Mini Vaca to Clearwater

I recently just got back from a mini vacation with my family in Clearwater outside of Tampa. Before I begin to boast about how nice it was, I'll explain why I chose Clearwater.

I was treating my grandmother and a family member to a mini vacation so I wanted something that wasn't filled with children or drunk young adults. Clearwater was the perfect mixture of age groups. We stayed at the Hilton Clearwater resort which had a balcony overlooking the harbor and beach front. The beach as literally outside the pool area of the hotel. While the beach chairs cost to rent, you could just buy something from the bar and sit at the tables closest to the pool or bring your beach towels close to the shore and settle in the sand.

The beach is very spread out and not crowded unlike South Beach and there's a bunch of mom and pop restaurants and shops right outside the hotel. While everything is walking distance, there's also a trolley that will take you from North Beach to South Beach and the Beach and the main city.

We took a 35 minute Uber ride from Tampa Bay airport and had our family member drop us off before she drove back to Mississippi. The drive was basically a straight shot and the May weekday traffic was mild. While parking at the hotel was a little pricy, we did have in and out privileges and valet service.

As for excursions, I did go on a speed boat and saw the dolphins. The marina was a 5 minute walk from the hotel and had main venders advertising for a variety of different boat rides. For the water activities, many hotels offer discounts for certain activates but you can also was on the beach and price the different activities yourself. The pier was also a busy hub. Many people set up shop for souvenirs and many others. The pier was also were you can watch the sunset. We also stopped by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. While I am a fan of aquariums, this one was more of a rescue/hospital. A little overprice for us to only spent 30 minutes there but it was a donation for a good cause.

And all, Clearwater has made the list of being amongst my favorite places to visit in Florida and I definitely suggest going if you want to relax in a nice beach town.