I agree with the area description birder gave. When I said dicey, I wasn't trying to overstate things. My daughter lived in the area for 4 years while attending USF, and there was plenty of crime, enough to make this mom worry. She refused to shop at University Square Mall for that reason.

What are your thoughts on reddington beach and the doubletree resort there?

I think it is too far for your husband to drive to Dunedin. If the traffic is crazy, which it can be at that time of year, it could take him 45min+ to get there.

I mapquested it and it's about 20 miles from Redington Beach to Dunedin, and the time estimate is 30 minutes. If your husband is going to travel during rush hour, it will definitely be 45 minutes or more. I checked and the quickest route is on blah-ugly roads in Pinellas County. If he takes the beach roads up, then mapquest says the time estimate is 50 minutes, which might be a little slow, but only a little.

It's up to your husband - how long does he mind driving?

The Redington Doubletree is nice...beautiful, wide beach; nice gulf-front pool; tiki bar with outdoor beach restaurant; area is more residential than touristy; and plenty of good restaurants a short walk or drive away (and I believe there's a trolley that still runs along the beach, if you don't want to drive).

As far as Tampa goes, I guess I'd recommend the Rocky Point area if I had to pick something. I live in Tampa, and really can't think of any other area that would have even the remotest "vacation feel". If it were me, I'd stay on the beach the entire time and just drive to Tampa for the attractions I wanted to see there (it only takes about 40 minutes from the beach to downtown when it's not rush hour). I love Florida (and especially the beaches)...but in all honesty, Tampa proper is not generally all that great or attractive a place to just visit for fun IMO.

Okay, Reddington is too far, we will be travelling up to Dunedin at least 3x (maybe more) from there so I think we need to limit to :
1 - marriott suites on sand key OR
2 - sheraton on sand key.

My hubby can get free nights in Tampa at the Hilton (just not the one on the beach of course) so we will end the trip with 4 days in Tampa. Any suggestion on a good location for a Homewood suites or other Hilton property?
ps EVERYONE has been so extremely helpful, I want to thank you all for your candid and very helpful advice.

from what I can see we don't have a lot of choice:
1. Embassy suites - downtown convention centre
2. embassy suites USF
3. Doubletree Rocky Point Drive //

The Sheraton Sand Key is directly on the beach and the Marriott is on the intercoastal which is across the street from the Sheraton.

The Embassy Suites near the Convention Center in Tampa is very new - maybe 3 months old so I haven't heard anything either way.

The Rocky Point area is a good one that is close to the airport and the Channelside area. I used a few hotels in that area for my guests for my wedding in October but not the Doubletree so I can't comment specifically on that hotel.

Regardless of where you pick, I suggest making reservations soon as March is a very popular time with spring breaks and spring trainings.

I work downtown near the new Embassy Suites...it's beautiful, and some of the rooms have a nice bay view. Downtown Tampa rolls up the sidewalks at 6:00 PM on weeknights, and very little happens there on weekends...but still you would be close to good restaurants in South Tampa (Hyde Park Village area), Ybor City (Tampa's historic Latin quarter), and International Mall (airport area), and Port of Tampa eateries (Channelside) as well as being centrally located to the Tampa attractions you want to enjoy.

I've stayed in the Doubletree at Rocky Point (check tripadvisor and you'll see my review). Downtown is closer and you are close to the Channelside area with restaurants and the aquarium is right there also. You can run over to Columbia in Ybor City for a fantastic meal - I highly recommend it. Algusto's just across the river (on Kennedy) is some of the best Mexican I've ever had. If you need more restaurant suggestions for that area, I can help.

I REALLY like gorgeous hotel rooms, so I may go with the brand new Embassy Suites if it looked really fantastic. Otherwise, I'd go with Doubletree Rocky Point. When we went, we saw manatees & dolphins right from the pool area.

So after all that we decided on the Holiday Inn Harbourside. It was cheaper than the Sheraton and it had Suites which were key. Gosh I hope we won't regret this.
Then for Tampa. We are using my husband's points and we left it too late, so we are staying at the Homewood Suites in Brandon. It sounds fine - just hoping it is not too far away from things. Any good eats and shopping in Brandon?
Any place we just can't miss in Clearwater or Tampa?

Brandon is about 20-30 minutes from Tampa depending upon the traffic on I-4. As for shopping, there is a large Town Center Mall there. Brandon doesn't have its own "downtown," it is a bedroom community for Tampa.

I live in Brandon, and you will find virtually nothing but chain restaurants in the area. I can think of only a few decent exceptions...Della's After Dark (Th-Sat only) for a nicer evening out, Mojitos for tapas/Spanish cuisine, and Estela's for Mexican (it's rustic and bona fide...not fancy, but the food excellent). Also, Ybor City (Tampa's historic Latin quarter) is only a few miles away, and there are some good eateries there.

Which Holiday Inn - is it in Clearwater Beach or Indian Rocks Beach? I checked on tripadvisor and the one on clearwater beach definitely looked better.

Brandon. Hmm. It's just a city with lots of traffic. I'm sorry I can't sound more enthusiastic! :( I definitely recommend driving into Ybor City - the Columbia - for dinner. http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ I don't know how far Brandon is from Busch Gardens. Could you have gotten a hotel closer? I know we were debating the merits of being close to Busch Gardens / USF or Rocky Point. In my opinion, Busch Gardens / USF would definitely be better than Brandon. Brandon isn't terrible by any means, of course.

Brandon is pretty close to Busch Gardens (it's just a little north of Ybor...an easy drive). The Lowry Park Zoo and Aquarium are also only about 30 minutes away. It's not going to be an EXCITING place to be, but it also won't be terribly inconvenient.

I agree with birder's Columbia suggestion...the restaurant is stunning, and the food is delish. Other favorites in Ybor are Acropolis Greek Taverna, http://www.acropolistaverna.com/ Bernini, http://www.berniniofybor.com/, and El Puerto for delicious Argentinean fare. http://www.elpuertoybor.com/

I have lived in Pinellas County for 20 years. Be prepared for lots of traffic here-but weather should be beautiful. I would not stay in Tampa-just stay on the beach in Pinellas-many great suggestions already given-you can drive to Busch Gardens and back without repacking and moving all your gear. Area near Busch Gardens for lodging is ugly and you will not be happy there. Nothing near Aquarium either-its a business district so not family oriented. Candlewood Suites is midway between Pinellas and Tampa off Ulmerton-if you want something half way. Ulmerton is very congested though.

Hi all,
Holiday Inn Harbourside is the one in Clearwater.
Unfortunately, while we wanted Rocky Point - there was no availability useing our points -so while Brandon won't be fun - it is FREE. As my hubby says, if it's Free, it's for me! So we know we will be driving everywhere, but we hope it won't be too bad. Besides we will be on the beach for 6 days and Brandon is only for 3 nights.
Thanks for the restaurant tips: the argentinian one looks good. I told hubby I want one day of shopping - any suggestions on best places. I hear the one thing Brandon does have is a mall...
And Clearwater or Dunedin, any restaurants or sights my girl will enjoy?
Thanks you guys, you have been just great!

Dunedin has a cute little downtown with nice restaurants, art galleries, gift shops, and boutiques...it's kinda fun to walk around.

In Clearwater, your children might enjoy the Clearwater Marine Science Center http://www.cmaquarium.org/, but other than that the main draw of Clearwater is the beach. Frenchy's Rockaway Grill is one of the few Gulf-front restaurants in that area, and is good casual dining if you like fresh seafood. http://www.frenchysonline.com/ For a nicer evening out, you might enjoy the Island Way Grill. http://www.islandwaygrill.com/

Shopping in Brandon is okay, but nothing to write home about (mainly a standard shopping mall with all the usual suspects inside). St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota is an easy drive down the interstate (takes about an hour), but is a beautiful place to walk around and browse unique shops, boutiques, and restaurants right on the beach. My husband and I go down there to have lunch and stroll around about once a month when the weather's not too hot. http://goflorida.about.com/cs/shopping/a/starmands.htm There's also a big designer outlet mall right on the interstate about 30 miles south of Brandon (Prime Outlets at Ellenton), before you get to Sarasota and St. Armand's.