Sandpearl Resort
For nearly a century, the original Clearwater Beach Hotel—built as a summer bungalow by a Florida lumberman in 1917—reigned as the crown jewel of the area, eventually passing its rich legacy onto its newest incarnation as the Sandpearl. The resort sits on 700 feet of beachfront. Rooms are open and airy, with balconies and high ceilings. The swank spa has treatments focusing on ocean therapy, and there’s a lovely lagoon-style beachfront pool. Each evening, the Sunset Celebration invites a chosen guest to ring the dinner bell salvaged from the old Clearwater Beach Resort. The area’s only AAA four diamond, fancy Caretta on the Gulf features stellar service, sushi, ceviche, seafood and chops. Activities for children include dive in movies, campfire storytelling, singalongs, and more. A $35 resort fee includes use of bikes. Sandpearl has a similarly chi chi sibling nearby, The Opal Sands, 430 S. Gulfview Blvd. (tel. 727/485-9497), a 230-room resort with gulf views from floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, as well as a spa, and gorgeous gulf-front pool. Rates there range from $485 to $722 double.
For nearly a century, the original Clearwater Beach Hotel—built as a summer bungalow by a Florida lumberman in 1917—reigned as the crown jewel of the area, eventually passing its rich legacy onto its newest incarnation as the Sandpearl. The resort sits on 700 feet of beachfront. Rooms are open and airy, with balconies and high ceilings. The swank spa has treatments focusing on ocean therapy, and there’s a lovely lagoon-style beachfront pool. Each evening, the Sunset Celebration invites a chosen guest to ring the dinner bell salvaged from the old Clearwater Beach Resort. The area’s only AAA four diamond, fancy Caretta on the Gulf features stellar service, sushi, ceviche, seafood and chops. Activities for children include dive in movies, campfire storytelling, singalongs, and more. A $35 resort fee includes use of bikes. Sandpearl has a similarly chi chi sibling nearby, The Opal Sands, 430 S. Gulfview Blvd. (tel. 727/485-9497), a 230-room resort with gulf views from floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, as well as a spa, and gorgeous gulf-front pool. Rates there range from $485 to $722 double.
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