The Bilmar Beach Resort in Treasure Island is a scenic beach hotel close to downtown St. Petersburg, John's Pass Boardwalk and Casino Cruises. Featuring 550 feet of Gulf beach property, the hotel offers outdoor volleyball and water sports as well as a beachside fitness trail. Hotel amenities include a beach bar, lounge, gift shop, heated pools, sundeck and jetted tub. Nearby Fort De Soto Park offers picnic shelters, canoeing, a nature trail and fishing.

St Petersburg's pinkest shell is the Don CeSar, a stately Spanish-style resort mansion where fuschia bougainvilleas creep up trellises, Bose stereos play by poolside chaises and leisure-seekers fish for gulf trout on languid lines. The service at this luxury St. Petersburg resort is impressive, from nightly pizza parties and daily excursions planned for kids 4-12 (while parents are in the mosaic whirlpool) to a sea-inspired spa for salty scrub downs and spirulina masks. On the south end of St. Petersburg isle, choose from whitewashed rooms, penthouse suites and even small condos. The Don truly is a florid mini-world as close as you want to be from St. Petersburg and all of its artistic and botanical attractions.

Right on the coast of St. Pete Beach, the Sirata Beach Resort's scenic location comes at an affordable price. Rooms feature balconies with ocean views, beckoning guests to take a quick swim or a sandy stroll just outside the hotel's lobby doors. Three heated pools, beachside bars, a convenience store and a water sports kiosk complete the list of amenities, and guests can also enjoy the use of a nearby fitness center as well as a rotating calendar of live entertainment. The Sirata Beach Resort is close to Tropicana Field, Fort DeSoto and the Salvador Dali Museum.

The Thunderbird Beach Resort Hotel is nestled on the beautiful shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico — a tropical beach retreat with long stretches of pearly-white sand beaches & warm, sparkling blue waters. This family favorite resort is lushly landscaped in "Classic Courtyard Style", providing virtually every room a view of the Gulf and its unforgettable sunsets. The Thunderbird's oversized heated pool, hot tub, Tiki Beach Bar, Karim's Bistro and Tapas Martini Bar are all just steps from any of its 64 spacious Gulf-front rooms.

With two tropically-landscaped pools, gazebo whirlpools, night-lit tennis and basketball courts, beach volleyball at the Cabana Bar and even a barbecue deck--all a shell's throw from gorgeous Gulf waters - it's fair to say that the five-acre Alden understands the Florida sun. The all-suite, all-kitchenette hotel is a utopian paradise one might not want to leave, but with downtown St. Petersburg, Florida's art patron, only fifteen minutes away, you get the best of beach isolation and art museums.

Guests to the Barefoot Beach Resort South in Madeira Beach will find a day on the shore right at their doorstep with the hotel's direct beach access. The specialty shops and seafood restaurants of John's Pass Village and Boardwalk are a short walk away, and the museums, gardens and malls of downtown St. Petersburg are just eight miles from the hotel. Rooms feature kitchenettes, flat-screen televisions and balconies, and the hotel sundeck and pool offer a chance to relax and catch a few rays away from the crowds of the beach.

Smaller than mini-city St. Petersburg resorts, the Beachcomber, with just 102 rooms, still has its own stretch of private beach and a sunset-ready beachfront bar (extra chill with live music seven nights a week). Rooms are spacious and have verandas overlooking two blue pools, the grounds are dotted with palm trees, and St. Petersburg's Dali Museum, Tropicana Fields and the Bayfront Convention Center are all just five miles away.

Waterfront condos at the Boca Ciega Resort and Marina give vacations to St. Petersburg the feeling of home away from home. Rooms feature full kitchens as well as washers and dryers, so visitors on long trips can cook for themselves and keep their beach clothes free of sand and saltwater. An outdoor pool, a spa tub, a fitness center and barbeque grills are available on site, and daily beach shuttles take guests to and from the sandy shores. Nearby John's Pass Village and Boardwalk offers a variety of restaurants and merchants as well as bookings for boat rentals, parasailing, jet skiing, cruise lines and fishing expeditions.

The Grand Plaza Beachfront Resort caters to business travelers, offering amenities like conference and banquet facilities, a business center, meeting rooms and free wireless Internet. Whether away on business or leisure, guests can enjoy airy, brightly-lit rooms featuring private balconies and views of the Gulf of Mexico. The twelfth floor's revolving rooftop lounge and bistro offers a panoramic look at the Gulf and Boca Ciega Bay. The hotel's Bahama Mama's Beach Bar and Grill boasts nightly live music and a menu of over 200 tropical and frozen drinks.

With a kiddie pool and game room in the lobby, this Howard Johnson definitely serves up a family-style St. Petersburg experience. Directly on the beach, this bright white art deco mini-resort has the mandatory beach bar icy cocktails better to watch the kids swim with. Its guestrooms have blond-wood furniture and a peachy bird of paradise feel. From you HoJo home base, St Petersburg's museums, shopping malls and restaurants are all around 20 minutes away.

Relax and enjoy sandy white beaches with a Florida vacation at the luxurious Jacaranda Beach Villas. Part of the Tradewinds Beach Resort, the hotel's guest condos feature balconies with beachfront views and spacious suite-style layouts. Take a nap in the sun or splash around in one of the resort's five pools, or book an afternoon at the Body Works Salon and Spa where hot stone massages and red wine facials top the extensive menu of services. Work up an appetite at the tennis courts or on a paddleboat ride, and then indulge in a host of dining options. Four restaurants and a sports bar cater to an array of taste buds, offering everything from gourmet cuisine to chicken wings and nachos.

Nestled between Boca Ciega Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Madeira Bay Resort II offers condo-style accommodation for visitors to Madeira Beach. Rooms at this St. Petersburg-area beach hotel feature wireless Internet, full kitchens, separate living and sleeping areas, cable television and DVD players. Modeled in a Mediterranean style, the hotel overlooks a marina, offering gorgeous views of the ocean and direct boat access to the Gulf. An afternoon of shopping or dining out at John's Pass Village and Boardwalk is just a few blocks away.

Located in the heart of St. Petersburg's Commercial District, the Ponce de Leon hotel has been family-owned and operated since 1922. A boutique hotel modeled in a historic, European-inspired style, the Ponce de Leon offers Old World charm and elegance along with modern conveniences and amenities like air-conditioned rooms and wireless Internet. This St. Petersburg beach hotel is within walking distance from the Pier and Spa Beach as well as a host of museums, restaurants, shops, clubs and parks. With waterfront views, a lively piano bar, nightclub and tapas restaurant, the Ponce de Leon's downtown location adds a metropolitan flair to any beach vacation.

The Tradewinds St. Petersburg resorts form a tight-knit group. The Sandpiper, younger sister to the Tradewinds Resort megalith, caters to families at a more-removed perch on St. Petersburg isle, set back a bit from parasails and the drone of wave runners on a stretch of private beach. Stay in the Sand Piper's clean, spacious rooms, most with Gulf views, and you'll still have access to all of the water sports, spas, and action at the sisterly Tradewinds, just a short walk away.

Guests to the South Beach Condo Hotel can choose between one- and two-bedroom condos equipped with full kitchens, washers and dryers, balconies and patios. Under half a mile from the Treasure Island Fun Center, this beach hotel is a convenient choice for families on vacation, but all guests can enjoy the hotel's proximity to Tampa, downtown St. Petersburg and the bustling Gulf Pier. Amenities include a heated pool, fitness center, and a barbeque and picnic area. Relax on the beach or stay active with the hotel's list of guest activities like volleyball, shuffleboard, ping-pong and horseshoes.

The Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suites offers fully-furnished, suite-style rooms featuring full kitchens, washers and dryers, private beachfront balconies and separate living and sleeping areas. Nestled on the shore in Treasure Island, this St. Petersburg-area beach hotel is within walking distance to John's Pass Shopping Village and Boardwalk, and downtown St. Petersburg and the Gulf Pier are just short drives away. Guests can relax and feel at home with the hotel's many amenities, including an outdoor pool, whirlpool spa, tropical courtyard, beach bar, convenience store and fitness center.

The Travelodge bodes well for the traveling family on a budget. Where else can you get a reasonably priced "Sleepy Bear Den" where sandy water babies can crash out before another day of swimming, snorkeling, and dolphin sighting on the Gulf? For adults, guestrooms are simple, most with two double beds and water views. The Travelodge is also close to St. Petersburg shopping, restaurants and theaters.