We are going to a wedding in Tampa in April, and would like to extend our stay for a few days and make it into a mini vacation. Any recs for good places to stay with two kids (3.5 and 6 months) in that area? Something beachfront would of course be ideal, and rooms that come with kitchenettes or condos that we can rent. TIA 
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my dad lives in st. Pete and so I don't have much experience with hotels but my recommendation is to find a hotel near downtown st. Pete. There are multiple hotels in that area, but it's an amazing area. There is a beach, a walk/bike path that follows the ocean, a art museum, giant park with kids area. There is even a pool with water slides. It's super walkable and they have farmers market. Depending on when you are going on the firs Friday every month they close some of the streets and have like an outdoor concert. Tampa has a downtown area but it's not as nice. Anywhere else if you look will mostly just have beaches.
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@hilsy85: Sandpiper!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34606-d309575-r136311820-Guy_Harvey_Outpost_a_TradeWinds_Beach_Resort-St_Pete_Beach_Florida.html
This was DH's yearly vacation spot with his family. He has many fond memories there. They have since updated, of course.
But we hope to take our kids there one day soon.
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TradeWinds is a nice resort right on St. Pete Beach. Very family-friendly. I can't remember if they have kitchenettes, though. If you're trying to stay in Tampa, you're not going to find anything beachfront, unfortunately. But St. Pete Beach isn't that far away. Downtown St. Pete is also great and while it's waterfront, there aren't any beaches.
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@sunshineandsushi: jinx! Have you been recently?
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@regberadaisy: Haha! I stayed at that resort a few years ago for a conference. But I live in Tampa.
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@Eko: thanks! So you can be in downtown and be beachfront? I think I'd rather have the beach and a short drive into town, if we couldn't have both, since we are renting a car. @regberadaisy: have you been there? my concern with places like that is that they are too kid-focused and not vacation-y feeling for the adults, i.e the pools are like filled with screaming kids, the restaurants feature chicken nuggets and pizza as the main choices, etc. But it looks like it gets good reviews so I will def check it out!
@sunshineandsushi: is that the same one posted above? or the sister resort? -
@hilsy85: haha I've never been. Maybe read through the tripadvisor reviews?
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@regberadaisy: yes definitely need to do that
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@hilsy85: Yep, same place! It's not uber KIDS, from what I recall it's a good mix of families and adults. I attended a conference there and it wasn't kid-mania. There are bars at the pool and nice restaurant options nearby too, up and down the main road there. If you want a true beach vacation feel, I would not stay in downtown St. Pete. Totally different vibe than St. Pete Beach. But there is also great restaurants and things to see in downtown St. Pete as well. It's just a matter of what you want.
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@hilsy85: YUP!!!! I absolutely love their downtown area. They do have a beach there. They even have beach volleyball courts set up. And it doesn't generally get too crowded as most people go to the more popular beach destinations like st. pete beach. There are a ton of restaurants, it's a very family friendly town. The hotels don't necessarily SIT on the beach, but you can be within a 5 minute walk. I've heard a lot of good things about the renaissance vinoy hotel downtown. I go there about twice a year.
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@sunshineandsushi: I would say beach relaxation is more of a priority than lots of things to do and see (altohugh a resort with stuff to do i.e. snorkling, scuba, etc is great too). So would you recommend st pete's beach area in that case?
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@hilsy85: yes, I would recommend St. Pete Beach then. Clearwater Beach is also in the same general area, however I much prefer St. Pete Beach over Clearwater Beach. While Clearwater Beach's beaches are super nice, it's SO crowded all the time with tourists and just really jam-packed. Granted, it'll be April, so all beaches will be busier.
But still. Another option if you're interested in staying a bit farther away is Anna Maria Island. That's more of the sleepy beach island town than St. Pete Beach and really fantastic beaches - white sand, etc. I don't have any specific hotel recommendations for that area, but I do love the beaches there. It's definitely a more laid back vibe. However, it's about an hour drive from Anna Maria Island to Tampa, so that's something to consider also.
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@hilsy85: I would agree with @sunshineandsushi. The st. pete beach area is definitely more of your typical beach vibe. They do have lots of beach themed restaurants in that area. I am not sure of if they have resorts that provide snorkeling and scuba though. The downtown area is more of a well-rounded area with a lot of diverse things to do.
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@sunshineandsushi: @Eko: thanks ladies! Will look for some options in st pete's beach area and in the downtown.
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I'm actually posting this from a rental house off St. Pete Beach! We're here on vacation with DH's parents. I think they found the house through AirBNB (it was that or one of the similar sites). The house backs up to the inter coastal and is walking distance to the beach/gulf. There is also a volunteer group of locals who will pick you up with a golf cart and take you to and from the beach!
There are a bunch of aquariums and zoos in the area too if you're going to have a car plus we did a day at Bucsh Gardens and we're going to Universal tomorrow.
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@Mrs.KMM: oh nice! how are the beaches? do you guys like it?
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@hilsy85: All the beaches there will be gorgeous. Most are fairly wide with white sand. My parents have a 2nd home in St. Pete and we've been going there since I was 15. There's a lot of beachside condos in the area that do rentals, but most require a week stay. But if you dig you can probably find something.
For casual outdoor eating, we love this place - http://www.floridabeachbar.com/bars/ParadiseGrille.asp
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@hilsy85: We stayed at Tradewinds this summer,and it was not our scene. We're actually close with the president/partial stock owner of the resort, and practically everyone we know has stayed there at least once, but we're not really big beach resort people, so we hadn't been until this past August. It was huge and packed and generally kid-centered. We really have no desire to go back. I think older kids and preteens would think it was fantastic because there's lots of room to escape your parents and lots of activities, but there was way too much going on for us. We are 100% VRBO/Homeaway rental kind of people.
I agree that St. Pete is much nicer/cleaner than Clearwater! And Anna Maria is fantastic. We stayed there twice last summer. It is a bit of a haul to some areas of Tampa, though. If you decide to drive to the beaches and stay further in Tampa, Fort De Soto is probably the beach we visited most growing up. It's a great area.
Clearwater Aquarium is great, Lowry Zoo is our favorite FL zoo, and MOSI museum is also a favorite.
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@BananaPancakes: thanks!! that sounds like a lot of my fears about those kinds of resorts...thanks for the recs
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@hilsy85: my personal favorite is the Sheraton Sand Key in Clearwater. Beautiful resort with a kids pool as well. And they have their own private beach so it's away from the crowds. Sand Key is a quiter section of Clearwater that's just right over the bridge from all the touristy stuff.
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@hilsy85: We haven't been doing much beach time (busy doing other stuff!) but we went over there for a little bit yesterday morning and they seemed really nice. Wide beach, soft sand, and very quiet (although I'm sure a lot of that is time-of-year dependent).
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@skipper2010: thank you!! that looks nice!
But we hope to take our kids there one day soon.
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