Clearwater or St Petes????? HELP!!!!!!!

[NeilDrum]

Sorry I know its not Disney but as it will be our 6th visit in Sept, we decided that for part of our Disney holiday, we would go over to the beach.

Can not decide whether to stay at Clearwater or St Petes - can anyone help us in choosing???

Any comments would be appreciated.

Regards

Claire & Neil

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Stayed in both personally I like Cleaerwater best for the beach, love the pirate and dolphin cruises there and the pier and whats on it.


St Pets it was nice, again great beach, but I didnt feel it had a center and I prefered the restuants in clearwater.

FRENCHIES its the best food! and i hope to go there agian this summer.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

My cousins live outside Clearwater Beach and have stayed there about 3 times . It's a nice long strip with resturants ,stores and of course the long beach !!! I think think that there would be so much more to see and do in Clearwater! We loved the huge Pirate themed mini golf right there on the main strip ! Have fun planning

 

[Miffy2003]

I much preferred Clearwater to St Petes

Some people call Clearwater Beach tacky but I must say I don't find it tacky myself. There is a great beach, lots of different restaurants all within walking distance and quite a few "trips" like Andrew Derek mentions above

 

[georgia4now]

I lived in Tampa for a few years, and I always recommend Clearwater for the beach, parking, restaurants, etc.

Either way, it will be nice, so no worries!

 

[georgia4now]

I much preferred Clearwater to St Petes

Some people call Clearwater Beach tacky...

Well, it's a bit tacky, but that's why we always loved it! It's better than Daytona IMHO but does not have the hip feel of South Beach.

 

[alisonbestford]

I say stay in Clearwater as there are plenty of restaurants, boat trips, the Pier etc, and drive along to St Petes to have a walk along the beach

I agree that Clearwater seems to have more of a centre than St Petes

Try the sea food buffet at the Shepherds Beach Resort in Clearwater

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Clearwater has the best beach and would get my vote, however you can easily tour St Petes as they are located side by side.

The Sunshine Skyway bridge that spans St.Petes bay is awesome.

Whilst all the west coast offers the best beaches there is not as much going on as there would be at Miami/Fort Lauderdale.
So unless you visit there I would say a week at CW/SP may be too long perhaps, unless you just want to relax for a week.

No need to apologoise for a non-Disney thread - touring Florida is a great experience.

 

[georgia4now]

...So unless you visit there I would say a week at CW/SP may be too long perhaps, unless you just want to relax for a week...

I completely agree. 2 days max IMHO.

 

[Destination Disney]

I live about 20 minutes from Clearwater Beach and I LOVE it. Nice soft sand, great shops, loads of resturants, and lots to do. There is putt-putt mini golf, cruises, etc.

We will go down there every now and then to just eat dinner and watch those beautiful sunsets, then head on down to Sheppard's for some fun!

Night life...
I am not sure about the age of your crowd, but if you have adults. (21 and up) Sheppard's is fabulous! Night life is a ton of fun with a live band, drinks and dancing on the patio/ tiki deck! They also have a night club called the Wave! On the opposite end of the beach from Sheppard's is Frency's Rock-a-way grill. (No age required) That is right on the beach past the Clearwater beach hotel. Again, great atmosphere and food. The Palm Pavillion (No age required) is also right there next to Frenchy's and they have a live band at night too. (Not as 'happening" as Sheppard's but still a more relaxing fun time with music.)

During the day...
There is a lot to do as I mentioned above.

They have actually just finished the new bridge that takes you to Clearwater Beach and it is so beautiful and easy to drive.

I know there was a thread here too about "Bahama Breeze". Well, if you are driving from or throuh Tampa to Clearwater Beach you will pass it! The Tampa location is great. Right on the water with live music and drinks...ahhhh! It is on the right hand side as you are driving to get onto SR60 or (Gulf to Bay Blvd.)

Have a great time!

 

[shellbell]

We stayed in Indian Rocks last year which is inbetween the two. We loved both beaches. Theres not mouch distance between the two either. I would say that Clearwater had more to do though.

 

[gilld]

I'm one of those who thought Clearwater rather like the Costa's so if you like those - you'll be ok - we didn't like it, but then we didn't like St Pete's either. Though it must be said, both have great beaches.

Personally, I'd say go further south.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Following on from my earlier post, a big factor is how much you want to drive, and what you want to make of the week.
Naples is very nice but at least a 3 hour drive from Orlando, and it is very quiet indeed there - a week is too long in my opinion.
Not too bad if you just want to relax but it's not an active weeks holiday there.

Personally if you don't mind the driving I would consider the other coast, you have Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

On the other hand Clearwater offers one of the best beaches, if relaxing is what you are after.

 

[alisonbestford]

We stayed at New Smyrna Beach, about 15 minutes drive away from Daytona, at Easter

I was worried that a week might be too long but, to be honest, it was a lovely break from the parks and a chance to relax
New Smyrna Beach, we loved, Daytona we didn't

 

[clive@nireland.com]

I`II have to "buck the trend" and say St Pete`s for me every time. I just love it. It is so laid back quiet and relaxing, just what you need after hectic Orlando. 2-3 days! I`m going for 2 weeks and can`t wait!!

 

[lady&tramp]

How long approx does it take to drive to Clearwater from WDW resort area?

 

[JohnnySharp2]

How long approx does it take to drive to Clearwater from WDW resort area?

I would say about 2 hours, it can be done a bit quicker if you are lucky with traffic etc

 

[Boo Boo Too]

I'm one of those who thought Clearwater rather like the Costa's so if you like those - you'll be ok - we didn't like it, but then we didn't like St Pete's either. Though it must be said, both have great beaches.

Personally, I'd say go further south.

Ditto - I prefer something quieter and laid back (although husband prefers somewhere with more going on ).

Would recommend that the OP looks through some holiday brochures (normally have a nice summary and pictures of the different resorts) and see what they fancy. For instance, the East Coast doesn't really do it for me (it is ok for a night or two pre-cruise, but that is about it for me) - but other people RAVE about Miami....

Florida is actually a very diverse place - lots on offer for varying tastes

Boo

 

[slinky101]

really interested in this thread as, we are going with a large party next year including inlaws and we were thinking of escaping down to clearwater for two days with an overnight stay as, a bit of an escape from them all!
does anyone have any links to the dolphin/pirate cruise?
or any recommendations for good/cheap hotels, we are 2 adults and 2 kids 10 and 8 we want to be quite central to whats going on as we wont be there long?

sorry to go off topic a bit.

 

[NeilDrum]

Thanks for all the replies and info - as always!!

We are spending the first week in Orlando and then driving over to Clearwater (you guys did it for me) taking in Busch there and back and we decided to stay 3 nights.

Can anyone recommend a hotel on the beach but near the action at night??

Cheers guys

Claire