St. Petersburg • Clearwater 2008 - (Page 72) If you got it, flaunt it. That’s the motto of the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater area’s historic B&Bs and resorts. What the area’s got in abundance is natural beauty. No surprise, therefore, that most B&Bs and grand hotels can be found along the region’s beaches, with a few in downtown St. Petersburg catering to the citified. Inn at the Bay, St. Petersburg. : GRANDE DAMES THE HISTORIC HOTELS Dickens House, St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area’s three most distinctive resorts are the Belleview Biltmore Resort and Spa (Belleair), the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club (St. Petersburg) and the Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort (St. Pete Beach). The 1897 Belleview Biltmore is an authentic piece of Victoriana situated on Clearwater Bay. The Renaissance Vinoy Resort, in the heart of St. Petersburg, serves up elegant Mediterranean Revival architecture. On St. Pete Beach sits the region’s signature pink palace, the Don CeSar Beach Resort. Built in 1928, its ornate architecture helps lure guests from across the globe. ~ LS » Inns & B&Bs Want to bunk near the beach? Clearwater’s sole B&B is Green Gables. Situated near Clearwater Bay, it serves up four rooms, each with its own décor. Check out the garden – something’s always blooming. Sea Breeze Manor in Gulfport offers more luxurious accommodations directly across from the beach. This 1920s home has been converted into an all-suite, antiquesfestooned hostelry. Each suite offers separate sitting areas and balconies. While of modern construction, the Laughing Lizard in Indian Rocks Beach harkens to Florida’s past with a tin roof and Key West-style architecture. Room décor ranges from crisp black-and-white to sea themes. If you seek a city stay, St. Petersburg serves up a number of B&Bs willing to accommodate. Perhaps the most significant are the Dickens House and Inn at the Bay. Dickens House is an Arts & Crafts-style building constructed in the early 20th Century (and since lovingly restored). Its five guest rooms offer period furniture, coupled with modern amenities including whirlpool tubs. At the circa 1910 Inn at the Bay, guests luxuriate in rooms decorated with antiques. Stay in the Lighthouse Suite and have the entire third floor to yourself. Both hostelries sit within walking distance of downtown St. Petersburg’s museums, shops and restaurants. ~ Laura Spinale Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort. Sea Breeze Manor in Gulfport. 72 : S t. Pe t e r s b u r g / Cle a rwa te r Visito rs G u id e
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