St Petes Beach

[ClaireD]

Never been before staying for a week at the Don Cesar Beach Resort :)

Any tips? Places to visit? Restaurants?

Many thanks
ClaireD x

[ticky15]

lucky you,great place to stay....we always go to Busch from st petes,my DH loves the baseball so we do that too at Tropicana field.Shopping centre just up the road, not a great deal there but ok for a bit of a browse.

[surfgirl]

Its a truly fabulous hotel. When you want a drink, you just put the little flag on your sunlounger up and the bartender runs over!
The concierge will give you a list of places to go. At the end of the beach theres a restaurant (sorry cant remember the name) with a rooftop terrace and lively bar. thats on your left as you look at the beach.
Walking the other way down St Petes beach, there's not much to see on the street, but if you go down onto the beach there are a few tiki bars which are great for sundowners and live music.
A taxi ride away is a great bar and restaurant in Terra Verde (again the concierge will tell you the name), where people dock their boats. Its very lively, with a piano bar and restaurant.
We totally relied on local help, and everywhere we went was fab.
If you have a car and want a shopping day, International Plaza in Tampa is good.
Hope you have a great time.

[ClaireD]

Thank you - surfgirl and ticky15.

Some good ideas and info ;)

ClaireD x

[tiggers friend]

We had a really good meal at the Wine Cellar in North Reddington Beach, just north of St Pete's. You should find it in the local guides.

[Mrs_Dazzle]

Anyone visiting St Pete should pay a visit to Silas Dent's restaurant - it's about a mile and a half down the road from the Don C. The place is so fun - it's based on the story of an old hermit called . . Silas Dent - one of the local legends. The food is great and the atmosphere in the place - suitable for adults and children - is excellent. Try and get a table next to the waterway, even more special.

Also recommend Bahama Mamas attached to the round hotel (think it's the crown plaza now), about a 15 min walk down the beach from the Don C. A lot of locals hit here to watch the sunset go down. We stayed at the round place when it was the Holiday Inn a few times and they serve really good burgers and chicken sandwiches while your sitting watching the sun going down and sipping those cold beers and cocktails.

Also, crabby bills next to it is good if you're into seafood.

So many places, so little time:)

[ticky15]

I forgot about Silas Dents yeh really good food..:spin:

[ClaireD]

Thank you for the replies getting excited now....:)

Will definately be checking out some of your suggestions.

ClaireD x

[Fiona]

Fabulous hotel, we really loved it there. :-) Durango Steak House is well worth a visit. There is one at St. Pete`s Beach, 5300 Gulf Boulevard and one in downtown St. Petersburg, 3901 4th Street North. www.durangosteakhouse.com Also have a look at these sites, www.floridasbeach.com www.stpetebeach.com www.stpete-pier.com

[ClaireD]

Thanks Fiona - great sites. Have you stayed at the Don Cesar?

ClaireD x

[rpbert1]

Was considering staying here this year and rearranging my stay , but have a few ADR dinners booked so would mean cancelling them , but might stay next year.Are you staing in the hotel or at the beachside apts
Found good rates on a US site ,much cheaper than Loews , although Loews say they price match, so consider this next year when i will be a platinum Loews member and get free upgrade to a suite.Worth joining before you go ,if you are not already a member

[ClaireD]

DH booked it as a surprise through Virgin I believe we are staying at the hotel and he has upgraded the room? Not sure of the cost? Off to look at Loews info. Our first week we are staying at The Grand Floridian. Roll on next week.

:cool2:

ClaireD x

[rpbert1]

Definetly sign up , you will get your number after you sign up, at the hotel give them your number, usually it does not count as a stay because you booked the room with a TA, last year we stayed at RPR booked with Virgin, we gave our number anyway not expecting it to count , but they did and we got upgraded to a Gold card.
This year we booked direct with Loews staying at RPR , booked standard room and got free upgrade to waterview, we can upgrade to a suite if available when we arrive for $35 a night, we got TripleA rates [ same as AA here] which has saved us quite a bit as well.
Hope you have a great time.

[ClaireD]

Have joined thanks for that....its worth a try.

ClaireD x

[Fiona]

Thanks Fiona - great sites. Have you stayed at the Don Cesar?

ClaireD x

Yes, it really is wonderful there. :spin: