This was the view from the balcony of my hotel room at the Tradewinds on St Pete Beach this morning. The sound of the surf, the mild sea breeze, the bright sunshine - that's a nice weekend welcome.
Taking a couple of days off from work (well, mostly off) I'm enjoying a Staycation with my husband. We took a long 10 minute drive from our waterfront home to St Pete Beach so we saved time, hassle and gas. There are restaurants onsite and within walking distance, though we've chosen to go back to favorites that are a 5 minute drive away.
Last year at the annual Broadwater neighborhood picnic at Ft DeSoto Park (the nation's #1 beach a few years back) we won a 3 day 2 night stay at the Tradewinds Resort on St Pete Beach. We kept waiting for the right weekend, the right weather, etc and since it expires the end of this month, this was it, rain or not.
St Pete Beach is a popular resort with Americans and international tourists, has hotels, condos and single family homes, with lots of restaurants and shops. It's famous for its soft, white sand beaches. I think for lunch we'll wander down to Pass-a-Grille, a town at the south end of St Pete Beach that is very Old Florida in character, just a couple of blocks from gulf to bay.
St Pete Beach is close enough to home that it's a pleasant place to come and walk along the beach at sunset. That's a great way to combine exercise and relaxation - as well as taking time to Smell the Sea.
Sharon I am definitely jealous that you get to visit the beach whenever you want. I am heading down to Florida next month and I am very excited about it. I will be a beach bum:)
Bill - we'd love to see you here in St Pete if you can include that in your Florida trip next month.
Hey Sharon,
I love the beachbut don't get much time there..I was actually there when we stayed in our area for the night....we might be able to get down there on the weekends during the holidays. Maybe we'll get to visit your area one day.
Isn't it great that you don't have to go far to be at the ocean when you live in Florida, Sharon? We have vacation right in our backyards! Hope you have a very restful staycation. Beautiful photo.
Morning Sharon,
Beautiful, relaxing picture. Glad you and your husband finally took that long awaited weekend. The rains help keep it toned down so you can rest, relax and enjoy the time off.
Neal - make more time! Hope to see you here one day.
Sharon - yes, it's great not to have to travel far.
Hal - the sun is shining brightly this morning.