Beach Getaways 2008 - (Page 7) beach Central News: Caladesi Named to Top Beaches List Renovations Top Southern Florida Happenings getaways New in the Florida Keys It pays to visit the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in 2008: The hotel celebrates a major remodeling of its accommodations with value rates, which include reserved beach chairs (the hotel is directly on the beach), valet parking, spa entry and as much tennis as you want. Rooms have private balconies and flat-screen televisions, so there’s plenty to look at. Caladesi Island. For the second year in a row, Dunedin’s Caladesi Island was named second-best beach in the country by the renowned Dr. Beach. For kayaking, birdwatching and just general marveling, Caladesi’s pristine shores are tops. Also in the area, Treasure Island’s Bungalows – An Island Retreat asserts its vintage appeal among a crop of condos. The 1950s-era bungalow rentals are adorably kitschy and 100 yards from the beach. If you’re coming to St. Petersburg to visit the “Dalíwood: Dalí & Film” (to June 1) exhibition at the Salvador Dalí Museum, stay at Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center, which just received its Green Lodging designation. Set up in a cabana on the beach or hit the resort’s hot spot, Harry’s, for the bar’s festive Sand Dance beach party. Dig up your vacation photos or take some new ones: Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach is seeking entries for its Show Us Your Ron Jon T-shirt Contest in July. Past submissions have included babies in onesies, vacationers around the world and stickers on tanks in Iraq. Catch the Children’s Art Festival at the Vero Beach Museum of Art on April 26. The museum’s activities and performances will take the kids outside, too, where views of the Indian River make another compelling exhibit. Caladesi Island, 727-469-5918, www.floridastateparks.org/caladesiisland; Ron Jon Surf Shop, www.ronjons.com; Sirata Beach Resort, 727-363-5100, www.sirata.com; Treasure Island Vacation Rental (Bungalows), 727-367-6227, www.bungalowsflorida.com; Vero Beach Museum of Art, 772-231-0707, www.vbmuseum.org. Sarasota’s Longboat Key Club & Resort has also undergone extensive renovations and re-earned its AAA Four Diamond Award. Here you can dock your boat in the new deep-water marina and send the kids to tennis lessons at the Johan Kriek/John Eagleton Tennis Academy, which opened at the resort last year. On Sanibel Island, quiet and isolated Bowman’s Beach Park blooms with thousands of new plants that have replenished Sanibel’s native marshes and mangrove environments. The 2008 Palm Beach International Film Festival in April gives those bythe-beach-in-Santa Monica movie fests a run for their money: Premieres, galas, workshops and more let regular folks rub elbows with the stars. Bowman’s Beach Park, 239-338-3500; Longboat Key Club & Resort, 941-383-8821, www.longboatkeyclub.com; Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 239-261-2222, www.naplesbeachhotel.com; Palm Beach International Film Festival, 561-362-0003, www.pbifilmfest.org. Room with a view at the Longboat Key Club & Resort. Hemingway Days Festival 2007. Courtesy of Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau. Hemingway Days Festival 2008 kicks off July 17 in Key West, so book your room at the Beachside Resort & Conference Center. Opened late last year, Beachside is a Key West resort that has its own beach, caters to families and maintains an elegant vibe. While there, make your way to Tavern N Town, the resort’s Norman Van Akendesigned restaurant, which includes a demonstration kitchen. Casa Marina Resort in Key West gets a Henry Flagler-esque 1920s makeover, complete with grand lobby, new walkway to the beach and six glamorous poolside cabanas, among other updates. The Rain Barrel, an art colony in Islamorada, boasts a new Garden Café. Shop this “artisan village” for local and national art before enjoying Mexican food and smoothies. Beachside Resort & Conference Center, 305-296-8100, www.beachsidekeywest.com; Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, 866-397-6342, www.casamarinaresort.com; Hemingway Days, www.fla-keys.com/hemingwaymedia; The Rain Barrel, 305-852-3084. Beach Getaways 7 http://www.longboatkeyclub.com http://www.naplesbeachhotel.com http://www.pbilfimfest.org http://www.floridastateparks.org/caladesiisland http://www.ronjons.com http://www.beachsidekeywest.com http://www.sirata.com http://www.casamarinaresort.com http://www.bungalowsflorida.com http://www.fla-keys.com/hemingwaymedia http://www.vbmuseum.org
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