Planning trip to gulf beach - 4 sisters (35-43). Want resort/condo/cottage with best white sand beach with turquoise water on gulf; but close to shopping and some nightlife. Ideas anyone? Longboat Key? Treasure Island? P.S. Relatives in Spring Hill - how far to drive? Thanks!

Sheraton Sand Key on Clearwater Beach would be my recommendation. We just had a girlfriends 40th Bday party there and the place is really nice right on the beach. We had room 123 it is on the first floor and you can walk right out your door and the jacuzzi is right there and the pool is not far from that. There is a grassy area right out side the sliding glass doors where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful sunset. This particular room was kind of nice because it was on the corner and it was a little more separated from the other rooms. And it's a pretty popular area. Shopping and nightlife not far away. I live in New Port Richey and it is about 45-60 minutes from me. So I'd say it's a good hour and a half from your family in springhill. Also Sanibel Island has a beautiful beach and I recommend it highly but a bit more quite and secluded. But also worth it. Hope this helps.

If you end up in Treasure Island, you have to check out a restaurant called The Frog Pond. It is in Reddington Shores (or Reddington Beach) on Gulf Boulevard, just a few miles north of Treasure Island. The best breakfast you will ever eat. It is on the east side of the road in a little strip mall. Let me know if you go there! Enjoy!

And do try the Salt Rock grill at Indian Shores on the Gulf, north of St. Pete - you will need a reservation. Great fish and meat cooked over oak, and a good wine list. See some other psotings where people answered my request for help on places to eat. Send me an e-mail if you'd like details. Joe

We just stayed on Treasure Island and loved it. Beautiful beaches, friendly people, a blast! We stayed and the Island Inn Beach Resort which has a medium sized, but nice and deep pool. It was nice because it had a kitchenette and a balcony overlooking the gulf. The rooms where nice and clean, reasonably priced, but not too fancy. I went there with my kids so we really weren't looking for night life, I don't think there was much.

I guess St. Pete beach would be an obvious choice...but it was one of my favorite beaches in Florida, not crowded, absolutely beautiful. Lots of tolls to get to it, though.

I live in Tampa. I would go to Long Boat(I always do) I stay at the Seahorse in room 128. It is a 2 bedroom condo on the water. The water is much nicer compared to St. Pete or Clearwater. Long Boat reminds me of Hawaii. Long Boat has miles of beaches to walk. I go to Long Boat to relax. It is not jammed with tourist.

I lived for several years in Palm Harbor and my choice was and continues to be Longboat Key. It is not crowded, the beach is sandy, the island ha no run down areas and they offer a variety in hotel facilities. I have been to Hawaii several times and agree that, except for the lack of hills) it will best remind you of it there. My choice on Longboat is also the Seahorse. It it not rel big, has the two room suites that you can cook in and best of all the first floors have sliding doors that open directly onto a patio and the beach. This place is not real flashy but it is very relaxed, reasonable and a favorite. Although Sarasota is closeby Springhill is well over an hour away from there, but aftre staying sat Longboat, you will not mind the drive,. I usually tell people that Longboat Key is what Florida is supposed to look like. Really nice and closer to the hussle and bustle of Clearwater Beach is the Sheraton Sand Key which is also very nice. Nice beach there as well and close to the ferry that will take you to Caladesi Island which has been rated in the past as one of the best beaches in the US.

I just returned from a week at Clearwater. One place that I would recommend is The Haddon House Inn on North Clearwater Beach - it has a private beach, pool - an old victorian home that has 13 units. We went and checked it out and I would like to stay there next time I go - it would be great for sisters. If you go to flausa.com, beachtourism.com, gulfcoastrentals.com. Their site is connected to one of these. We stayed at Clearwater Beach Hotel in the efficiencies II which is an older part of the hotel. They were about 89.00 nt, good for what we needed and directly across the beach - but they do have some new condos that looked really nice also. There are Frenchy's, The Pavillion just a short walk down the beach that is great for dinner/happy hour or several other places in the area. The northern part of the beach was the best to avoid all of the kids that hang out near the pier if you are going on the weekend. It was just a short walk to the marina to go parasiling, sailing etc. Some things I would recommend that we did:

The Windjammer - sunset cruise/day sail

These people are wonderful- they take out 6 people on their 60 ft sailboat - you take your own drinks/food and they have a cooler - it is a great time - we did it twice it was so much fun.

Parasail City - (same people that own the windjammer) - great time again.

South Beach Resort ( great tiki bar)
I was told by several people that St. Petersburg is good also because you can just walk down the beach to the different tiki bars.....you will have a great time! email me if you need more info...

If i were you ,i'd check out www.skyauction.com and look for belleair bch just 5 miles south of clrwater and see if they have a weekly deal on their for belleair bch resort ,its been ging for 200.00 for a weekly rate for 7 nights,,includung taxes...