- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 24
- Reviews
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3
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Don Cesar
- September 5, 2008
- Rated 3 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I travel frequently and didn't have the most positive experience at the Don Cesar in St. Pete's Beach, FL.
The front desk staff weren't very friendly and I was put off by the fact that they would charge me 20$/day for Valet and then automatically tag on 22$/day for the "amenities" which included; parking, wireless, phone & television (coincidentally, the only amenity I used of those was parking, but they decided to charge me for it again!). Just put the 22$/day into the price of the room and let the market dictate.
The hotel is lovely though. The food in the Sea Porch Cafe was bland, but edible.I would not actively seek out the Don Cesar as a destination spot in the future.
4.5 out of 5 (90% approval rating)
- June 19, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Booked a vacation at the Sabal Palms Hotel (down the beach) and was horified by the conditions. Drawn by the massive pink hotel, we switched the next day after negotiiating a refund. Our son (2.5) loved the pools, grounds, nightly piano player and big beach, one of the nicest hotels we have ever seen. Rooms was a little bit small, but very well decorated and clean. Do not accept a room on "pet" floors (unless you plan on bringing one....) Yoga on the beach was very good but children's activities were limited (staff was very kid friendly). Given that we had no reservations and we were allowed to check in early our firsrt impressions were good, and that may have made a huge difference in how we felt about everything. Overall, it was really really nice. (i have to include that cocktails were all 8 bucks! ouch! but beers were reasonable and drinks were strong:). Poolside was the best service for drinks and food (was truely excelent) but hotel wasn't that busy during our stay. All the amenities made the $200 not seem so brutal. Was refered to by the locals as the nicest place in town and sightly envied. Central A/C was noisy. Linens were high quality.
4.5 out of 5 (90% approval rating)
- June 19, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Booked a vacation at the Sabal Palms Hotel (down the beach) and was horified by the conditions. Drawn by the massive pink hotel, we switched the next day after negotiiating a refund. Our son (2.5) loved the pools, grounds, nightly piano player and big beach, one of the nicest hotels we have ever seen. Rooms was a little bit small, but very well decorated and clean. Do not accept a room on "pet" floors (unless you plan on bringing one....) Yoga on the beach was very good but children's activities were limited (staff was very kid friendly). Given that we had no reservations and we were allowed to check in early our firsrt impressions were good, and that may have made a huge difference in how we felt about everything. Overall, it was really really nice. (i have to include that cocktails were all 8 bucks! ouch! but beers were reasonable and drinks were strong:). Poolside was the best service for drinks and food (was truely excelent) but hotel wasn't that busy during our stay.
Nice place, not worth the money
- May 31, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We went for a weekend getaway and clearly picked a bad time - or maybe it is like this all the time. The hotel was jammed with people, 3 weddings that weekend. Not a seat at the pool to be had, nor on the beach. Everyone seems to go down before daybreak and stack their stuff on the lounges. Never a seat available at the pool bar. If you were tall or obnoxious you might get service standing behind the seated people at the bar if you could stand the cigarette smoke while you were waiting. Undisciplined kids abound, I guess if the parents are on vacation they feel their kids get a vacation from having public manners and respect for others.
Lovely piano bar in the lobby, you would think it would be a peaceful way to end the day and have a leisurely drink. It would be if people didn't bring their kids in there, dirty sandy feet climbing all over the furniture, and talking and laughing loud. We ate there once for breakfast and once for a late lunch - both times we ate outside. Food was good, service was good. Enjoyed the "dive in", a Saturday night movie by the pool.
Overpriced No balconies for oceanview rooms
- May 31, 2008
- Rated 2 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Checked in late Sunday to find our $400 + a night oceanfront suite has no balconies. In fact there are only a handfull of only the most expensive suites that have balconies. On a resort that sits on one of the most beautiful beaches ever. No balcony, just a 3 foot square window that only opens a crack. They moved us to the beachhouse a half mile away that does have balconies with use of all hotel amenities. The beach house is an outdated old 4 story condo building with run of the mill condos. Your master bedroom has only a queen bed (no kings in the beach house) The hallways are outside with a railing overlooking the parking lot. I forgot to mention the master bedroom window has a view of the outdoor hallway like a cheap motel 6. So if you want any privacy, keep the shades drawn or everyone walking by has a view of your master bedroom. The only saving grace for our luxury beach vacation was the beach itself and the wonderful staff at the resort and the beach house. Don't pay $400 a night for a room with no balcony or a run of the mill condo. Stay somewhere else.