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Room at these inns

By Janet K. Keeler and Times Travel, Food Editor
Posted: Jun 30, 2008 05:43 PM

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ADVERTISEMENT [SCOTT KEELER ? Times] Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza is just steps from Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and dozens of other stores. It is also located near Raymond James Stadium, in the background, and Tampa International Airport. [SCOTT KEELER ? Times] The Historic Ponce de Leon Hotel in downtown St. Petersburg and the Hampton Inn & Suites next door are great locations for visitors who want to enjoy the bustling night scene. Music venues, restaurants, art galleries, movies and shopping are within walking distance. Related Links Where to stay: Hotel locations Loading Video...

So the in-laws have decided that this is the year they will come for the holidays. They miss the grandkids or they want a chance to play a little golf. Maybe it is the call of the beach or a "wah hoo hoo hooey'' from Goofy that makes them want to trek to Florida for a week.

Guest rooms and pullout couches around Tampa Bay get a workout this time of year. But what if the visit would be better if family and friends stayed on their own?

Here are some areas and a few hotels to consider for out-of-town guests. Check them out in person to make sure they suit you. Also, Tripadvisor.com compiles guest reviews of hotels around the world. It is worth your time to search for comments about a hotel that has your interest. And always check with the hotel or its Web site for prices which can change with the seasons.

The beaches:

The southern Pinellas County beaches beckon land-locked visitors with gorgeous white sand. There are lots of restaurants on Gulf Boulevard and ticky-tacky souvenir shops. A beach trolley travels north and south for people without cars, or who don't want to take their chances in high-season traffic.

This is the spot to send relatives who want to take long walks on the beach and enjoy the nightly sunset show.

On Pass-A-Grille, at the southern tip of the Pinellas beaches, the Sabal Palms Inn (1301 Gulf Way; (727) 367-1305 or www.sabalpalms.com) and Inn on the Beach (1401 Gulf Way, (727) 360-8844; www.innonbeach.com) offer both nightly and weekly rates. Accommodations range from standard hotel rooms to multiroom apartments.

On St. Pete Beach, we like the funky Bon Aire Resort Motel (4350 Gulf Blvd., (727) 360-5596; www.bonaireresort.com) as much for its retro bar on the beach as anything else. This is the hotel to book if you want to show them how Florida looked before condo canyons and beachfront McMansions. For a waterfront stay, the rates are reasonable and there are lots of room types to choose from.

The Alden Beach Resort (5900 Gulf Blvd., (727) 360-7081; www.aldenbeachresort.com) is another good alternative on the beach, offering efficiencies, apartments and standard hotel rooms. We like the Alden for long stays because of the spacious rooms. Try to get a balcony on the beach.

More Pinellas County:

Dunedin is a quaint spot with a lively, small downtown. Consider the older Best Western Yacht Harbor Inn (150 Marina Plaza; (727) 733-4121; www.bestwestern.com) or the new Holiday Inn Express (975 Broadway St., (727) 450-1200; www.ichotelsgroup.com). Both are a short walk to shops and some of the county's best restaurants including Kelly's for Just About Anything (319 Main St., (727) 736-5284).

The place to be and stay in St. Petersburg is the revitalized, hopping downtown with its vibrant art scene and growing menu of restaurants. The Museum of Fine Arts, the Pier and BayWalk movie and shopping complex are all within walking distance of two side-by-side hotels. The Hampton Inn & Suites (80 Beach Drive NE, (727) 892-9900; www.stpetehamptonsuites.com) and the historic Ponce de Leon Hotel (95 Central Ave., (727) 550-9300; www.poncedeleonhotel.com) are in the thick of everything.

We like the Hampton for its clean rooms and great beds and recommend the Ponce de Leon for the hip factor.

We don't know if Babe Ruth or other legendary baseball players ever stayed at the Ponce, which was built in 1922, but we like to think so. This is the place to send guests who want to stay in a hotel with character but not a lot of amenities. Hopefully, they'll wander into Ceviche, the tapas restaurant and bar downstairs. If they're on the floors directly above it, they'll hear the festive frivolity way past 10 p.m. (Ask for the fifth or sixth floor if noise is a factor.)

Hillsborough County:

Send history buffs who want a side of wild to the Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn in Ybor City (1915 Avenida Republica de Cuba, (813) 241-4545; www.donvicenteinn.com). Tucked among the nightclubs and shopping mall, new hotels and parking garages, is the 16-room boutique hotel. The Don Vicente is a peek at what Ybor was before Guavaween and the boozification of the historic district.

Book your shop-til-you-drop visitors at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza (4200 Jim Walter Blvd., (813) 877-9200; www.marriott.com). Attached to International Plaza and its multitude of stores and restaurants, the beautiful hotel offers luxury they'll never get from your spare room. You may not see them the entire time they're in town.

Good enough for the relatives? Heck, these places are fun enough for a long weekend away for you.

Information from Times wires was used in this report. Janet K. Keeler can be reached at (727) 893-8586 or e-mail jkeeler@sptimes.com.