2 nights in Tampa/Clearwater area

[greenclan67]

Hi there we are going for a week at Xmas. On Dec 20th & 21st our first two nights we want to stay in Tampa area. Something on the beach or across the road would be good. We are going to a football game on the 21st. Then into Orlando for 22 to 27th. Any suggestions on a decent place that won't break the bank? TIA

 

[NinaBella]

Do you want to stay in Tampa or do you want to stay at the beach? St Petersburg, Clearwater, etc.?

Are you traveling with kids and looking for a kid friendly place? If so, Tradewinds is one of the best places for kids. There are tons of options. Tradewinds is about 30 miles from Raymond James Stadium but quite honestly will be about an hours drive. Stadium traffic is crazy so add about another 30 minutes to park in a Satellite parking lot and take the shuttle bus up to the stadium.

There is a less expensive hotel that my family likes to stay at called Post Card Inn. It's four resorts away from Tradewinds. So if you are not looking for all the extras, Post Card Inn is decently priced. We always walk the beach to Tradewinds anyways. If you google map Tradewind and zoom in, you can see the name of the surrounding resorts.

Of course if you want a fancy historical hotel that has been featured on the travel channel check out the Don Cesar. It's overpriced in my opinion. My friend stayed there once and didn't have hot water in her room. I worked a week long conference there and had the pleasure of inspecting rooms before our guests arrived so I have been in about every type of room they offer. The standard, least expensive room is smaller than a cruise ship cabin. LoL. You can see the Don Cesar from the other hotels I mentioned. It is a beautiful hotel.


If you decide not to stay at the beach but closer to the stadium, a lot of folks like the Tahitian Inn. I have never stayed here but my daughter's friend family has some sort of membership where they use their pool so my daughter has been on property swimming. It's 2.8 miles from the stadium. You could probably ask if they provide a shuttle to and from the stadium to save you the hassle of parking.
http://www.tahitianinn.com/

I live in the Tampa area but not downtown Tampa. When DH and I go out for a "date night" we typically book a room in Channelside. All of the Channelside hotels provide free shuttles up to a certain time around the downtown area. There is also the trolley between Channelside and Ybor. (By the way, I would not stay in Ybor if you are traveling with kids, that is a party town/bar district... think Tampa version of Bourbon street).
Here is the link to Channelside http://www.channelsidebayplaza.com/

 

[greenclan67]

Thank you this is exactly the info I was looking for. We do have kids. 13 & 14 year old girls. But we have another family travelling with us and they are keeping the kids while we r at the game. My hubby is a huge Packers fan. So this is a bucket list for him. No NFL games in Northern Ontario.

 

[kathy884]

Sea Captain resort on the Bay would be great for you I think. Here's a review I wrote of the place on Trip Advisor:

"Loved this place -- delightful mini stay in Clearwater"

I wasn't expecting much staying at an older low rise non chain motel less than 1/2 the price of a room at the Hyatt, but this place really pleasantly surprised me. They've done a nice job of keeping this older property in good shape. We loved the little pool area. Although you don't have a private balcony there is a shared big balcony with tables and chairs which was wonderful for sitting out with view of the water and marina. Beds were comfy. Air kept us cool. It was nice to have a suite with a little kitchenette. The location in particular was great -- quick walk to the marina, Clearwater beach, the pier, Crabby Bill's restaurant, and the tour boats for dolphin watching. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again and would recommend the property to family and friends. I laughed when I first saw the name Sea Captain's Resort -- thought what little motel would call itself a resort, but my stay was so pleasant and delightful at this well located place that I felt like I was staying at a little resort.

 

[greenclan67]

Thanks I will take a look at Sea Captains.

 

[neffernie]

We stayed at the Hotel Isis on Reddington Beach for my daughter's birthday.

http://www.isisbeachhotel.com/

 

[mblondie0509]

Last month we spent our last night in FL at the Pier House 60 Hotel on Clearwater Beach. It was an easy 5 minute walk to put our toes in the Gulf and it was really a nice area. Pier 60 has a family friendly festival every night with vendors, artists, performers, etch. The beach was really clean and lots of chairs and cabanas for rent. At the hotel, rooms either face the ocean (solid floor to ceiling windows) or the bay (balcony) so all rooms are a waterview. It was really lovely and incredibly reasonably priced! We would definitely stay there again. We ate at Crabby Bill's a block away and got some great seafood and drinks. Check it out!

 

[greenclan67]

Sounds great. I am loving everyone's suggestions. Has anyone stayed at Page Terrace or Bilmar Beach Resort on Treasure Island? My sister has and she loves it but they don't have kids. So would it be good with kids? Mine are 15 & 13. TIA

 

[neffernie]

No, but I have some friends who rented a condo at Surf Song not too far away.

 

[OttawaPackersFan]

Sorry I don't have recommendations for hotels but I can tell you that there will be plenty of Packers fans staying at the Hilton Clearwater Beach - the Packers tour company has packages from GB and Milwaukee to the game and the Hilton is their lodging destination.

Also, there are two Pep Rally's being held on the 20th hosted by PackersEverywhere.

"The festivities will take place at two different locations in the Tampa Bay area Saturday. The main pep rally will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. EST at Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill, located at 1320 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, Fla. The second event will be held from 8:15 to 9:00 p.m. at The Varsity Club, located at 24091 US Hwy 19 N., Clearwater, Fla."

I found this board while trying to find a reasonable way of getting to the game from Largo/Clearwater via anything other than driving but so far buses/shuttles don't seem to exist. There is something called BowlBus on-line that may run a bus but it's not confirmed yet and it's $45 per person.

Fellow Ontarian and Packer fan attending the game.
Go Packers!

 

[greenclan67]

Sorry I don't have recommendations for hotels but I can tell you that there will be plenty of Packers fans staying at the Hilton Clearwater Beach - the Packers tour company has packages from GB and Milwaukee to the game and the Hilton is their lodging destination.

Also, there are two Pep Rally's being held on the 20th hosted by PackersEverywhere.

"The festivities will take place at two different locations in the Tampa Bay area Saturday. The main pep rally will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. EST at Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill, located at 1320 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, Fla. The second event will be held from 8:15 to 9:00 p.m. at The Varsity Club, located at 24091 US Hwy 19 N., Clearwater, Fla."

I found this board while trying to find a reasonable way of getting to the game from Largo/Clearwater via anything other than driving but so far buses/shuttles don't seem to exist. There is something called BowlBus on-line that may run a bus but it's not confirmed yet and it's $45 per person.

Fellow Ontarian and Packer fan attending the game.
Go Packers!

Hey thanks for the information. We ended up booking in Orlando for the whole time. We got a great price on a 3 bdrm at Grand Beach. We have friends coming with us. I was able to get them free tickets to Aquatica for their family with my 4 platinum passes and they are taking our girls with them to Aquatica for the day. So we are going childless to the Packers game. I did look at Bowl Bus and it is a go from Orlando, but found the Buc's sell tickets in Orlando, and they also have a bus, and it is only $20 per person roundtrip. So we booked that, and we can bring our cooler with drinks and food. My hubby is super excited. He doesn't have to drive and gets to go to the game as well. Go Pack GO!

 

[OttawaPackersFan]

I too found the Bucs buses - one from Orlando and one from Sarasota for $20. Too bad they don't have them for the much shorter drive from Pinellas.

It's going to be a great game and a great day at RJS, even if I have to walk the 20 miles to get there.