Sunrise Resort, St. Pete Beach

We discovered this wonderful hotel condo building while staying at the much more expensive Tradewinds Resort across the street. Although the Tradewinds is great, it simply cannot keep up with Sunrise when it comes to value. We have stayed in several of the condos and have found them all to be beautifully decorated with lots of amenities. All have balconies overlooking the Boca Ciega Bay, where you can watch the manatees and the dolphins. The units come completely equipped with kitchens and laundry facilities. The one bedroom units have a dining area, kitchen, living area, washer and dryer, bedroom with king sized bed and a bonus room with either a queen sized sofa bed or bed of some kind. The two bedroom units have two large bedrooms with king sized beds in each and a bonus room with a queen sized sofa bed. In addition, they have two separate dining areas. Some people may be bothered that the condos are not directly on the beach, but it's just a short walk across the street to the Gulf. If you're lucky and get a room on the sixth floor you can watch the sunrise on the bay in the morning from your balcony, then watch the sunset on the Gulf from your front door. Also, Sunrise has a swimming pool, spa, fishing dock, tennis court, shuffleboard court, and picnic pavilion with gas grills right on the premises. All units sleep at least four, with the penthouse units on the top floor especially nice with 1,200 SF, 2 1/2 bathrooms and sleeping six. Sunrise is located right in the middle of the St. Pete Beach hotel district, and you can walk to lots of restaurants and shops, including a large Publix supermarket. Although privately owned condominiums, the building is operated just like a hotel with an ofice on the second floor where you check in. The only catch is that you have to stay a minimum of three nights, although that shouldn't be a problem for most people. If you don't have a car you can catch the Suncoast Beach Trolley right in front of the hotel.