If you have been following us for a while, you know that we spent a weekend long staycation at Loews Don Cesar Hotel not too long ago. Well, we had such an amazing time and the team there is so great, that they invited us back a few weekends back to check out their newly renovated, Beach House Suites by Loews Don Cesar. It is located a short walk down the beach from the main hotel and is the same signature color as the Pink Palace.
Disclosure: We received this complimentary experience through a Don Cesar Hotel/ Beach House Suites partnership in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are our own.
We packed our bags and headed over in the early afternoon on a Friday, toting Dex along of course! Check in was super easy and we quickly headed to the room. There are multiple options for suites on site, making this a great alternative for families needing a bit more space to relax. We were excited to get settled into our suite which came equipped with one bedroom, one bath, a small eat-in kitchenette, a dining nook and a spacious living room. Off the living room of our suite was a gorgeous balcony that overlooked the pool, pool bar, and had awesome views of gorgeous St. Pete beach.
Once we got inside, we were pleasantly surprised to find some of our favorite things waiting for our arrival: tequila, freshly squeezed juice and a pair of fruit and cheese plates to enjoy… Now we were talking! “Bartender” Ryan whipped up some refreshing cocktails to sip on before heading out for the rest of our day.
We eventually dropped off our things, changed into our bathing suits, and headed out to grab a bite to eat. We had the option of taking the hotel shuttle service to the main hotel for lunch, but knowing we were planning dinner and a brunch at the Pink Palace, we opted for something a bit more beachy, Smiley’s Snack Shack. After flipping through some pics on Yelp, Ryan opted for a hot dog and cole slaw and I chose the grilled chicken wrap. We washed that down with some water and a beer and headed out to continue exploring the area.
Shortly after, we made our way back to our hotel and found a nice spot at the pool to catch some rays before the sunset and dinner. The pool was great and right off of it was the beach area for the hotel. Conveniently located on the deck was the hotel pool bar where we ordered up some more of our favorite tequila cocktails.
After a little fun in the sun, we decided to test out a local spot called Selene Restaurant at St. Pete Beach for dinner. We enjoyed some wine and a starter of fresh made hummus. The weather this night was not the best, but the restaurant made for an enjoyable atmosphere complete with great food. Being pretty hungry, we both ordered salads as well. I went for a chopped salad while Ryan chose the tomato, feta, greek salad which were both very fresh and tasty. For dinner, I opted for the Filet and Ryan went for the New York Strip. Both were great too, as we chatted about plans for the rest of the weekend. We eventually snuck back to the room and went to bed early.
I ran off early Saturday morning to class (which was a bit of a bummer) while Ryan slept in and had a friend meet up for breakfast and some sun time. They enjoyed the day in the heat while I mulled along back to Tampa for more brain busting!
I made it back to the hotel around 6pm Saturday night. We hung out for a bit and I got caught up on how the day went. Then we showered and changed up and headed over to the main hotel for dinner and some more drinks at The Rowe Bar. There, we were greeted by some fantastic hotel staff who helped us decide what we should order. With their advice, we opted for our new favorite app, the meats and cheese board, accompanied by a Tequila Julep for Ryan made with Bell Peppers and Cilantro (super unique) and I, Plain Jane over here, went for a play on a fresh margarita (no surprise there). For dinner, I ordered the Wagyu Burger cooked medium, which was huge and flavorful and Ryan had the Island Steak Caesar Salad. Both were fantastic.
The overall vibe was super nautical with hints of navy and white all around and as it is a newer addition to the space, it still looked really new. We finished up our cocktails and food and decided to take a walk back to the hotel before calling it a night.
Sunday morning we woke up early to get in a good workout on site before our reservation for Sunday Brunch at Sea Porch located at the Don Cesar. We enjoyed so many delicious things including coffee, mimosas, the Gulf Coast Breakfast Skillet, a made-to-order omelette (not shown) and a deliciously decadent banana nut muffin! We highly recommend 🙂
After a few mimosas and a cup of coffee, we made our way back to our hotel for some much needed beach time. We enjoyed some chairs and umbrellas down on the sand and soaked up the rest of the sun we could. After a while, we got up and peeked around a few neighboring bars to scope out the beach scene. We ended up meeting some friends at another hotel down the road and once the weather turned for the worse, we headed back to our room. Knowing it’s summer in Florida, we planned accordingly and ordered some burgers to go from another local spot, Boulevard Burgers & Tap House. We changed into some comfy clothes and watched some tv to close out the night.
Monday morning, we woke up comfortably and began the packing up process. The weekend staycation was a great success and we were so excited to get home to share the great time we had with our friends. We are already thinking about when to book a group staycation at the beach because Beach House Suites is perfect for groups of people wanting to cut costs but get a gorgeous room with lots of great amenities or anyone looking for a little more functionality in your hotel room (like small families needing just a bit more space for the kids). I mean, it was basically our first apartment that we lived in on Harbor Island between the size of the space and the amount of great upgrades it had. If you are looking for something enjoyable to do for the weekend without breaking the bank, check out Beach House Suites by Don Cesar, you won’t be disappointed!
-Nicholas
NHIE Guys 