Fantastic Getaway to Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete

If you love nature, if you have kids, if you like to relax ... there are so many things for everyone in the Tampa/St. Pete area. You've got to check out the parks -- in this area, state parks are as good as regular national parks, county parks are as good as regular state parks, etc. Everything is done just a little better here. Don't miss The Pier in St. Pete (eating at Columbia restaurant with the fantastic view), the Pier 60 Festival held every evening on Clearwater Beach, Honeymoon Island, the boat ride to Caladesi Island, and so much more.

Quick Tips:

The weekly planet is an outstanding source of events, at http://www.weeklyplanet.com/ Don't miss checking out the great state parks in the area, including Ft. Desoto, voted one of the top beaches in the world: www.floridastateparks.org. The St. Pete Times is the best local paper and has lots of info about upcoming events: www.sptimes.com.

Best Way To Get Around:

The one downside of this area is that you've got to have a car to get around. Luckily, public parking is normally free (except in downtown Tampa and at some beaches) and plentiful.

This is by far the best hotel in the whole Tampa Bay region. The service is outstanding, the facility is gorgeous, and the rooms are luxurious. Their two pools are outstanding, and the location is great -- very close to the airport, and yet you never hear airport noise.

Their restaurants are GREAT. A few details about the hotel to tell you why I thought this was such a wonderful place to stay. I was waiting for a friend to meet me at the hotel, so I went down to the lobby. It's such a beautiful, grand lobby, with many places to just sit back and watch people go by. I noticed they had a bowl of mints and took a few. They were incredible - very high quality mints, better than any I've tasted before. It seems a little silly, but the mints are a symbol of the quality of the Grand Hyatt - even down to the finest detail, they care about quality. As I enjoyed my mint and waited for my friend, I saw they had free coffee available (Godiva no less). However, all they had was caffeinated, which I can't drink. One of the hotel employees saw me by the coffee and asked if he could serve me. I told him, "No thanks, I need decaf coffee." So he went into the restaurant and got me a cup of decaf - I was so delighted and shocked, for this type of initiative and goodwill is almost nonexistent in the "service" industries these days.

My favorite part of my stay was visiting the secret little nature preserve on their property. I say "secret" because it feels like a secret (even though it's not) - it's so quiet and undisturbed, you really feel as though you're out there with nature. Since the hotel is right on the bay, you can take a boardwalk back among the mangroves, out to a gazebo on the water. I sat there with my niece for a long time -- we watched the dolphins play in the water right in front of us.

This little restaurant is a real find. We just happened to drive by and say, "What's that funky little restaurant?" We stopped by, looked at the menu, and were hooked. Green Springs Cafe is located in a former house, and the decor is funky, bold, and Florida-style. The food is just about the same! Dinners are a bit pricey, and most entrees will run you around $20+, but lunch is a real bargain , with fantastic mahimahi sandwiches with a side salad for only $8. Desserts are to die for: berry and chocolate cobbler. The service was excellent. This is a real off-the-beaten path find--by about 8pm on Friday, the place was totally packed with locals enjoying the live music.

Honeymoon Island is one of the jewels of Florida's state parks system. You take the Dunedin Causeway over to the island, most of which is the state park. The entrance fee is $5 per car - well worth it.

The beaches are delightful, with plenty of parking, although the middle of the beach is often crowded. Be smart and head off toward the north end, where you can walk a ways and practically have a whole stretch of beach to yourself. The small concession area has a fantastic "breakfast on the beach" on Saturday mornings, with reasonably priced, great food, and you can't beat the view!

Honeymoon Island also has great trails--just follow the main road north and you'll run into them. You probably want to visit the trails during fall, winter, or spring, because during the summer, the trails can be oppressively hot. You'll see lots of wildlife: last time I took the trail, I saw a very large snake.

Probably my favorite part of Honeymoon Island is the FANTASTIC dog beach. The south end of the island is reserved for dogs, and contrary to what you might think, it's not an ugly, trashy part of the beach. In fact, I think it's the prettiest part of the island, with lots of white sand and great views. I believe they reserved this part for the dogs because it is closest to the boating channel: since dogs have to be on leashes, it's not as though they will swim out the 100 yards or so into the channel. Lots of non-dog owners frequent this beach to watch the dogs frolicking in the water. They've even got a doggy shower station so you can rinse off your pup when you're done.

Caladesi Island State Park is not a place tourists visit often--but they should. It's accessible only by boat, which cuts down on crowds considerably. You can take a boat from Honeymoon Island State Park; it's $8 per adult (round trip) or $4.50 for children. Caladesi Island is one of the only remaining completely natural beaches in Florida, and the beauty is sublime. You can hang out on the beach, you can enjoy 3 miles of hiking trails, and you can even enjoy a snack at the concession area. Caladesi is quiet, peaceful, natural, beautiful, and refreshing.

The boat ride is a lot of fun also. It's only about 10 minutes, but kids love it (and adults do, too). We saw dolphins on both the trip over and the trip back. Our favorite park was hiking the nature trails--we only saw one other couple out there. But hanging out on the beach was a close second! My only advice--don't wait for the last boat to take you back home, because it will be PACKED and you may have to wait a while. Try to get the one that leaves 30 minutes before the last boat.

This 200+-acre county park is a hidden gem in Pinellas County. It's situated right on Lake Tarpon, with lots of boardwalk hiking trails, picnic tables over the water, swinging benches, and more. If you want to see "real Florida," go to this park.

When you first pull in, you can either go straight or to the left. You'll want to go both ways eventually, to explore all the park has to offer. (No entrance fee, by the way, and plenty of parking.) Drive past the boat ramp and park by the restrooms. You'll see plenty of picnic tables with grills for use. From here, take the Peggy Park trail, an easy mile-long trail on boardwalk and ground, next to gorgeous Lake Tarpon and then Brooker Creek. I took a friend of mine who has lived in Florida for many years, and she said, "Wow, this is the most Florida-looking trail I've ever seen!" That's because the saw grass palms are everywhere, with the water reflecting all the greenery.

Once you're done with this trail, walk over toward the boat ramp, to enjoy the boardwalk over the lake. You can climb the observation tower for a great view of Lake Tarpon. You'll find little picnic shelters right out over the water - fantastic.

Once you're done here, you can drive over to the other end of the park, where you are almost guaranteed to find alligators for viewing. After you drive over the small bridge, park on the left, and you'll see a large canal with footbridges over it. This is where you will most likely see a gator. You should be cautious and don't stand on the water's edge, but you can go over the footbridges with no problem. This is where we take friends who want to see a gator - we've never been disappointed.

On the right side of the road, there's a larger lake with swinging benches to relax in, and lots of wildlife (including gators) in the lake. Sit and swing a while - you'll spot turtles, gators, egrets, and herons of all types.