Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bon-Aire Resort Motel
RESORT
( 727-360-5596;
www.bonaireresort.com
;
4350 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach; r $75-230; )
Family-owned and operated for more than 60 years, the Bon-Aire is one of St Pete's best
kept secrets. Looking pretty much as it did when it was built in 1953, it sits on a wide
beach with a variety of rooms, efficiencies and apartments dotted around mature, bloom-
ing gardens. Two pools, shuffleboard courts and the locally popular tiki bar,
Sandbar Bill's
,
keep loyal customers returning. Book ahead.
Postcard Inn
BOUTIQUE MOTEL
(
727-367-2711;
www.postcardinn.com
; 6300 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach; r $130-230;
)
For its vintage 1950s hang-10 style alone, the Postcard Inn leads the pack in St Pete
Beach. The long, double-armed shell of a 1957 Colonial Gateway has been transformed in-
to a designer-chic surf shack with surf-themed rooms sporting murals of wave riders in the
curl. Some rooms have outdoor hammocks, and all surround the sizable pool, plus there
are Ping-Pong tables, a tiki bar and direct access to the beach. The young, hip crowd
matches this fun place.
Thunderbird Beach Resort
MOTEL
( 727-367-1961;
www.thunderbirdflorida.com
;
10700 Gulf Blvd, Treasure Island; r & apt $130-200;
)
The art-deco sign has beckoned travelers since 1958, and the Thunderbird remains a reli-
able choice in the thick of the Treasure Island commercial corridor. Clean, standard decor
eschews seaside kitsch for sage and coppery hues. The real amenities, though, are the pool,
tiki bar and beach.
Loews Don CeSar Hotel
RESORT
( 727-360-1881;
www.loewshotels.com/doncesar
;
3400 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach; r $250-400;
)
The magnificent, coral-pink Don CeSar shimmers like a mirage as you approach St Pete
Beach from the causeway. Built in 1928, it's the sort of elegant seaside palace you imagine
F Scott Fitzgerald spilling cocktails in, with chandelier-filled hallways and white cabanas
by the glittering pool. Rooms are more relaxed roosts, and the full-service, four-diamond
