Hi everyone,
I'm going on a business trip to Tampa and will finish up this Friday. I'm thinking of staying for the weekend. Can anyone suggest a nice hotel on or near a nice beach that is not too far from the Airport? My budget is $100 per night. I don't care about pools, health clubs etc. I just want a very nice, clean hotel and to be able to spend most of the day swimming in the Gulf. Thanks!

If you just want to be w/n a drive to the beach, try Priceline (as there is no way to guarantee that you're hotel will be near the beach, but you can get "close" by looking at their zone maps).

If you want to be "on the beach" or at least have the beach be "walkable", try Hotwire as they will give you a list of amenities, one of which is "BeachFront" and the other being "Beach Access".

Let me know if you need/want any add'l help.

In the best of conditions now, it will take you 40 minutes from beach to airport and it could be worse as traffic is horrendous.

I recommend AGAINST going to Clearwater Beach, although it's by far my favorite. Between spring break, an ongoing bridge construction project, plus the ill-advised traffic rotary they put in right at the beach a year or so ago, traffic is unbelievable. I decided after my last excursion out there last week, that I'd go back again only when a) visitors were gone, b) the bridge was completed, and/or c) that d*#ned rotary had been dynamited out. It should be renamed Suicide Circle. Between people not knowing how to drive rotaries in this country anyway, the fact that its design was fatally flawed to begin with, tourists who don't know where they are going, and heavy traffic because of Spring Break...you literally enter that thing with a prayer and closed eyes and hope you make it out the other side in one piece.

Actually it could become a tourist attraction for any fans of Demolition Derby. They could put up bleachers in the empty center which had formerly been a huge fountain, but which had to be removed because the wind blew the water out of the fountain into/onto all the cars in the rotary! (And this is convertible heaven gt;) They could sell tickets to help defray the expense of removing the entire thing, and for the burial of the politicians who approved the thing's construction to begin with.

So, instead of Clearwater (I'm off my soap box now) I'd head to St Pete Beach, Pass-A-Grille area, or if you would like a beautiful uncrowded and undeveloped beach in that vicinity, Ft DeSoto State Park, which has made Dr Beach's list of the top ten best beaches in the US I don't know how many times. As it is a state park, there is no place to stay unless you camp, but you could find a place in St Pete Beach and get to Ft Desoto in about 15 minutes. Now...your problem may be finding anyplace to stay this weekend, despite the price! This is prime time--hotels are full and rates are high. You may be able to find something good on PCLN, and resign yourself to driving to whichever beach you want for the day. It is worth it--the beaches are beautiful and water warm enough for swimming. I should warn you there are rumblings about a front coming through this weekend, that that is our next chance for rain...but they are often totally wrong this far out, so I wouldn't let that stop me.

Good luck finding a place and I hope the sun shines for you!

Try going to St. Pete beach. It's less hectic then Clearwater, which might be busy because of spring break. Traffic is bad getting on/off the beach on the weekends. So just allow enough time to get to the airport.

The Tradewinds has three different hotels, which might be in that pricerange.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I appreciate them very much.

I just returned from St Petersburg, and totally agree with Fort DeSoto. It is beautiful. We drove there most days and loved it. The North Beach was our favourite, but as OliveOyl says, you'd have to either camp there or drive.

Olive Oyl, I'm sure glad I didn't go near the rotary in Clearwater. But it might have been fun to watch for awhile!! Just think, it could be the latest tourist attraction.
I, personally, am on my own soap box. It irritated me no end to have to pay to park at St. Pete Beach. One day, I had to try three parking machines to find one that worked , and then I put in $2.00, which should have bought me 96 minutes....and the ticket came out with only 20 minutes on it. Grrrr.
So I was thrilled to find Fort Desoto. Never again will I head for St. Pete Beach.
Ok, now I'm done!
Good luck John.

If you're looking for something closer to the airport area than Fort Desoto, try Caledesi Island state park. It's really beautiful, but does involve taking a ferry from Honeymoon Island.

Just my suggestion.

Cynthia