Can't give you any info on Hilton, but we stayed at the Sheraton Sand Key for several nights in January. We loved it. We had a 7th floor room, facing east...the inland waterway was straight ahead, a Radisson Suites just to the right across the street. One morning we sat on the balcony with binoculars watching a group windsurfing lesson going on in the waterway. I generally prefer a view of the ocean when I am at the beach, but my DH didn't care and we didn't want to spend the extra money having just come from WDW
. What I really didn't like about those east-facing rooms was that the one-story conference/restaurant area of the hotel juts out into the parking lot below you on the north end of the east side (if you can follow that
) ....it's very clean and well maintained freshly painted ...but it IS a view of a roof with HVAC units on it if you look DOWN instead of straight out. I would not want to be too low on that end of that side, it would bug me, but that's me. A view of the beach/pool area on the back (west) side or the beach/Sand Key Park/inlet from ocean to waterway would be preferable to me if I go back. Or as high as possible of on the east side (It's 8 or 9 floors I think) so you can focus on the waterway and skyline beyond
instead of roof and parking lot below!
The hotel and the grounds were immaculate and the staff and service were great! The little sundries shop in the hotel has KrispyKremes
so I never noticed the Dunkin Donuts. There is a restaurant at the far south end of that strip mall that we ate dinner at -and it was excellent...the name escapes me........
The Sand Key Park right next door has grass and trees and picnic areas and some kid's playground equipment... Clearwater Beach is a short drive with all the honky-tonk diversions. But we were there for R n R not action so we only spent a few hours at CwB ...the rest of the time we relaxed at the hotel, ate dinner out, and one day drove south to a place called John's Pass which had lots of shops and restaurants...we had lunch there while watching a dozen or so Dolphin's in the water near a dockside restaurant!
The Sheraton Sand Key is right on the beach..you step off the pool area onto the beach which IS wide. I didn't consider it a hike to the water, maybe a few minute's stroll...LOL
Enjoy your vacation