Clearwater, FL

The highlights of this wonderful trip were my daughter and her interaction with the beach. She sat and played in the sand while my wife sat back and relaxed. We also took tours to many remote islands around Clearwater, such as Honeymoon Island. We took seashell walks on the isolated beaches. It turned into a great game for our daughter. This truly was a wonderful time to say "we were a family."

Quick Tips:

I suggest that anyone visiting Clearwater, base it on weekday visits to the beaches. Many of the spots (i.e., Pier 60) were not busy at all during the week. During the weekend, the beaches can get very busy.

Also take in the many sights in and around Clearwater, such as the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida Botanical Gardens to name a few.

I would suggest with young children to bring plenty of sunscreen. Sun can get pretty intense starting in late morning through to late evening.

Best Way To Get Around:

There are plenty of public trolley systems, but we rented a car for the week. Travel by car is easy and the best way to go. Plus, anything along Clearwater Beach is within walking distance.

By having a rental car, families can take in the sights of areas around Clearwater such as Orlando (Disney and Sea World), which is only a 2-hour highway drive, as well as some of the other costal cities such as Fort Myers or St. Petersburg.

This was small, out of the way place to stay. I found the recommendation by reading tripadvisor.com. It is a nice resort, with nice, bright clean room. Check in was easy. We used Expedia and we paid extra for a Gulfview room. There was a mistake and no Gulfview room were available. The front desk took care of it with Expedia and refunded us the money without anything from us. They had great advice as to where to go for fun and nature outlets.

The hotel is on the beach, which is very peaceful and quiet, except on Saturday which was a busy day all along the beach. The location is perfect, next to eateries, a Walgreen's, local shops and even an internet cafe right across the street.

They have a lunch menu available with outside eating. We did not eat there though so I cannot judge the food. They also have a nice size pool if the beach is not your thing.

This is a nice place to stay and enjoy. If you want a large, elegant room this may not be the place for you but it a nice place to stay especially with the family. We use are room for sleeps and naps so as long as it is clean and fresh towels and sheets, we are happy

Check tripadvisor.com for more ratings on this hotel. Except for a couple bad reviews, it is highly recommended and apparently now they are or have remodelled quite a bit of the resort.

This was a nice little place on the beach. Their seafood is delivered fresh daily from their affiliates in the seafood business. Price is right and the atmosphere was casual and very comfortable.

The day was fun filled. Granted, it was a warm day, so many stops in the shade and plenty of water were on tap.

Parking was a breeze. We got there about 45 minutes after the park opened and we were able to park about 5 minutes’ walking distance from the entrance.

The employees and cartoon characters are friendly and patient if you want a picture or something.

The rides and animal shows are quite a bit of fun and enjoyable for all ages.

The eating areas left a little bit to be desired. Of course, food is on the high side, but the eating facilities were not very clean. We had to pass four open tables because they were full of discarded food and actually one table had ants all over it. Not very appealing.

So other than that, we had a blast and it was a fun-filled day in Orlando. Needless to say, it was a quiet ride back to Clearwater, as my daughter had a full day.