Plaza Beach Hotel, St. Pete Beach, Florida: A Review
For our third and final stop on our
, we packed up the car and headed south to St. Pete Beach. Throughout our adventures, which took us from
all the way to Clearwater Beach, we'd passed through St. Pete Beach multiple times, but hadn't slowed down to take it in.
After stays in two of the area's quieter locales, we were excited to see what it would be like in the middle of the action at the
.
Location
Situated along Gulf Boulevard in the heart of St. Pete Beach, the Plaza Beach Hotel is in an enviable position--it's steps from the beach, yet it is within walking distance of multiple restaurants, ice cream shops, putt-putt golf places, and the nearest Publix.
If you plan on just enjoying the resort and beach, there's little need for you to get in the car during your stay since everything around it is so close.
The only time you’d need to jump back in the car is if you plan to explore elsewhere in the St. Pete/ Tampa area. I do recommend visiting at least a few of the best museums in St. Petersburg for families, especially if you have a rainy day on your vacation.
Room
We had one of their bottom floor rooms (109) that was on the non-parking lot side of the building.
It came with two queen beds, a large wardrobe area, and a kitchenette.
The room was plenty for the three of us, but if I'd come with older kids, I think I would've wanted to get adjoining rooms. There were only three chairs at the kitchen table, so having more options for eating would be great with larger families.
Everything (both in the room and out) was fun, funky, and colorful with a unique beachy kitsch that definitely set this place apart! Furthermore, the room was extremely clean, which cannot be an easy task for the housekeeping staff since the hotel is situated right on the beach.
The one thing that we didn't love about the room was that we didn't have an oven included. We worked around it using the microwave and oven, but it would've been nice to throw our chicken in an oven to cook. Still, I doubt that many people are coming to the beach to bake and cook that much, so the lack of oven shouldn't stop you from visiting.
Service
Since this was a much larger hotel than the other two on our road trip, I didn't have as many opportunities to interact with the staff. That being said, everyone that I encountered was friendly, prompt in their responses, and eager to assist.
When I first stopped by the hotel, our room wasn't ready, but the front desk clerk took my number and called me when it was prepared about an hour later. He helped me with directions to the nearest ice cream stand and Publix so we could stock up on necessary supplies while waiting for our room.
After I came back to the front office to get my room keys, the general manager, Robert, and the guest relations manager, Luanne, were there to welcome me. They both emphasized the fact that they, and the rest of the staff, was there to help if we needed anything.
Our housekeeper, Kat, was very sweet and gladly gave us extra towels after we used all of ours at the pool and beach.
Amenities
For a mid-sized hotel, Plaza Beach packs plenty into its grounds. The office has a computer cafe for all of those visitors who want to unplug as much as possible but still need access to a desktop for printing boarding passes and the like. There's also a coin-operated washer and dryer just outside the front office if you need to freshen up those vacation clothes.
We were given a wifi code at check-in, and I was able to work on my laptop and phone throughout the resort, even posting photos of the sunset from the beach! I know that wifi shouldn't be
that
important on a beach trip, but I'm always appreciative when I can access my email.
In terms of entertainment, you're spoiled for choice here: there's a nicely sized pool that goes to 6 feet (nearly unheard of these days), shuffleboard, cornhole boards, a life-sized chess board, ladder golf equipment, hammocks, a few holes of putt-putt golf, children's beach toys, and (of course) the beach.
If that's still not enough to keep you busy, there's a water sports hut out on the beach, where you can rent paddleboards and giant water tricycles, or arrange a parasailing tour.
Final Thoughts
This hotel, like the two we'd visited before, had such a unique vibe to it--one reason why I love
supporting locally owned accommodations
! The Plaza Beach Hotel had an old-school feel to it (in all the best ways) and reminded me of what it must have been like to stop at cute mom and pop places during the Golden Age of travel (back before chains and interstates!).
The Plaza Beach Hotel was quite a lively spot with patrons ranging from young families like ours to older couples from abroad to families with teenaged kids. It really was a great mix of people, and everyone was polite and friendly throughout our stay. While I was at the pool one day with Britton, I talked to a man and his teen son, who told me that they'd been to St. Pete Beach many times--and while they'd occasionally tried new places, they always came back to the Plaza Beach Hotel.
The hotel isn't your cookie cutter chain hotel--and thank goodness for that!--and that quirky charm and stellar location will certainly keep people coming back for years!
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Have you been to the St. Pete Beach area? Which part is your favorite? For a beach vacation, would you rather stay at a smaller, more relaxed place with fewer amenities, or a more upbeat, larger place with more amenities?