rachelnyc04

My husband and I are travelling with my parents to celebrate my 30th birthday in early June. We have booked both the Ritz in Sarasota and the Sandpearl Hotel in Clearwater, of course one of which needs to be cancelled. My hesitation is as follows....the Sandpearl is beachfront, a huge plus for my mom and I, and has a promotion at the moment meaning that the same room cost as the Ritz will buy us Gulf facing junior suites with balconies. However, the hotel seems significantly more "family friendly" and judging from the reviews I'm concerned about having a holiday along with 80% of the other guests having toddlers in tow. (Don't get me wrong, this is fine at times too, and in Florida I expect families, but the reviews seemed heavily weighted towards bringing young children in this case) The Ritz seems lovely and has quite a few dining options on site and nearby which look great, and perhaps as a city I'm more intrigued by Sarasota, but it is a few miles from the beach and would imagine we'll be daily taking the shuttle there anyway. Can anyone offer advice about the cities, or these hotels? Thanks a lot!

AAFrequentFlyer

I love the Sarasota RC and it's location for dining/nightclub/other options. They do run a shuttle to their beach front property on Lido Key for all their guests. It only takes ~15 minutes or less, one way.

That said, I would consider the new Hyatt on Siesta Key. It's right on the beach.

http://siestakeybeach.hyatt.com/hyat...index.jsp?null

There is also a Hilton on Long Boat Key, which is somewhat less expensive than the Hyatt and the RC.

rachelnyc04

thanks for the reply - i did love the looks of the hyatt but unfortunately realized this is a residence club and we wanted a full-service resort property (in fact I think the Hyatt's website was a bit misleading as when I booked it originally, it looked like there were still plenty of on-site dining/bar options but turns out quite a few were not on the property and during the day its only light catering available)

Sounds like the Ritz in Sarasota is the way to go so far!

AAFrequentFlyer

Just so you know, the Hyatt is about 5-10 minute walk to about 10 different restaurants. Anything from breakfast/lunch places, beach shacks and couple of high end dinner restaurants plus a very nice grocery store.

There are also very close nearby places but you need to drive for these, only few miles away, fun restaurants and atmosphere in Siesta Key Village, or Gulf Gate area. Downtown area is about 15 minutes away in a car.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip!

OO

As cities go, I FAR prefer Sarasota to Clearwater Beach. Better dining, better shopping (St Armand's), and generally a nicer atmosphere. But, if you are beach lovers, it's a nuisance to have to take a shuttle to and from the beach. By June, traffic should at least be manageable.

I didnt realize Hyatt had built a vacation stay on Siesta! Although under the same company umbrella, it's actually a different company from Hyatt Hotels, with a whole different corporate structure. We have stayed in the one in Sedona, and I was VERY impresses. The kitchens had full sized appliances and all the upscale granite counters/stainless etc you would hope to find. Elegant bathrooms too. If this is built in a similar style, it'd be great for a multi-family stay. Ours in Sedona had two bedrooms and sofa bed in LR. Even though you don't necessarily plan on cooking often, it'd still be nice to be able to do so for some meals. If it is easy walking to other good restaurants, as AA says, and easy walk to the beach, it sounds as if you would have the best of both worlds. Will you have a car, allowing easy access into Sarasota as well?

rachelnyc04

hi all - yes we would have a car but would prefer as much as possible not to rely on it too much (just so we can all enjoy some cocktails/wine with dinner, etc). Great to have the feedback on Sarasota vs Clearwater Beach which is basically what i expected so its helpful to confirm. I think we will stick with Sarasota.

As for the Hyatt, yes the facilities/rooms do look stunning and would certainly consider it if we were going to have a partial self-catering holiday but really my mom and I want a break from the cooking this time

palmettoprincess

To every one his on. When I go the the beach I want the beach.

I haven't stayed at the SandPearl. I have stayed at the Hilton at Clearwater Beach twice. Yes they do have some kids amenties but I felt it was geared towards adults. I saw as many retirees as I did children.

Clearwater Beach has lots of casual dining options. Think Margaritaville. Most have either a harborview or ocean view.

OO

OK, while I still prefer the town of Sarasota, I agree with Palmettoprincess..."when I go to the beach, I want the beach". Is this primarily a beach vacation? If that's the case, the shuttle to the beach in Sarasota will bother you. Further, you will need your car for accessing restaurants in Sarasota too, unless you plan on taking all your meals in the hotel. You'll also need it for shopping excursions unless RCs shuttle also does St Armands runs, and it makes sense that it would, as it's on the way to the beach. As far as beaches, the one by the Sand Pearl is absolutely beautiful!

How many days do you have? If just a long weekend, you could get away without using your car in CWB, eating at Sand Pearl, and Frenchys. You'll have a beautiful beach, but you won't have the shopping, nor the more upscale feeling that Sarasota area has over CWB...not that CWB is a dump. Sarasota has more to do away from the beach...Ringling, Selby Gardens etc

If Hyatt is in the mix as well, of the three hotels, you'll undoubtedly find the least number of kids at the RC, but that's because most people with kids are coming for the beach, and don't want the hassle of a shuttle to it.

Have you considered the Don CeSar in St Pete Beach? It's a beautiful old (as in historic) hotel directly on the Gulf, with a great resort feel. (It's also the hotel in my profile picture, but that shot is taken from across the bay looking toward the Gulf). It's at a quiet end of St Pete Beach, Pass A Grille, more residential around it. It has an excellent high end restaurant and others are an easy drive over a two lane street. Again, you wouldn't have the shopping you have at St Armands....just a thought

Vicky

For things to do, I would go with Sarasota (I lived there for 22 years). Siesta Beach is incredibly beautiful (but you need a car).

AAFrequentFlyer

Siesta Beach is incredibly beautiful (but you need a car).

not really, there is a bus running from Sarasota downtown to Siesta, every hour.

http://www.scgov.net/scat/

rachelnyc04

I know this is an old post now but figured if anyone was looking to plan a similar trip and was curious...we stayed at the Ritz and loved it, for all the reasons listed above. I'm sure Sandpearl would have also been great, but as we were a couple with my parents having the variety of activities other than sunbathing was very handy, with a fantastic art museum and botantical gardens nearby. We did miss having the beach on the doorstep but the Ritz staff was SO friendly and punctual with the free shuttles (that do stop at both St. Armands and the beach club) that we didn't mind - plus the beach club was full-service so there wasn't a need to pack a huge bag or anything. The hotel lounge was fun and lively with music and dancing every night, but plenty of quieter spaces outside for a drink as well. Overall, would definitely return. I've never met a hotel staff that seemed to all love their jobs quite like this one.