Treasure Island Florida opinions? Looking for beach vacation

[Kellydelly]

I have been looking for a beach destination for a few days Thanksgiving week and there are so many hotels and beaches on the Gulf side where I want to go that I can't pick one. I was looking at Treasure Island but some coworkers told me it's not nice. It looks nice?? Has anyone here been there and can tell me if it's a place to avoid? I was looking at Clearwater and St Pete too. I want to be able to shell on the beach. We have three teens that I want to have a good time too. It is so hard to research all the different properties. There seems to be a ton of condos too. Any opinions or advice on a good beach location in that area would be appreciated.

 

[Searc]

I have been looking for a beach destination for a few days Thanksgiving week and there are so many hotels and beaches on the Gulf side where I want to go that I can't pick one. I was looking at Treasure Island but some coworkers told me it's not nice. It looks nice?? Has anyone here been there and can tell me if it's a place to avoid? I was looking at Clearwater and St Pete too. I want to be able to shell on the beach. We have three teens that I want to have a good time too. It is so hard to research all the different properties. There seems to be a ton of condos too. Any opinions or advice on a good beach location in that area would be appreciated.

Did you check Trip Advisor or their Facebook page for reviews?

 

[HeatherC]

The teens would love Clearwater. Siesta Key is beautiful too.

 

[dish rag]

I have been looking for a beach destination for a few days Thanksgiving week and there are so many hotels and beaches on the Gulf side where I want to go that I can't pick one. I was looking at Treasure Island but some coworkers told me it's not nice. It looks nice?? Has anyone here been there and can tell me if it's a place to avoid? I was looking at Clearwater and St Pete too. I want to be able to shell on the beach. We have three teens that I want to have a good time too. It is so hard to research all the different properties. There seems to be a ton of condos too. Any opinions or advice on a good beach location in that area would be appreciated.

Go a little south. We like Lido Key, we like to walk to St. Armands. Also Siesta Key. Try to go quarterly. Clearwater is very overrated IMO. I wouldn't go there.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

We stayed for 5 nights in Treasure Island this past June. We got an Airbnb right on the inlet and across the street from the ocean. We enjoyed it and would return to the area.

 

[NotUrsula]

Treasure is very quiet and residential; there is little in the way of beach concessions, restaurants and arcades, etc., for those, the nearest place along the beach is probably Madeira.

The most notable thing about Treasure is that the beach is really WIDE there; it's about 200 yds from the shore to the building line in many places, which means that if you are the type to want to run back indoors with any frequency, you would have a long hike each time. OTOH, it's really good sand for volleyball, frisbee, or kite flying.

Water quality is usually fine. I don't remember a whole lot of shells. (I'm not talking Sanibel standards; I mean by normal shelling levels.)

IME, Upham and Madeira are a bit better for shelling. Upham is naturally narrow, and has had huge boulders added recently to slow the erosion. There is more nightlife down around Upham, as well, so it's a bit livelier, (and noisier, too, of course.)

PS: The issue with Clearwater, IMO, is traffic; it is horrendous, mostly because it's a straight shot westward to Clearwater from Tampa. St. Pete Beach, otoh, has a lot of commercial development but not as many large hotels; there is traffic there, but usually not full-on traffic jams.

 

[ZZBane]

I’ve been to several places in Florida and actually live here now. FWIW, I hated Sanibel and Clearwater. Before switching to all inclusive Caribbean vacations, my family would go to Fort Myers and we’d stay in a condo right on Estero Blvd. I LOVED it! We would always stay about 2 weeks during 4th of July and you could shoot fireworks right off the beach. Idk if you can still do that or if they do that around any other holidays, but I have very fond memories of going there. I was in my late teens/early 20s and there was plenty for me to do. My brothers were a few years younger and they loved it as well. It had such an impact on me, that I insisted on taking my son there for his second beach trip when he was a little over a year. Sadly, that was during the red tide last year, so no swimming, but it was still as awesome as I remember all those years ago

 

[Kellydelly]

Did you check Trip Advisor or their Facebook page for reviews?

Yes! I am in a huge swirl of open windows on my laptop, properties that look good and then the tripadvisor reviews to go with them. It's endless. I wish I just really had a definite destination in mind instead of just somewhere nice on the gulf not too far from Orlando . I really want to go to Manasota Key but it's overpriced that week and not much to do besides walk the beach and look for sharks teeth. Not my teens speed.

 

[lorenae]

Both St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach have a ton of things to do and see, and Clearwater has a trolley (not sure when it runs, though). I'd look there with teens.

 

[LysieLee]

I wouldn't say that Treasure Island "isn't nice", but I would say it's boring in comparison to other local beaches. Like a PP stated, it's more residential with few attractions. We prefer Redington Shores and Maderia. Quieter, less crowded, still nice beaches. There are other things to do and see in the area, but not so much that it's overwhelming or packed with tourists. There are a lot of nice restaurants along Gulf in this area, and there's also John's Pass for souvenir shopping and food, as well as sight seeing cruises.

Clearwater beach has great sand, but other than that i'd avoid it. It's super touristy, always the most crowded, and usually pretty dirty. Plus parking is hard to come by and pricey. There are plenty of walking distance food options, though.

Shelling in this area, in general, isn't great. Mostly you'll find smaller shells, and rarely whole. I've heard the better shelling areas are Sanibel, Venica, and Siesta Key.

 

[RamblingMad]

My barber loves st Pete. I’m more of a pacific beach person.

 

[Tattylou]

I wouldn't say that Treasure Island "isn't nice", but I would say it's boring in comparison to other local beaches. Like a PP stated, it's more residential with few attractions. We prefer Redington Shores and Maderia. Quieter, less crowded, still nice beaches. There are other things to do and see in the area, but not so much that it's overwhelming or packed with tourists. There are a lot of nice restaurants along Gulf in this area, and there's also John's Pass for souvenir shopping and food, as well as sight seeing cruises.

Clearwater beach has great sand, but other than that i'd avoid it. It's super touristy, always the most crowded, and usually pretty dirty. Plus parking is hard to come by and pricey. There are plenty of walking distance food options, though.

Shelling in this area, in general, isn't great. Mostly you'll find smaller shells, and rarely whole. I've heard the better shelling areas are Sanibel, Venica, and Siesta Key.

I love Redington Shores! We've rented a condo right at the beach a few different times. The condo complex we like is called Anglers Cove - I totally recommend it. We had a really nice 3 bedroom/3 bath condo overlooking the beach.

 

[lorenae]

We all have different opinions- so it really depends on what you're looking for. A quiet beach for relaxation and shelling? Something for the teens to do that is more active? I thought Clearwater or St Pete for the action- and others said no, too busy/touristy (and it is!). So we could probably be more helpful if we knew everyone's interest.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

With teens, I would choose Clearwater or St. Pete Beach. If they get bored, Tampa is just across the Bay. There are many things to do there. As an adult, I enjoy many of the beaches on the Gulf. As a teen, touristy & crowded with lots of things to do was paradise. It really comes down to your kid's personality. I would have been bored stiff at some of the beaches suggested here.

 

[debster812]

We really like the Longboat Key, AMI, Lido Key area. Nice and close to Sarasota, but still with the laid back, island vibe.

 

[blakefamily]

Yes! I am in a huge swirl of open windows on my laptop, properties that look good and then the tripadvisor reviews to go with them. It's endless. I wish I just really had a definite destination in mind instead of just somewhere nice on the gulf not too far from Orlando . I really want to go to Manasota Key but it's overpriced that week and not much to do besides walk the beach and look for sharks teeth. Not my teens speed.

What / where did you end up deciding on ? We are looking at options for this next Thanksgiving break. Our schools are out for the whole week. We are from Oregon and want a sunny Beach vacation and LOVE Florida. I am currently looking at ST Pete Beach and north to Clearwater Beach....We will likely be traveling with mysefl, hubby and 13yr old daughter and our friends with their 2 little guys (4/6). We want some beach time, maybe the aquariums, ZOO, Busch gardens ?

 

[Kellydelly]

What / where did you end up deciding on ? We are looking at options for this next Thanksgiving break. Our schools are out for the whole week. We are from Oregon and want a sunny Beach vacation and LOVE Florida. I am currently looking at ST Pete Beach and north to Clearwater Beach....We will likely be traveling with mysefl, hubby and 13yr old daughter and our friends with their 2 little guys (4/6). We want some beach time, maybe the aquariums, ZOO, Busch gardens ?

We ended up at a brand new resort in Treasure Island called the Fusion. It was on the intercoastal waterway a couple of blocks, about a 5 minute walk to the beach. We got a good deal because it had only been open a month. I loved having a two bedroom, two bath suite. It had a full kitchen and a sofa sleeper too. I would go back again, but never gonna get the same price (around $130 per night). We were there for 6 nights and then we drove over to Orlando and stayed at Endless Summer resort (Universal property). We had a really nice two weeks!

https://www.fusiontreasureisland.com/

 

[Pumbaa_]

That is an awesome price!