debiness

I have some business I need to attend to in Zephyrhills for one day and then I thought I would go somewhere for about 3 nites on the beach for rest, relaxation, beautiful beaches, good food, fun people, etc., etc., etc.,!! I will be travelling alone and will be travelling in and out of the Tampa airport. I know nothing of this area, so please help me decide where I should go. As I said before, I'm looking for a decent (and clean!!!) place to stay (not too expensive, hopefully in the $100/nite range), preferably on the beach in an area with good restaurants and places to walk around. I'm a little confused about bay vs. gulf... are there decent beaches on the bayside? (forgive my ignorance, I've lived in landlocked areas for my whole life!) I would like a resort-like atmosphere since I will be on my own and looking to meet other people.... Getting around won't be too much of a problem, I plan on renting a car (unless it's not necessary). I'm also thinking that I may want to go to the Dali Museum in St. Pete and possibly to Ybor City. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
debi

joan

debiness, I live near the Gulf, which is the Gulf of Mexico. Then there is the bay, Tampa Bay, with Tampa on the east side and St. Pete (Pinellas County) on the west side. All the beaches are along the west coast (gulf). The bay is beautiful, but there are no beaches.

Look at a map and locate Clearwater Beach. Folllow that south to St. Pete Beach. All the towns in between are basically small beach towns. CWB and StPB are the biggest - they have chain hotels etc. In between are lots of mom and pop style motels. If I were you I'd look at staying in St. Pete Beach (I really can't recommend a motel since I live here) - check out the BonAire, the Sirata and the Tradewinds. They are all within walking distance of bars, stores and restaurants. You will love the Dali Museum (around a fifteen minute car ride east of StPB). Forget Ybor - it's not worth the long drive off the beaches, and the "action" starts after 11 PM.

I'm sure some others will chime in with hotel recs. Have a great visit!

maxbythesea

i agree with the advice on ybor city,and definatly like st pete beach,although the hotels listed will run you more than you budgeted.there are several smaller mom and pop motels all along the beach from st pete beach,to treasure island,which will come in under 100.00 per night..have fun

debiness

Thanks so much for your replies. Are you familiar with Pass-a-Grille.... it seems to be a very charming area but still close enough to restaurants, bars, etc. Are you familiar with the Keystone Motel in Pass-a-Grille? Is that in a safe area? I am also considering the Tradewinds Sandpiper, but it's much more pricey... I figure I can stay in Pass-a-Grille and drive to the restaurants, bars, etc., in the Tradewinds if I want to go there... agree?

Also, I really appreciate your advice about Ybor City. I love history, and I thought it was an historical site, but maybe not. How about Tarpon Springs for a little history? Or any other good suggestions? I know I will love the Dali Museum... I used to be a tour guide in Spain and the Dali Museum in Figueres was one of my tours that I gave. Thanks again for all info.
debi

coldwar27

Pass-a-grille is a nice area and you can try the Hurricane restaurant in that area. It's nothing fancy but it is 3 (maybe 4) stories and right across the (small) street from the beach.

Ybor City is indeed historical! There is the Ybor City Museum as well as the Columbia Restaurant that has a museum as well. The architecture is amazing. There are walking tours available on Saturdays. The website for more info is: http://www.ybor.org/museum.asp

The Dali Museum is fantastic and right along the water. Enjoy your trip!

Oh, the Tradewinds Sandpiper is an easy drive down Gulf Blvd. to Pass-a-grille.

Just a tip in that the drive between the airport and Zhills can be icky and vice versus. Just be warned!

I hope you have a nice trip!

Tandoori_Girl

Ybor in the daytime is really lovely. At night, it gets a little raunchy. For history, there is the Ybor State Museum (30 min. max) and tours of the cigar workers' shotgun houses. Also in downtown Tampa, be sure to visit the HB Plant Museum in the old Plant Hotel, a victorian behemoth that now houses the University of Tampa. Tarpon is a good place for some history and shopping and Greek eats. If you cross the Sunshine Skyway bridge to Ellenton you can visit one of the few plantations still in existence in Florida, the Gamble Mansion.

historic burgers? Go to the Chattaway in St. Pete. Historic hot dogs? coney island hot dogs on 9th in SP.

Check into Gulfport, a hop-skip from Passe-a-grill, a former casino town, now an eclectic mix of restaurants, live music, shopping, funk.

Downtown St. Petersburg is also very interesting. In addition to the Dali, there is the Museum of Fine Arts and there are many galleries within walking distance.

Is the Keystone next to the Hurricane Restaurant? I stayed there once, it was fine. Another fun spot might be the Thunderbird on Treasure Island.

But my personal preference would be to splurge and stay at the Don CeSar on SPB.

Malesherbes

Yikes, Tandoori!!...the Gulfport casino is still there, but it is not now, nor was it ever a casino in the sense we use that word! From their website: Webster defines "casino" as "a public room or building used for social meetings, dancing, gaming." In the age of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, most newcomers and visitors think of the last word in that definition when they encounter the Gulfport Casino. But the pioneers had the rest of the definition in mind when they named the first Casino nearly 100 years ago.

It is a cute little eclectic town, among the last of the dying breed, "old Florida".

If you are interested...here's the story on Gulfport from their website.
http://tinyurl.com/hhqug

Lex1

We enjoyed a [private] walking tour of Ybor City in early April. We greatly enjoyed dining in the Columbia Restaurant (Spanish/Cuban fare), and watching the flamenco show. Took home [through purchase] some colorful pottery from the museum next door.

Clearwater Beach is pretty and great for strolling. Arts and crafts nightly on the pier. Parts of the town look frozen in time-sixties style Florida where the Jetsons might have vacationed. Your budget for a room at a hotel with a resort-like atmosphere sounds like 60's prices too.

joan

debiness, the Keystone is clean and neat, and Pass A Grille is a very safe area. I believe it is across the street from the beach (there is a small road running along the beach, so nobody is "ON" the beach except some private homes on the north end).

Since you are into history, you definitely must take the docent's tour when you to the Dali. I am not a "museum type" but I loved this tour. There is also a History Museum in downtown St. Pete. Also, I found an online walking tour of Pass A Grille's historic sites for you:

http://www.floridahistory.org/westcoastfla/passagr.htm

Just my humble opinions:
- too far, and too much traffic, to travel to Tarpon Springs, Tampa (unless you do it on the day you move over to the beach) or even CWBeach, for my taste. There's enough to do and see in St. Pete and SPBeach, also John's Pass (for boardwalk shops and frou frou drinks).
- have a sunset drink at the Hurricane, but food is better at either Sea Critters (walking distance), Gennaro's (very casual Italian) or the Sea Porch in the Don Cesar (you could walk on the beach to this hotel) or Snappers, all better.
- step back in time for breakfast or lunch at the Seahorse Cafe, watch the pier while you eat.

Have fun!