want something similar to Naples then Sarasota definitely fits the bill. From your description, I think you would enjoy staying downtown, especially if you want to walk to nice restaurants, bars, etc. The beach, particularly Siesta Key, is very nice but doesn't really meet all your requirements for walking to "nice" restaurants, etc. I would check out the Indigo Hotel downtown. Nice location, very walkable, and a nice pool.

With 4-5 days in Sarasota, you will definitely have time to do some exploring. I would check out the beaches, the Ringling Museum, and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. A favorite of ours is kayaking off Siesta Key. The mangroves are amazing and full of beautiful birds. We used Siesta Key Bike and Kayak both for renting bikes one day and kayaks the next. We took the bikes to the Legacy Trail (they provided the bike rack).

"downtown" Sarasota isn't that scenic IMO. I don't even know if they have hotels with pools there, although I guess it depends what you consider downtown. I'm thinking around the city center.

But if you mean on the coast, such as near the municipal auditorium, that would be okay but I don't think you can exactly really walk to restaurants and bars that much from there, or shopping, it's not like in Europe (or Naples, for that matter, although I didn't think hotels on 5th Ave there had pools, either, but I could be wrong). For example, the Ritz Carlton is a nice hotel in that location, but it doesn't have a pool. I think they give you passes to a beach club, but it isn't at the hotel, you have to drive to Lido Key to get to it. I don't really thikn what you want exists, but I just don't know of any such hotel with a pool and on the beach and within walking distance to bars, restaurants.

The closest bet would be something on Lido Key as you are then near St Armands Circle which has the restaurants and shops you want, but you may not want to walk to them from Lido Key, unless you don't mind walking fairly far to do that, then you could. It's about a half mile from the very closest hotel to there. But you can drive to St Armands Circle, park the car a couple blocks off from it (not difficult to do), and then walk around there for eating and shopping. Then your hotel would be the beach/pool location.

Indigo says they only have two small hot-tub size wading pools http://www.srqhotel.com/spa-wading-pools/

I didn't stay there, I stayed at a hotel on the beach so cannot say, but it sounds like AustinTraveler is refering to something other than that as a nice pool. They say their only pool is again, away from teh facility on LIdo Beach.

Yes, the pool is small but it is still a very nice area, and there is a hot tub. It isn't a huge resort with a big pool. It's a boutique hotel close to restaurants, bars, etc., which is what the OP is requesting. Personally, I am not a fan of Lido Key. Siesta Key is very nice but you will have to pick a place close to "town" for walking distance. And, I really don't think of the restaurants and bars on the Key as being "nice". Touristy, yes.

"For example, the Ritz Carlton is a nice hotel in that location, but it doesn't have a pool."

Christina, where do you get this stuff, or do you just enjoy making it up? The Sarasota Ritz Carlton has a beautiful pool at their downtown location on the bay as well as at their beach club. Or did they recently fill it in with concrete and a shuffleboard court? You know all, so please -- do tell.

By the way, the nearby Hyatt is a nice property as well, and unless Christina can tell us otherwise, they also have a pool.

Oh, you'd also be wrong about Naples Fifth Avenue hotels not having pools. Not that here are many Fifth Avenue hotels. Have you ever even been there?

Thanks for all the feedback. NeoPatrick we have been twice to Naples - stayed at the Inn on Fifth (which didn't have pool to my recollection) and La Quinta which was about a 15 minute walk into 5th Avenue which is fine for us (they did have a pool). We will have a look at other areas such as St. Petes and perhaps Ft. Myers or Tampa??? Can someone tell me the difference between St. Petersburg and St. Petes Bay - is one town and the other just beach?

OK, what I don't quite understand is this: you've BEEN to Naples and I ASSUME you liked it there but now I gather you simply want to try other areas on the west side of Florida, is that correct?

What I am not sure of is exactly what KIND of place you are really looking for. Is it mainly to be near or even on a nice beach? To be on or near a nice beach with a hotel that has a pool? To be in a place that has a nice beach, and a hotel with a pool, and SOMETHING ELSE TO DO, particularly at night?

Several places come to mind: the Don Cesar on St. Pete beach; a total get away from everything on Captiva.

Just trying to help, believe me.

amarone, here's a link to the website for the Inn on Fifth in Naples. There is a picture of their nice pool -- which is on the second floor deck. Sorry you missed it.
http://www.reservations.com/hotel/the-inn-on-fifth

And yes, The Inn on Fifth is really the only "real" hotel right on Fifth Avenue in Naples, although there is also the tiny boutique Escalante which also has a pool, and then if you cross the bridge (technically not still Fifth Avenue South, but some call it that), the chain motels including the LaQuinta you're familiar with all have pools. Just didn't know where that comment came from from Christina, particularly with the very nice pool at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota.

Amarone, I understand how the description of what you want is exactly what like you had at the Inn on Fifth -- more good restaurants than you can cover in a week within a few blocks walking distance, a short stroll to the beach (and the pool, though you missed it). I've spent a pretty fair amount of time in Sarasota and I can't think of anything quite like that -- frankly good restaurants in Sarasota are quite scattered, unlike that cluster on Naples Fifth Avenue. Maybe a hotel at Lido Beach in Sarasota, close to St. Armand's Circle? -- that's the closest comparison I can think of to Naples' Fifth Avenue South.

The beaches are wonderful at St. Pete Beach, Clearwater, and Treasure Island, but frankly I think of all those as places you really need to hop in the car when you want to go "dine", unless you want to do something like the bigger resort hotels like the Don Cesar.