We spent four days of our spring break at the famous Don Cesar hotel in St. Pete Beach, Florida.  Our little foursome traveled with two other families for a grand total of fourteen people.  That may sound like chaos, but we planned ahead and everyone rolled with the punches.  I speak for everyone when I say we had a wonderful vacation and would visit again in a heartbeat. 

A little bit about the Don….

Dramatically perched atop wind-swept dunes with expansive water views in every direction, the fully renovated Don CeSar is the crown jewel of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Since 1928, this monument to glamour and leisure has welcomed sun-seekers, luxury travelers and some of America’s most famous – and notorious – figures.

I mean, how could you not love a place known as “The Pink Palace?”  In all seriousness, the Don Cesar is easy to get to with plenty of flights into Tampa and St. Pete.  The beaches are gorgeous.  The lobby bar feels like an old Hollywood hangout.  It’s pretty much perfection.  The only downside is that the rooms and bathrooms are on the small side.  My kids are rotten and could not get over how tiny our bathroom was.  But, hey, it’s old and that’s how things were done back then! 

Our days were pretty much all the same:  beach, beach, beach and then dinner out at a fun restaurant. 

Beach Days at The Don Cesar

I’ve always been a huge Gulf Coast fan and these pictures demonstrate why.  Have you ever seen such pretty water in the continental US?  It’s amazing how clear and turquoise the water is and how white and soft the sand is along the Gulf of Mexico. 

One of the biggest perks of the trip is the fact that kayak and SUP rentals are FREE before noon.  How wonderful is that???  Our kids took advantage every morning and were on the water as soon as they finished breakfast. 

Water Sports at The Don

Not free, but totally worth the money….jet skiing!  The dads and took the kids out one afternoon and they all loved it. 

My favorite part of almost every beach trip is exploring on a morning run.  The Don Cesar sits right on the edge of the most darling little beach town, Pass-A-Grille. 

Though officially part of St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille begins where Gulf Boulevard passes The Don CeSar. This is where you’ll kick back in the vibe of those groovy, Old Florida beaches.There’s plenty you won’t find here—high-rises, crowds, shopping malls. What you will find is four miles of undeveloped, public Gulf Coast beaches along Gulf Way wrapped around the end of the key to meet Boca Ciega Bay on the harbor side.

Pass-a-Grille

Our group celebrated THREE birthdays on our trip, so we went all out to make sure we had dinner and transportation reservations each evening.  Night one was spent at Society Table at the Don Cesar.  The food was delicious.  We ate breakfast at Society Table each morning as well.  Again, the food was great.  However, we experienced extremely long waits for our food.  Same for lunch when ordering through the beach servers.  Unfortunately, many resorts in Florida are in the same boat:  they are understaffed.  Our server explained that many employees were laid off last year at the height of the quarantine and a lot chose not to come back.  Just know when booking that you’ll need to allow PLENTY of time for meals and to order as soon as you’re ready.  We figured things out after the first day and got into a routine.  But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you a heads up.

I was warned that the Uber situation during spring break was not great in little Florida beach towns, so I booked us an open air van that could accommodate our large group to take us to dinners near the hotel.  Cindy at Free Beach Rides was a joy! 

One evening we ventured to the pier in downtown St. Petersburg for dinner and live music at Doc Ford’s.  Since the open air van doesn’t go that far, our friends splurged for a limo and surprised the kids.  Their reacations were priceless and it was so nice to all be in one car and not have to deal with booking three different Ubers or taxis.  The pier scene in St. Pete is excellent!  Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures once we got out of the limo.  Just know that it was worth the half hour drive from the hotel. 

All in all, the only hiccup our entire trip was the excessive wait times at the restaurants.  I’m certain we will be back to the Don and I hope that Covid issues are a thing of the past.  I’d love to experience her in all her glory!

One last thing:  my trusty packing cubes saved the day once again!  These are vital for keeping my family orgainzed on trips.  I’ll link below.

I have the lime for myself and it’s such a fun, happy color. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XDV9262/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08XDV9262&linkCode=as2&tag=emerybodie-20&linkId=3280584ead3eda69068fc3c4044f20af

And my handy dandy SPF and First Aid bags are here: https://emerybodie-llc.myshopify.com/products/organizational-bag-for-sunscreen

Have a great Tuesday!