St.Pete Bch side trip accomodations???

[DebraK]

Hello,
We are planning a Jan trip tp WDW. We have friends in the St.Pete
Beach area and want to spend a few days at the end of our WDW trip in St.Pete. We have picked two
resorts in that area. Does anyone have any input on either? The Alden or Tradewinds? ice. Need help in making a final choice.
Any info. is appreciated! Thanks,Debbie-Indiana

 

[aristocats]

We live in the bay area, and I would go with Tradewinds. They have so much to do. You can get a good rate with AAA.

 

[Amazing-grace]

My In-Laws stayed at the Tradewinds........... They would definitely recommend it

 

[Melynny]

I'd try tradewinds.. check out their website... it looks very nice.

As a side note:
On our last trip, we decided to try something different that going to St. Pete Beach. My husband spent time there when was a child, his aunt owned a house there. Anyway, he wanted to show me a state park where he used to go.. it was Fort Desoto. It had a great beach, better shelling than St Pete beach and the water was very nice. We even saw some dolphins! It would make a nice afternoon, they have snack bars and pretty nice(cold water) changing rooms with showers.

 

[Pixie Power!]

we stayed at the holiday inn in sept which was ok but nothing special, however most nights we went to the tradewinds for dinner and drinks and it was great! its where i would stay if i went back

 

[DebraK]

Hi, Thanks for all the replies. I think we will go with Tradewinds.
It seems to offer more "bang for thr bucK'. I got a great 50%
off rate thru FLA/USA site for the St. Pete area.Cant wait for Jan.
to see Mickey and the beach. Debbie-Indiana

 

[mmocken]

The Alden is OK. Stayed there 2 years ago. They were rehabbing several units. Ours was a little old, and needed rehabbing.

My inlaws stayed at the Tradewinds and love it. It looks nicer than the Alden too. The Alden did have good specials on their web site.



Marty

 

[BounceyOne]

Tradewinds is a beautiful place!!

 

[SimonV]

I checked out the Tradewinds in May and was very impressed. Fabulous array of facilities and superb location. Their website is www.tradewindsresort.com

 

[OrlandoInfo]

I have stayed at the Dolphin Beach Resort. It is located right on the water and has a great sandy beach. There is also a large swimming pool and sundeck that is on the oceanside with a poll bar - patio grill.

The rooms are pretty nice. I it had a microwave and refrigerator and I think it had a coffee maker too. We were able to walk out from our rooms right onto the beach which was cool.

The do have a site where there is virtual tours of the beach. It is at

http://www.dolphinbeach.com


St. Pete is a nice place to stay after visiting the hectic Orlando area theme parks. It is a great way to end the vacation with watersports and stuff like that!

Cheers...

 

[ricodidney]

Tradewinds is a nice resort. We used to live in St Pete and a few relatives stayed there when they came to visit. Another nice resort is the Renaissance Vinoy--not near the beach but right across from the marina. Worth a visit!

 

[baileyboy7]

If you'd like to save even more $$, you might try bidding on Priceline. The Tradewinds comes up frequently. That said, there are a couple of Tradewinds in the area, so be careful.

Check on www.biddingfortravel.com under Florida hotels--Tampa/St. Pete to see some winning bids. If you do decide to bid, first read that web site very carefully--especially the FAQ's, so you don't end up somewhere you don't want to be.

Whatever you do with the hotel, while you're here, you might drive into downtown St. Pete. It's really nice. There are several good museums--the Dali for one is about a mile south of the pier (just $5 entry after 5 on Thursdays), and the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts is another--it is just inland from the pier. Lots of neat shops, galleries, etc.

Good luck, and enjoy your visit.

 

[baileyboy7]

btw: the Vinoy is in downtown St. Pete. It is lovely, and has a great location in downtown, but it's a good 25 minute drive from the beach.

Another option on the beach, if budget isn't important (not sure when budget isn't important, but thought I'd mention it), is the Don Cesar. Really a beautiful hotel.

 

[2minnies]

On their website it looks like 3 different resorts-the Island Grand, Sandpiper and Sirata. Which is best for a family with kids 7 and 4?

 

[baileyboy7]

Sorry, I can't answer that. But do check that priceline bidding web site under Hotel Reviews--Florida (it's near the bottom of the home page). There are definitely reviews of the Sirata there, and possibly the others, but I'm not sure.

Otherwise, I'd just research--look at their web sites, other travel web sites (frommers.com, fodors.com, flausa.com), etc.. I'd also post the question somewhere like fodors.com forums--be sure to post under Florida; folks there are usually helpful.

Good luck!