Beaches in Gulfport vs Dunedin (Clearwater, South Pasadena: where to stay, rentals, hotels)

[loftil]

Hi,
I am planning a trip to Florida in two weeks (last minute, I know!) and I am trying to decide between Gulfport and Dunedin. I am bringing three teenagers with me. I am wondering about the beaches in these two locations. I typically go to Grayton Beach area for beach trips and love the blue water of the beaches there. Do either Gulfport or Dunedin have beaches similar to this? I am trying to do some research and it looks like they have what I call "bay water" as opposed to the blue Gulf water. To get to a beach, you have to drive. Is this correct? Does one have more of a beach than the other? I have been to Clearwater before and was surprised at how shelly the sand was. I want to go with the right expectations this summer. Thank you!

[dothetwist]

I live in and love Gulfport....but its local beach that I walk on every day is on Boca Ciega Bay. It's small and a great walking venue to see birds and dolphins, but it's not what most beachgoers coming to Florida want or expect.

When we or our guests want a real beach experience we drive 15 minutes to Pass-A-Grille beach which is on the Gulf.

Before we bought our home in historic Gulfport we rented in the historic part of Dunedin; the nicest nearest beach was Honeymoon Island (as I recall it had an entry fee) and it also about a 15 minute drive from downtown Dunedin.

[spbbound]

Originally Posted by loftil

Hi,
I am planning a trip to Florida in two weeks (last minute, I know!) and I am trying to decide between Gulfport and Dunedin. I am bringing three teenagers with me. I am wondering about the beaches in these two locations. I typically go to Grayton Beach area for beach trips and love the blue water of the beaches there. Do either Gulfport or Dunedin have beaches similar to this? I am trying to do some research and it looks like they have what I call "bay water" as opposed to the blue Gulf water. To get to a beach, you have to drive. Is this correct? Does one have more of a beach than the other? I have been to Clearwater before and was surprised at how shelly the sand was. I want to go with the right expectations this summer. Thank you!

As previous poster mentioned, Gulfport beach isn't one most really want to hang out in the water at. Dunedin will give you more of a homey small town feel with the beach being a short drive, St Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grill will be a bit more touristy but I think have much better beach sand, and with the hotels, much better amenities on the actual beach, as there's a couple miles of great powder white sand that's 50 yards wide, with bars, restaurants, etc. just steps away if you need a break from the sun.

St Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille will cost you to park, so factor that in. The public lots are annoying in that you have to pay by the hour and you can't do more than a couple hours at a time I think. The private lots are typically $10/day or $20/day if it's a popular weekend, like this one.

You could avoid the need for the car and parking fees by staying on St Pete Beach or Pass-A-Grille; much better sand than Clearwater, less touristy.

[loftil]

Thank you both for your input. It sounds like either place will require us to go about the same distance to the type of beach I have grown up with. I may flip a coin to decide where to stay and take a day to visit the other location while I'm down there. One day I hope to move to Florida. I am currently taking vacations to various locations to see which place may be the one I eventually would like to move. From the research I have done, both cities sound like the type of town I would like to live in - small, near things to do, laid back feel to the town, and not overly touristy. I will have to visit both to see if the lack of "beach" is something I can live with or if I should keep looking. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to comment.

[loftil]

Looking for a place to stay in two weeks! I see a house that says South Pasadena. Is this considered Gulfport?

[Beach Sportsfan]

That's next to Gulfport. But is not like you are going to a different town. Reality is that all of these "towns" are really more like subdivisions. Yes they have their own local govt, police and some like Dunedin and Gulfport have their small downtown sections but you will move from one to another with only a sign between streets saying you entered that town. But Gulfport and Dunedin downtowns have a different feel to them and you will have to visit to see which you are more attracted to

[dothetwist]

Originally Posted by loftil

Looking for a place to stay in two weeks! I see a house that says South Pasadena. Is this considered Gulfport?

If you stay in South Pasadena you'll have to drive everywhere. If you stay in Gulfport you can walk everywhere, ie., to restaurants, shops, parks, marina, pier, farmer's market, ArtWalks, etc. South Pasadena is suburban as opposed to Gulfport which has a great small town feel.

Have you tried VRBO for rentals? Also try Airbnb.

[VanHalen5150]

I don't really consider the "beach" at gulfport to be a real beach. It's on a bay, not the gulf... so no waves really.

[jambo101]

Its a short drive from Gulfport/Pasadena to the gulf beaches. with the teenagers i'd recommend Johns Pass at the southern end of Madeira Beach, much shopping opportunity, great restaurants, lots of boating activity to watch and miles of beach.
Johnspass

[loftil]

I ended up finding a spot through VRBO in Dunedin. At two weeks out, it turned out my choices were pretty limited. That helped to make my decision easier. I am excited about the trip and getting to explore the area. I also hope to visit over in Gulfport for a day, though I don't think that will allow it to show everything it has to offer. Guess I'll just have to plan another trip in the future. :-)

Thanks for everyone's input. I have found the contributors on this board to be very helpful and I truly appreciate your time.