St. Petersburg • Clearwater 2009 - (Page 82) If you’ve 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 Don CeSar Beach Resort, A Loews Hotel (St. Pete Beach). 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. The 1897 Belleview Biltmore is an authentic piece of Victoriana situated on Clearwater Bay. It will undergo extensive renovations over the next two years. ~ LS » Inns & B&Bs Want to bunk near the beach? Sea Breeze Manor in Gulfport offers upscale accommodations directly across from the water. This 1920s home has been converted into an all-suite, antiques-festooned hostelry. Each suite offers a separate sitting area and balcony. 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, Mansion 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 touches, including whirlpool tubs. The Mansion House offers similar period amenities, along with its own pool – a rarity for B&Bs in this city. 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. All hostelries are within walking distance of downtown St. Petersburg’s museums, shops and restaurants. ~ Laura Spinale Sea Breeze Manor in Gulfport. Don CeSar Beach Resort, A Loews Hotel. 82 : ww w.Vi s i t St Pe t e C le a rwa te r. c o m /a c c o m m o d ations http://www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com/accommodations
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