bbvb

hello,

we will be flying to Tampa for a couple days in early April. We are looking to do a "beach" vacation.....what are the best beach areas within a reasonable drive from Tampa? what are the best hotels? We are only going to be there 4 days so would prefer to stay in a nicer hotel (Marriot, Hyatt, etc.). Thanks for any and all advice and comments.

Gekko

Look no further:

http://www.doncesar.com/

OO

I agree with Gekko. It's the best on the beaches, bar none.

rhmuir

alternately you could stay in downtown St Pete at a boutique hotel or Vinoy and drive 20 minutes to the beach. very easy parking. Drop by the Hurricane for lunch. Vist the Dali museum.

Cher

Agree -- Best beach hotel in the area.

bbvb

Thanks for the info!!

Let me give you a few more details of our situation: Family of 4 (two boys age 10 & 8). Definetly looking for family friendly area.

The Don Cesar looks incredible but I'm not sure I could swing that rate for the entire 4 days. I read some decent reviews for the Sheraton Sand Key Resort....Would it makes sense to stay there 2 days and the Don Cesar 2 days. Also, which location is closer to other activities in case of rain (or sunburn!)...Sorry, I realize there is 30-40 miles between the two.

Thanks!

amwosu

With four boys in tow I think the Sheraton Sand Key is a better choice than the Don Cesar.

OO

Yup...that changes everything. The Don is an old grande dame, beautiful architecture, but the nature of that beast is...smaller rooms. All of you would not fit comfortably in one and even a jr suite would be pushing it.

I have not stayed at the Sheraton. It is not the same quality level as the Don, but it appears to be fine from the outside and I certainly love the location, away from the worst of the hubbub of Clearwater Beach which can get absolutely crazy in April!!

sweet_polly

There's a decent Doubletree on Redington Beach, too. Nice, but not too fancy. Beachfront pool and tiki bar, and in a lower-tourist-density area within walking distance to restaurants and shops. I used to live across the street from it, and went there for breakfast, lunch, and drinks often. Nice wide, white beach, too.

bbvb

Thanks again for the help!

I guess it is narrowed down to the Sheraton Sand Key and the Doubletree Beach Resort (Redington Beach). I have seen many reviews on both and it seems like a toss up......Both have relatively good reviews. Some great and not too many poor reviews.

Any opinions on one versus the other? Access to nearby restaurents, etc?
I guess I'll just have to pull the trigger! Thanks again!

sweet_polly

You will be close to plenty of restaurants in either place. Sand Key is a narrow barrier island just south of Clearwater Beach. It mainly consists of one high-rise condo building after the next, with a few hotels sprinkled in. Most of your restaurants near there will be in Clearwater Beach. Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of Clearwater Beach...it's always crawling with tourists and is loaded up with fast food restaurants, T-shirt shops, and tacky souvenir stores.

In the Redington area, there will be more residential homes, smaller and older condo buildings, and some smaller mom 'n pop hotels. There are also some small businesses in that area (including plenty of restaurants within 2-3 miles in either direction), but it is not as busy and junked up as Clearwater Beach. Sand Key proper should also be fairly quiet, as it only has a few hotels and is mostly condo residents.

It just depends on what you want. The beaches will be nice and wide no matter where you stay. I used to live across the street from the Doubletree, and I really like that area. Clearwater beach just gets too snarly for me (especially on the weekends)...and if you are driving there for lunch and dinner, parking can be difficult to find.