Looking for Short Term Housing in St. Pete (Tampa, Clearwater: extended stay, rent)

[smarino]

We're moving to St. Pete soon, and I can't seem to find much for the short term housing we'll need while we look for permanent digs. Cragslist had almost nothing (it seems to work differently in St. Pete than in other areas I've lived in), the Extended Stay Hotel seems to actually be in Clearwater and has horrible reviews, and about all that's left is airbnb and a string of low rent motels on 34th St. N. My one and only experience w/ airbnb was a week or two ago when I went to St. Pete to ck the place out, and after that experience I would rather not go through that site again for anything.

We're not keen on being out by the airport or in Tampa, and Clearwater would definitely be too far out. Are the motels on 34th OK for weekly stays? They look a bit rundown from what I see on google map. Any tips from locals would be appreciated. $300-350 a week would be the top end of our budget.

[roadtrip75]

Extended-stay hotels tend to have a bad element staying at them. I don't know anything about the specific hotels in St Pete.

[smarino]

OK, I am going to try airbnb again. Got a good reservation w/ what looks like an excellent, professional host (unlike the last disaster). and we're good to go. He was booked on some of the days we wanted to stay w/ him and his wife, but if we haven't settled in to our new digs by then it's Murphy's Motel for a bit. At least the reviews on it are excellent.

This airbnb thing is pretty neat IF someone is willing to read the reviews carefully and contact the hosts and get a little conversation going before confirming reservations, just to get a feel for the people. What I like about our reservation is it's a private keyed entry w/ a bath, fridge and microwave. Just like having a little studio apt, and only $650 for nearly 3 weeks including cleaning fee, taxes, etc. We wanted a month, but some other people grabbed a few of his dates while we were dithering around.