Tampa-area Honeymoon (Clearwater, St. Pete Beach, Indian Shores: rentals, condos, hotels)

[nafizzix]

Hi all, I want to acquire some assistance in planning my honeymoon in the Tampa area. I will be flying into the Tampa airport after the wedding on 5/30/2011. Things the fiancée + I are looking for:

* Budget around $1000 - $1800
* 7 - 12 days
* Quiet/a little private but not far from fun things to do
* Hopefully close to a beach!!! (but not an insanely popular one)
* How will we travel from the airport
* Decent accommodations (crazy ideas are also welcome like huts on the beach - NEVER been to Tampa so I have no idea about anything and need your help!!!)
* I imagine a great view from the room, maybe the bay or the city, or wetlands
* Doesn't have to be a honeymoon specific suite, also weekly rentals could work and save us money

Hopefully there's a great fun time somewhere in this price range
I will be 22, she's 23, we don't drink often, not looking for a party, the more romantic and serene the better!!! But also relaxed and fun.

[craigm1841]

I have got to be honest... I dont know what there would be to do in tampa on a honeymoon. I guess it depends on where you are coming from, as beauty is subjective. Tampa is still about 40 minutes from good beaches.

Dont get me wrong, I love tampa, it just doesnt strike me as somewhere I would honeymoon. I really think you could stretch that $1800 elsewhere and have a much better time. Cruises are very budget friendly, and on a long cruise you could go to some nice places. Have you thought about flying into Tampa and taking a cruise from here?

There are some very nice beaches south of Tampa on the gulf. I hope someone here can provide the information you are looking for. Good Luck!

[Francofyle]

The Don CeSar Beach Resort in nearby St. Pete Beach is definitely worthy of a Honeymoon. (Check TripAdvisor dot com). Very romantic resort on one of the best beaches in the area. You can do as much or as little partying as you like nearby too. See if Don Cesar offers a shuttle or take a cab there (around 25 miles). Once there, easy walk or a short trolley ride to restaurants, shops and everything you might need on a Honeymoon. Congratulations!

[Keeper]

The Don Cesar while a wonderful place is expensive and probably more than you want to pay at $175 a night without tax. You can do better at some place a little less fancy. There are places on Pass-a-grille where the beach is less crowded.
http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacat...h-Florida.html

You will need to rent a car if you want to do anything other than go to the beach such as go to Busch Gardens, Tarpon Spring or Ybor City.

You want to find a shuttle as a cab would cost $50 or more to get to the beach.

[crazynip]

The Days Inn near Tampa Stadium, spend the $1300 at mons venus

[craigm1841]

Originally Posted by crazynip

The Days Inn near Tampa Stadium, spend the $1300 at mons venus

I literally laughed out loud. Reps to you. Thank you.

[lavender]

congratulations to you both.
I recommend a beach condo. If you are not planning on renting a car, you are going to find it a bit tough to get to the beaches and then get around, shopping for groceries/going out etc. vrbo.com is the place to look.
However, if you can do the car too, then you can't beat Indian Rocks/Indian Shores for lots of smaller condos with very close or direct beach access, some are more romantic than others. I believe there is also a B&B at Indian Rocks but I don't know the name. If From about 190th street on Indian Shores to about 15th St on Indian Rocks, there are lots of smaller shops/coffee shops/restaurants of many types and family friendly bars within pretty easy walking. Plus there is the trolley bus that serves all the beaches from St Pete to Clearwater I believe now $2 a ride long as you like from one end to other. First two weeks of June I'm sure you can find something.

[rezfreak]

You might look into something near Indian Rocks area in Clearwater - we went to the beach there and it was a nice area, lots of hotels nearby.

Although not quite the same, i might recommend hawaii (west maui in specific). We rented a condo there for 120 a night and had a full kitchen, so we just made our own food most of the time

[nafizzix]

Thanks so much to all so far, yes I wasn't thinking exactly in Tampa, but somewhere somewhat accessible from the Tampa area. The beach condo is an excellent idea, and I had someone contact me that has one, and it's exactly what I'm looking for! @crazy sorry don't get the in-joke :P

I will juggle the vacation rentals. So there are shuttles? Is it pretty easy to get to St. Pete from Tampa? If we don't rent a car, are there things like bike rentals near the beach, where we could go exploring a bit? Are there any must-see places?

[tewas]

nafizzix, mons venus is a strip club close to the airport/stadium in the middle of the Tampa next to other 2 or 3 strip clubs that are in the same block.