St. Pete's Beach???, FL
 

I would appreciate any information. Hotels, weather in October. Anyone ever stayed at the Don CeSar Beach Resort there?

Hi Mers,

We enjoy to stay at the Alden, oceanfront (actually gulf front). We have family that goes every year in Nov and stays at the BonAire.

Neither of these are "resort"... the BonAire is clean, cheap, and a fav of repeat St. Pete travelers. Apartment style motel on the gulf.

The Alden has a website... we like the 1 br... again very clean, a little newer than the BonAire.

The Don CeSar is just down the beach, maybe 2 blocks, and I've only heard great reviews. It's a lovely building. You may want to do a search of old threads and also check trip advisor.

October weather should be perfect... still warm, not too humid, the water temps may be a little cooler, but all in all autumn in FLA is great.

The Don Cesar is Cinderella's Castle before Disney came to Florida. It's a lovely place, built in the 1930s, lovingly updated and nurtured with tender loving care. It is not cheap, and it is not all spanking new and marbelized like the Registry in Naples, for instance, so don't come expecting something like anything you've been to before. It is real, it is pink, it is elegant. If you can afford it then you should stay there. If not, then there are many other places in the St. Pete Beach area.

October can be warm and it can be cold but it is generally enjoyable weatherwise. It is mid-season and will not be as crowded as Jan-May.

MY husband & i went to Don CeSar beginning of dec (1 1/2 yr ago). Had A Great wkend weather good,people nice.food at downstairs restaurant was better than the #1 restaurant would go back. beach nice.

Tandoori_Girl

Is the DonCeSar more like an elegant resort. I don't mind that it is older. We stayed at the Ritz in Naples once - is it more like that - more of an older elegant type hotel? We are also considering going back to Naples, and my children didn't like seem to like the Ritz all that much, I was thinking of trying the Registry - is that Registry considered to be a nice hotel?

Also, if you had to choose between Naples and St. Pete's, which would you choose? Thanks for your input!

Well, I haven't stayed at the Ritz. And I haven't stayed at the Registry although I attended a function there, a dinner/fundraiser and visited with an associate in her room -- so I saw what it had to offer. The food was fabulous and the hotel itself was first-class. Based on what little I know about the two, you're talking apples and oranges. The Don is a historic building with the character and charm that comes with it. And there are some rough edges that come with age. It is much smaller and much more personal than the Registry, although neither hotel lacks pretensions. I've been to the Don many times for functions but have stayed at the hotel only a few times because I live in Tampa -- the times I've stayed there have been because it was a special occasion and it's a special place to me.

I recently spent a couple of nights in Naples to get a feel for the flavor of the city. The older historic area has been embellished by Florida planners who have had a hand at other Florida town make-overs (Andres Duany). Knowing that it's a make-over made it seem sort of canned to me, but it was fine for a short while. I didn't think there was as much to do there as in the St. Pete area where you have many museums, many areas to check out, other cities very nearby, etc.

It's a bit intimidating to be asked to compare one city over the other -- each has something unique to offer the traveler. So Mers, if you haven't been to St. Pete, you should go so you can compare for yourself. You can't go wrong at the Don.