Tampa/St. Pete hotel question

[KP]

So I am heading down to the lovely Trop in a couple of weeks. Trying to figure out whether I should stay in Tampa or St. Pete. I will have a car with me. Any suggestions appreciated.

Restaurant recommendations always accepted.

Thanks.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

St. Pete. Not even a question. Tampa's too far away if you ask the fans who can't be bothered to drive over for the games.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

And you'll be closer to the beaches. If you can afford to stay on St. Pete Beach, do it. It's very easy to get to the Trop from there. And there are some smaller family owned hotels that might be on the cheaper side.

 

[Andy _ Kent]

I was quite pleased with the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort just off the Skyway Bridge. It's about a 5-minute drive from the Trop and historic downtown St. Pete with a nice private beach on the bay.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

That's a good spot, A_K. Right near the Bayway out to the beaches too. As for restaurants, I'll have to think on it.

 

[KP]

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

If you want a great burger, go to El Cap (a great place for baseball lovers) or The Chattaway (within a couple miles of the Trop).

 

[pallister]

I love the Trop. Definitely stay in St. Pete. You'll be close to the stadium, and getting around the town is easy. Tampa's not only farther away, but it's dirtier and more crowded.

 

[GB-Hack]

Can't help with hotel suggestions, but I'd definitely stay in St. Pete if the Trop is one of your primary destinations.

The drive over the bridge from Tampa is a long one, and the traffic bottles up pretty bad if there's a big crowd showing up.

 

[bostonbred]

If you want a great burger, go to El Cap (a great place for baseball lovers) or The Chattaway (within a couple miles of the Trop).

El Cap is greatness.

Like it's been said, stay in St. Pete. It's nicer, much less crowded, and and you can find some bargain prices for hotels.

 

[Andy _ Kent]

That's a good spot, A_K. Right near the Bayway out to the beaches too. As for restaurants, I'll have to think on it.

Thanks Dirty. I stayed there last year for the Sports Journalism Summit at Poynter and got a real good rate.

As for places to eat, there's still a few good spots at Bayfront I think and also around The Pier.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

El Cap has corn dog nuggets too!

 

[playthrough]

Big fan of the wings at Ferg's, across the parking lots from the ballpark.

Try the beach resorts around St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island...snowbirds should be close to all gone by now.

 

[KP]

Treasure Bay Hotel and Marina anyone know anything about it?

 

[hondo]

Stay on Dale Mabry. Near Mons Venus and 2001.

 

[Andy _ Kent]

Treasure Bay Hotel and Marina anyone know anything about it?

Don't know much about it other than I think it's a little bit further away from downtown than the one I mentioned but I don't think it's much further. I just went to their site and it looks very nice and actually it's pulling up lower rates than the Sunspree by anywhere from $30-50 a night so you might have hit on something.

Well, I just played around on Google and MapQuest and they're showing it to be a 6.1-mile drive to the Trop from Sunspree and an 8.0-mile drive from Treasure Bay, so it's close enough in distance to definitely go with the lower rate IMO.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

Never heard of it, but looks like a good location. Overlooking the bay, and if it's on Gulf Blvd., it's right across the street from the beach. It's pretty easy to get to the Trop from Treasure Island, and it's a much more tourist-friendly area than where the Sunspree is. You'll also be minutes from John's Pass Village, which is a good little shopping area with some decent seafood restaurants and a couple of bars.

 

[T&C]

You are looking at 25-30 minutes from Treasure Island to the Trop but anywhere on Gulf Blvd from Madiera Beach south should work. Lots of places to eat, but you might want to try the Green Iguana, which is on the road from the Madiera Beach bridge to downtown St. Pete. It was recommended to me when I was in St. Pete during spring training; good food at a decent price plus live music. Ferg's next to the Trop is a fun spot before games; at least it was before the World Series. If you are a reader, check out Haslam's New and Used Books, a great store on Central Ave. not far from the ballpark.

 

[Boom_70]

Stay in St Pete - Hilton Bay Harbor is a great hotel - you should get in now at $120 a night - 5 minutes from Park .

St Pete is a great little city.

 

[KP]

Re: Tampa/St. Pete hotel question- UPDATE

So I ended up at the Crystal Palms on Gulf Blvd in Treasure Island. will report back on how that goes.