St. Pete Beach and the Loews Don Cesar

After an amazing trip to Orlando and visiting all the attractions, it was time to relax so I went on a two hour road trip down to St Pete Beach.

Coming into St Petersburg over the bridge, the first sight to be seen is the big pink palace; the Loews Don Cesar. This hotel offers a perfect getaway from the rush of Orlando and allows guests to feel like royalty. This five star treasure offers superb service with valet parking and bellmen to help you out, to allow you to relax straight away.

On arrival our car was taken to be parked, our bags dropped at reception and friendly staff waiting with smiles to check us in. During the check in process I couldn’t help but gaze around at this stunning hotel, with grand chandeliers and beautiful art décor.

After the check in process, it was time to jump in the elevator and explore the room. As I walked in, I could tell this hotel had a lot of history behind it. The rooms are compact in size but have everything you need for a comfortable stay. There is access to a minibar, offering snacks and drinks to help settle in (payable locally), the bathrooms were very clean and tidy with a bath tub too, helping to unwind after a day out in St Pete. And as for the beds they were unbelievably comfortable, I literally just sunk into the mattress and had a great night’s sleep.

Before eating out, I most definitely recommend trying the restaurants at the Loews Don Cesar, they were very accommodating and served fantastic food with lots of different flavours. And for all seafood lovers, you have to try the Maritana Grille, as it’s rated amongst the top ten seafood restaurants in the US.

Heading out of the hotel into St Pete, the first thing that caught my attention was the gorgeous beach. The beach goes on for miles and only has soft white sand and beautiful blue water. As the night draws to a close be sure to stay to watch the iconic sunset which everyone stands and watches every night making beautiful backdrops into the sea. For more adventurous people head into downtown St Pete and experience the culture with bars, restaurants and museums. Walk around the Morean Art Centre and browse at all the glasswork created by Dale Chihuly before watching two experts create some glasswork in front of you at the Morean Glass Hotshop.

St Pete still offers fantastic amenities for children including kids clubs at the Loews Don Cesar, or for the adrenaline junkies like myself, Busch Gardens is definitely worth visiting. This theme park is suitable for all ages and has plenty of rollercoasters to keep you entertained. Walk around the park seeing different animals on the way to the next ride and experience first-hand a cheetah sprint past your eyes in Cheetah Run. Jump on the open-air touring vehicle and trek across the Serengeti Safari, or hop onto the sky ride and view the park from a great height.

This is just a brief overview of the attractions available in St Pete, to experience all this fantastic area has to offer you’ll have to go and do it yourself - you'll soon understand the excitement I have about this destination.