Travel :: St. Petersburg, Florida

The last two days of our trip to Florida were spent in St. Petersburg.  We stayed at the historic Vinoy Resort & Golf Club and absolutely loved it.  The hotel was built in the 1920's and overlooks the beautiful marina and town of St. Pete.  After nearly a week of bad weather we were thrilled to be greeted by endless sunshine, and spent much of our time lounging by the pool reading and drinking cocktails.  In the evenings we strolled through downtown St. Petersburg stopping in shops, eating ice cream, and taking in two very beautiful sunsets.  A few of my recommendations...

THE BIRCHWOOD: We absolutely loved this rooftop bar and wished we had more time to spend there.  They serve wonderful craft cocktails and small plates {the truffle frites were so so good}.  Go up at sunset and watch the sky turn vibrant orange and pink over the Maria and town of St. Pete. 

VINOY RESORT & GOLF CLUB: Out of all the hotels we looked at in St. Petersburg, the Vinoy was by far my favorite.  The location is top-notch and hotel itself is absolutely stunning.  The facade reminded me of The Royal Hawaiian hotel and the service was just as wonderful.  My only complaint was the room decor seemed a bit stale, but since we hardly spent any time in our room it was absolutely fine.  We booked our room on a website called Otel.com and were able to save $100 {YAY!}  If you're staying in St. Pete Beach, I would recommend the Don Cesar resort which has a similar ambiance.

400 BEACH SEAFOOD & TAP HOUSE: This restaurant has a great outdoor dining area with a casual seafood centric menu including Lobster Mac & Cheese, Florida Grouper Oscar, and fish tacos {Ryan said they were some of the best he has ever eaten}.  Plus, it was a five minute walk from the Vinoy which was that much better.

THE MARINA: Grab a scoop of ice cream and dangle your legs over the edge of the Marina and watch the sailboats go by.  So peaceful.