Saint Petersburg, FL

At the end of May we had a much needed family vacation in Treasure Island, Florida. We stayed from Wednesday to Saturday and had an AMAZING time. I know what your thinking, Wednesday – Saturday is not long enough to consider a vacation but we like to take multiple trips throughout the year if we can and we love our long weekends away at our favorite Florida destinations. It had been a while since we had been to the beach for more than a day so we stayed close to the hotel on this adventure, but here is a list of our FAVORITE things to do in the St Pete area…

Places to stay:

The Bilmar: This is where we stayed this time. I booked through Priceline, and I have been here multiple times with my family as a kid and our church Ladies Retreats so I knew what to expect. This is one of the nicest hotels directly on Treasure Island Beach. Our room had a small kitchen so if we wanted to cook, we had the option. The Bilmar has two pools, 2 restaurants, and all kinds of free resort things to do. It was clean and comfortable. I definetly will be going back and recommend staying here when you come. They also offered a rewards program, TheGuestbook, which gives you the ability to earn 5% cash back or 15% trip cash if you book directly with the Hotel. I believe I saved 20% on Priceline, but I still had to pay an $85 Resort Fee. I am going to look into it but I am a Priceline junkie and as long as the room is clean I am really not that particular.

Sunset Vistas: These are super nice condos but priced that way. We used to stay here every year on Church Ladies Retreats. One great thing about this place is that the rooms are really large. You can get a 2-3 bedroom unit with a fill kitche and living room. Great place for large family trips.

The Satalite Motel: We have only stayed here once, but have tried to book on multiple occasions. I would have to say this one is probably the best bang for your buck. Everytime we decide to come to the beach I look here first but it is always booked solid. The Satalite Motel is super cute and located right across the street from the Treasure Island Public Beach access. Though it is small motel, many rooms come with efficiency kitchens and the pool area is larger than one would expect. It was very clean and comfortable, although still decorated in that old Florida pastel style. We really enjoyed our stay.

Ft. Desoto Beach: If you are the camping type, Ft. Desoto is by far the BEST CAMP GROUND I have ever been to. If you book right, you can get a site right on the canal, and you can do all the fishing, swimming, tanning, kayaking, and paddleboarding you want without having to leave your campsite. The bathrooms are always clean and you have privacy in between campsites. You really feel like you are away from it all but you have the ability to be in the middle of it all if you want. It’s only 10 min away from civilization and MOST IMPORTANTLY a Publix.

Places to go & Things to Do:

Treasure Island Beach: One of the most beautiful beaches. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Also there are bathrooms and outdoor showers at the 2 main beach access point. Also, there is an additional parking lot (very small) about a half a mile down that less people know about that is still within walking distance to the bathrooms. So if you can’t get a parking stop keep heading south but keep a sharp eye out for the beach access sign, it will sneak up on you.

Ft. Desoto: Something unique about Ft Desoto is that it gives you the opportunity to have access to Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and it is literally a one stop shop for all your water activities, fishing (boat or pier), kayaking, paddleboarding, tanning and swimming in what feels like a secluded beach, a dog beach and park, hiking, biking, etc, etc, but the best thing to do at Ft. Desoto if you don’t do anything else is to watch the sunshine skyway in the evening around sunset or at night. It is one of the most beautiful views. There is also an real Fort there and you can complete a tour.

Pass-A-Grille: Also a beautiful beach, but also just a wonderful place to drive around or park and walk around. It’s like stepping back in time to what Florida used to be before skyrise hotels and condos.

St. John’s Pass: Just north of Treasure Island is another beach, Madiera Beach, also beautiful, but the best reason to go is John’s pass. Johns pass has all the authentic beach shops and restaurants you need as well as beach rentals, boats, jetskis, parasailing, etc.

Downtown St. Pete: Another awsome place to get out and walk around. There are many shops, modern art, restaurants, and it is just beautiful to look at. We used to go to the Million Dollar Pier but that his currently under constructions. One of the best things to do is catch the Coast Guard come in and out of the channel. the Salvidor Dali museaum is also very worth while.

Places to Eat:

Frog Pond: Great Breakfast

John’s Pass: John’s Pass has a many restaurants, from Hooters and Bubba Gumps to the hole in the wall tiki bar that sells street tacos, Gia’s blue Water Taqueria. I will be trying the tacos next time I go.

Sno Balls: New Orlean’s Shaved ice…Best sno cone you will ever eat. They will also booze it up for you if you wanted. Best thing to do is get your snocone and drive about a half a mile west and sit on the sea wall while you eat your super cold dessert.

The Shake Shop: a really awesome icecream shop

Cassis: I recently went here for dinner while attanding a conference. It is delicious but pricy if i was going to be footing the bill. But again, it was really good! We were served the Trio of Dip, Fried Calamari, and steamed mussels as appetisers, I had the iceburg wedge and chicken caprese (not on their regular menu) and creme Brulee for dessert….so good.

We love St.Pete and had a wonderful visit. This is our go to beach, we go to whichever we can find a parking spot, treasure Island, St. Pete, Pass-a-grille, Ft. Desoto, they are all super close to one another. Most of the time we take water and eat a publix sub on the beach and head home once we have had enough sun, but every once in a while we decide to spend a little more time. We will probably spend another weekend here before the summers over.

Thanks for reading,