Has anyone stayed at the Bimar Beach Resort in St. Peter Or the Hilton in North Redington Beach? Your experiences and opinions appreciated.

Beanurse, I believe you are asking about the Bilmar Beach Resort, located on Treasure Island. I live on TI. The Bilmar is very nice, beachfront, medium sized, recently renovated. I would give it three stars. We won a weekend there several years ago, it was clean and well located. Also, if you do a Hilton text search on this board, you will find several threads discussing the N. Redington beach property too, although I don't have much info on it.

Thanks joan:
Can you tell me what the beach is like at this resort?

The beach is gorgeous - wide and clean. On weekends, especially Sundays, there are a group of kite-owners who meet and fly elaborate kites right at the Bilmar beach area. Also, just last Sunday, a group of us walked to dinner at the next hotel north of the Bilmar (Carim's Bistro at the Thunderbird - mmmm!). As we left to come home, there was a big circle of people arranged on the beach, playing percussion instruments ranging from a 5-gallon bucket to expensive congas. I counted 27 percussionists! The next day, there was an article in the St. Pete Times that described the event, an informal meeting every Sunday, from about 6 pm til 10 pm, people from all walks of life. I love this beach town!

Joan: You are SOOO kind to respond to my question. If I may, I have a few more. Is the water clear in this area? I stayed in Fort Myers a few years ago and it was very cloudy. Maybe it was due to a storm? Also, how are the rooms? Are they in pretty good condition? We are going to get a oceanfront suite. Thanks again. You do not know how much I appreciate your help.

Bea, the water here can be quite clear, especially in the summer. You don't say when you are coming, but if there's a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, then the water is indeed cloudy. All this week it has been rough and stirred up. But Sunday before last I was standing in the water, waist deep, and watched a big school(?) of stingrays glide right past me (these were the kind that stay at the top of the water and won't sting you). It was beautiful. So it depends alot on the weather.

As for the rooms at the Bilmar, do a text search because someone just finished praising the Bilmar. My stay too long ago for my appraisal of the rooms (decent) to hold any weight. But I can tell you a couple more details...there is a neat public walkway between the hotels and the beach that you can cruise up and down - they are going to extend it sometime in the near future. Also, besides Carim's, be sure to try Floridian for Cuban sandwiches, Cadillac Jack's for good music and food, and Original Pizza for my favorite subs and cheesesteaks. Can you tell I love food? These are all across the street from the Bilmar.

We just returned from a 5 day stay at the Bilmar Resort on TI. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. The staff, pools, and hot tub were great. The room was roomy and clean even with 4 adults and 1 child staying in a gulf front efficiency. The beach was wide, white sand, and quiet--meaning no loud music or rowdies. We had 2 teenagers with us and even they had blast. Best of all we were able to get our room half price during the week with an Entertainment card from the book we bought in our area. (you don't have to buy a local book) If you don't have an Entertainment book go to entertainment.com and buy one. We saved a couple hundred dollars! Had a great time on Sunday and Wed night listening to the band while sitting on the beach watching the sun set. I would recommend the Bilmar to anyone.