Sandpearl Resort

Description:

• When the Clearwater Beach Hotel was razed to make way for this multimillion-dollar luxury resort, many people balked. But when it comes to high-end resorts, there's nothing to complain about. Opened in 2007, the resort sits on 700 feet of beachfront. Rooms are open and airy with balconies and high ceilings. The Sandpearl Spa is swank, with treatments focusing on ocean therapy. A lagoon-style beachfront pool is the way to go for the day, unless, of course you want to dip into Sandpearl's life-enriching programs that take you on guided kayaking tours, naturalist tours of Caladesi Island, behind-the-scenes tours of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and more. A unique Sunset Celebration invites a chosen guest to ring the dinner bell salvaged from the old Clearwater Beach Resort. Tradition is still here, albeit with a more 21st-century twist. Fine dining options are aplenty. Camp Ridley is for children, and it offers campfire storytelling, sing-alongs, and more. Wait, where do we sign up?

  Facilities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; coffee bar; 1 Gulf-front lagoon-style pool w/private poolside cabanas; fitness center; full-service spa; 2 hot tubs; watersports equipment/rentals; children's programs; concierge; business center; 24-hr. room service

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010