St Pete Beach,Ft Lauderdale,Clearwater...All look the same....
 

I don't know,is it just me? I've been to Ft Lauderdale and it was a nice beach.Now I'm looking at going to a Gulf side beach but I'm finding that St Pete Beach and Clearwater look just like Ft Lauderdale with the huge hotels all the way down the beach.
Is there any beach hotels on the Gulf of Mexico that don't have huge buildings surrounding it?
Sorry if this sounds corny.
Debbie

The Gulf side of Florida has whiter sand and warmer water than the Atlantic side. Fewer East Coasters and more Midwesterners. St. Pete Beach, Clearwater Beach and most of Pinellas County is very popular and as a result, very developed. If you want an area with lower buildings on the Gulf Side, try moving your sights south to Sanibel and Captiva Islands, off Ft. Myers, or Bonita Beach, between Ft. Myers and Naples. Naples is nothing to sneeze at either. That's the great thing about Florida, it's not all the same.

The Gulf communities are actually all quite different.

Clearwater is very congested with huge hotels.

St Pete Beach is similar but not as crowded.

Treasure Island has few buildings over 7 stories and few "huge hotels."

Redington Shores is kind of in between.

For a more "old school" feel & beautiful beaches, look a bit farther south at Anna Maria Island. It's very laid-back and I don't believe any buildings are over 2-3 stories.

Thank you for your replies.I will certainly take a look a little further south of St Pete.So maybe instead of flying into Tampa I should fly into Fort Myers and head south?
Debbie

Or fly into Sarasota/Bradenton and head east to Anna Maria/Siesta/Lido/Longboat. The airport is very convenient to those islands.

Sorry, one would drive WEST to the Gulf.

Yes, the Manasota Beach Club south of Sarasota..not a single high rise in sight.

www.manasotabeachclub.com