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Best beach areas near Tampa (1 Viewer)

El Floppo

Footballguy
The wife might be locked into some cheap tickets to Tampa, so trying to figure out if it's worth it. 

What are the nicest beach areas near there?

Initial prices for Clearwater and St Pete's hotels seem steepish (we can do better with hotel price in the caribbean, just have to pay a bit more money for plane).... are those areas worth the price, or are there decent more value driven hotels or beach areas nearby?

eta: 

is beginning of April a good time to visit there? is that area hit with springbreakers? we'd be travelling with our kids (6 & 10)

 
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There are several locals who post here who will know better than I do, but I've been visiting the Clearwater/Palm Harbor area my entire life and would say there are some pretty nice beaches. I don't know much about beaches in Tampa proper.  Honeymoon Island and Caladesi are both great. Clearwater  beach is not bad - can get a bit trashy during spring break though.

First week in April will be Spring Break high season.  That's when my kids are off.  Its not terrible, but definitely not great timing if you're looking for a good value FLA vacation.

 
There are several locals who post here who will know better than I do, but I've been visiting the Clearwater/Palm Harbor area my entire life and would say there are some pretty nice beaches. I don't know much about beaches in Tampa proper.  Honeymoon Island and Caladesi are both great. Clearwater  beach is not bad - can get a bit trashy during spring break though.

First week in April will be Spring Break high season.  That's when my kids are off.  Its not terrible, but definitely not great timing if you're looking for a good value FLA vacation.
we'd get a car and drive- so it doesn't have to be Tampa proper- anywhere up or down from there.

 
Sarasota to the south has Siesta Key, which regularly wins "best beach in America" contests, like ALL the time. Longboat Key down there is really nice too.  St. Pete/Clearwater are nice as well, but more crowded.  Caladesi Island is only reachable (at least last time I went) by ferry.  Treasure Island/Madeira Beach area is cool too, not as far south as Sarasota, but away from the "bustle" of Clearwater/St. Pete.  John's Pass down there has some food/drink/shopping options.

 
Sarasota to the south has Siesta Key, which regularly wins "best beach in America" contests, like ALL the time. Longboat Key down there is really nice too.  St. Pete/Clearwater are nice as well, but more crowded.  Caladesi Island is only reachable (at least last time I went) by ferry.  Treasure Island/Madeira Beach area is cool too, not as far south as Sarasota, but away from the "bustle" of Clearwater/St. Pete.  John's Pass down there has some food/drink/shopping options.
she was looking into Treasure Island.

I guess because of spring break everything is pricey. the hotels she was looking at seemed "dumpy" compared to the price tag- which got her thinking it might be better to just hop further south to the islands. but lots of other costs built into that kind of trip vs a mainland trip outside of the hotel and air.

 
she was looking into Treasure Island.

I guess because of spring break everything is pricey. the hotels she was looking at seemed "dumpy" compared to the price tag- which got her thinking it might be better to just hop further south to the islands. but lots of other costs built into that kind of trip vs a mainland trip outside of the hotel and air.
Good luck finding value during Spring Break.  Half the hotels in Daytona are crumbling upon themselves and they get $250 a night during SB.

 
Good luck finding value during Spring Break.  Half the hotels in Daytona are crumbling upon themselves and they get $250 a night during SB.
yeah... that's exactly what we're finding. that's more than our usual spot in Anguilla... which I'm dying to go back to (used to go yearly, but haven't been in 2 or 3).

Indian Rocks Beach is another beautiful beach near Tampa. 
cool- and prices seem about half the places even a little south. how does it compare?

 
oh... she says she doesn't want to have to cross the "highway" to get to the beach from the hotel. that looks like Gulf Blvd/699...is it busy?

 
I did a race in Panama City long ago... amazing beach and water. seemed harder to get to- IIRC, we had to connect.
Way out on the panhandle, you're pretty far from any major city, so flights are usually going to be supplemented by a loooong drive.  New Orleans might be the closest real city by car.

 
oh... she says she doesn't want to have to cross the "highway" to get to the beach from the hotel. that looks like Gulf Blvd/699...is it busy?
It is a main road that always has traffic.  Seen a couple drunks get clipped there 5 years ago in front of Crabby Bills.

 
oh... she says she doesn't want to have to cross the "highway" to get to the beach from the hotel. that looks like Gulf Blvd/699...is it busy?
Often with these coastal roads, busy is dependent on the exact spot.  Treasure Island for example, Midnight Pass (I think) is the beachfront road and is not busy, but in another spot, it may be.  I used to live on A1A (beach side) on the Atlantic and even though I was on the sand, if I had to cross A1A there, it would be a picnic.  You might have to wait 30 seconds for a single car to pass and then you could walk backwards across A1A.  A couple miles north at the intersection of 520?  You'd be killed if you tried to cross against a light.

 
We stayed at Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach a few years ago. Amazing resort. You feel like you are on an island. But yeah it was expensive.

 
The wife might be locked into some cheap tickets to Tampa, so trying to figure out if it's worth it. 

What are the nicest beach areas near there?

Initial prices for Clearwater and St Pete's hotels seem steepish (we can do better with hotel price in the caribbean, just have to pay a bit more money for plane).... are those areas worth the price, or are there decent more value driven hotels or beach areas nearby?

eta: 

is beginning of April a good time to visit there? is that area hit with springbreakers? we'd be travelling with our kids (6 & 10)
Fort De Soto is nice. Beaches further south are very good too.  Not really a spring break destination IMO.  It’ll be summer in early April here fwiw.

 
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Fort De Soto is nice. Beaches further south are very good too.  Not really a spring break destination IMO.  It’ll be summer in early April here fwiw.
nice- I'm not seeing any hotels pop up there on google. am I missing something, or do you need to drive there?

 
nice- I'm not seeing any hotels pop up there on google. am I missing something, or do you need to drive there?
Fort De Soto is a county park with no lodging immediately nearby, but it’s a short distance from many.  It’s worth the drive IMO.  Another gem is Caladesi Island which is only accessible by boat.  There’s a ferry to go there.  It’s near Clearwater.  Not huge crowds there and laid back.  Longboat Key and St Armand’s are a couple to the south I like.  More people, but nice beaches.  

 
Sarasota to the south has Siesta Key, which regularly wins "best beach in America" contests, like ALL the time. Longboat Key down there is really nice too.  St. Pete/Clearwater are nice as well, but more crowded.  Caladesi Island is only reachable (at least last time I went) by ferry.  Treasure Island/Madeira Beach area is cool too, not as far south as Sarasota, but away from the "bustle" of Clearwater/St. Pete.  John's Pass down there has some food/drink/shopping options.
Big fan of siesta key 

 
Big fan of siesta key 
Both Siesta Beach and Crescent Beach are amazing.  Best sand I've ever been on and I've been all through the Caribbean, Pacific, Hawaii, etc.  Siesta Key is a pretty cool little town to go into at night too - Fat Tuesday's (touristy), SKOB (locals and live music) among other places.  Chill beach-town vibe.

 
Stayed 4 nites in December here in Siesta Key:

Island House Beach Resort 5S (found on vrbo)

very nice condo directly on beach, we brought our bikes and rode everywhere including the very hard sand right by the water. Had an excellent dinner at Ophelia's for my wife's birthday.

 
We live about an hour north of Tampa. When we go down for a Ray's game in St. Pete we usually spend the nite at The Hollander Hotel. It is affordable and has a cool tiki bar by the pool and some really good tap selections. They provide a free shuttle to go anywhere around the downtown St. Pete area including the Dali Museum or the Trop for a game. Lots of cool bars along the waterfront too including The Canopy which is a super rooftop bar with excellent views over the water.

 
I think if you want to try different beaches, then Pinellas/Manatee/Sarasota county area is the way to go.  

 
We live about an hour north of Tampa. When we go down for a Ray's game in St. Pete we usually spend the nite at The Hollander Hotel. It is affordable and has a cool tiki bar by the pool and some really good tap selections. They provide a free shuttle to go anywhere around the downtown St. Pete area including the Dali Museum or the Trop for a game. Lots of cool bars along the waterfront too including The Canopy which is a super rooftop bar with excellent views over the water.
I’ve had many a beer at Cafe Hollander  :thumbup:

 
There are several new high-rise hotels on Clearwater Beach, so there is a chance in April they could have too many rooms there now...just not sure. But the south end where they are is as beautiful as it gets. Not only do you have the gulf and a monster beach in front of you, the Clearwater Harbor is behind you...and the island is so thin there you sit on both.  If you go that route, there are spots to go to avoid the crowds (at the pier).  Priceline a 4 star maybe?

 
what's the difference between siesta and clearwater and points north? 

the plan was to go to the beach for a few nights and then head to legoland for the kids for a couple nights, fly out of orlando. the places more south seem to take a chunk of travel time out of short trip. so wife wonders if it matters which place we get to- and to optimize every hour we can to be at the water rather than in the car...

side note- anything up with lido key? the prices at siesta are probably more than we can do, but lido is just north and a bit less.

 
what's the difference between siesta and clearwater and points north? 
Clearwater is the big beach...big hotels, touristy, but has become pretty high end with a lot of new development.  Nice new restaurants with a mix of old school.

St Pete is a little lower end with older hotels, but a lot of bars and affordable seafood and more of a party beach.

Then as you go south it become older locals and quieter generally.  Still beautiful.

 
I used to go to Anna Maria Island sometimes when I lived in Florida. It is a nice beach community that is about 45 minutes from Tampa. 

 
There are several new high-rise hotels on Clearwater Beach, so there is a chance in April they could have too many rooms there now...just not sure. But the south end where they are is as beautiful as it gets. Not only do you have the gulf and a monster beach in front of you, the Clearwater Harbor is behind you...and the island is so thin there you sit on both.  If you go that route, there are spots to go to avoid the crowds (at the pier).  Priceline a 4 star maybe?
Avoid the crowds? No way. I love crowds. Couldn't imagine vacationing where there weren't a lot of people around. Seems way too boring.

 
Bradenton suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks

Honeymoon Island is constantly rated as one of the best beaches in America. Just go there.  

 
http://www.tampabay.com/floridas-best-beaches/2018/02/20/insiders-guide-to-honeymoon-island-the-beach-scene-beach-access-the-caladesi-island-ferry/

This is a good read. Avoid Clearwater beach — traffic will make you homicidal. Bradenton traffic is worse than aids. Madeira is super nice and laid back — seems like an old timey beach area. 

Treasure island is right next to Madeira. Basically the same thing. Stay at the thunderbird if you want to know what people in the 60s thought a hotel in the 90s would be like. Plenty of fresh fish and seafood places everywhere. 

 
I think if you want to try different beaches, then Pinellas/Manatee/Sarasota county area is the way to go.  
Thinking about flying into Sarasota. 

What's traffic like getting to the beach? If we stay on the mainland, will it be a pain to get to the beach? 

Thinking siesta or lido right now. 

 
Thinking about flying into Sarasota. 

What's traffic like getting to the beach? If we stay on the mainland, will it be a pain to get to the beach? 

Thinking siesta or lido right now. 
Why fly into Sarasota unless you get some kind of great deal?  Traffic’s not that bad.  

 
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http://www.tampabay.com/floridas-best-beaches/2018/02/20/insiders-guide-to-honeymoon-island-the-beach-scene-beach-access-the-caladesi-island-ferry/

This is a good read. Avoid Clearwater beach — traffic will make you homicidal. Bradenton traffic is worse than aids. Madeira is super nice and laid back — seems like an old timey beach area. 

Treasure island is right next to Madeira. Basically the same thing. Stay at the thunderbird if you want to know what people in the 60s thought a hotel in the 90s would be like. Plenty of fresh fish and seafood places everywhere. 
When we stayed at Clearwater beach no car necessary. Everything is walking distance. And there's the trolley

 
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So.. lido key? In a naive vacuum, looks nice. Any idea how it compares to siesta?
A beach expert I am not.  I ran a race once on Siesta Key beach and there were potholes and seaweed everywhere.  Never been to Lido.  Cappy and others would probably be more familiar.

 

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