I was in need of a solitude, get away from everyone and everything vacation. I researched hotels on the web first. Emailed the hotel to ask questions and received an immediate response back answering all my questions. I received in the U.S. mail a package of maps, brochures literature all about clearwater and the area. Checking in was painless, I asked for a room with a view did not get but no big deal. The beds were so soft and comfortable. The rooms had a small fridge. The hotel is located directly on the beach which is what I wanted. 2 big nice pools. Everything I needed was right where it was needed. The staff was nice, they did as I asked, leaving me be. I will be back to this hotel on a yearly get away stay. If you love walking the beach and collecting shells and just being left alone, this is a great place to stay. It was a true blessing for me.
Can't say enough good things about my stay.

the beach front location is lovely and the beds and bedding were superior. The underground parking, while not complementary , was a big plus, too. The HHonors desk and the Valet parking desk were manned by exceptionally nice and helpful employees The two pools sparkle and are most pleasant..
On the other hand - in the guest rooms, the toilets are so very low that they could be a big problem. The lobby is not condusive to lingering longer than necesary. The buffet breakfasts are Ok, but coffee without the big breakfast is $4.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel in June. I contacted the general manager with some of the problems we had and was waiting to see if they would address any of them, but I have not heard from them.

We were at the hotel for an event and decided to turn it into a long weekend getaway. I booked my room directly with the resort because I wanted to know where the discounted group rooms were located. WHen I was told that they were facing Mandalay Ave (I once lived in the area) I told them I would forgo the discounted rate to have a room as close to the water as possible (a huge issue with us). Upon check in, we found that our room did not directly look at the road but was the LAST room in what they call Parkview and our view was of the road and parking lot. SInce I have paid for an upgrade, I went to the front desk to try to get a different room and was told that they were sold out. The next day, I went down again (since we could hear the noise from the street, plus we were next to the stairs and constantly heard the noise from the door slamming, and were kept up all night through the connecting door to a suite where the people were up all night) and was once again told they were sold out. The irony is that others in our group, who showed up after us, were given better rooms with the cheaper rate. This was my major complaint but the front desk did not care (and we are Hilton Honors members)

For those looking to stay here, these are what we saw as some of the pros and cons.

Pros:
-The beach! Clearwater Beach is beautiful and if you a beach person, you will love it.
-The bed, we had a king and it was very comfortable
-Our room had a fridge and you can walk down the street to a CVS to buy bottled water etc
-tiki bar, drinks are a little on the expensive side but we found the bartenders to be very friendly and loved the pina coladas!

Cons:
-The Room-besides the noise (you could hear everything and the door to the stairway was constantly slamming shut) it was tiny!! The bathroom was also extremely small.
-Our safe broke and we couldn't get it open (with all our stuff locked in it)
-missing hairdryer
-room key didn't work on 5 different occasions and we had to go down to the oh-so helpful front desk for assistance (and had to stand in line everytime)
-they charge you money every day to use their beach umbrellas and chairs!!!!!! I found this to be ridiculous, as guests of the hotel they should be providing beach chairs. If you are there for an extended amount of time, it is cheaper to go to CVS and buy your own.
-pool restaurant is horrible! Our food took almost 40 minutes and then was cold!
-lobby bar only put 1/2 ounce of alcohol in their drinks (we counted)
-we lost something in the parking lot and when we asked valet staff, they acted like we were bothering them (we weren't asking them to help us look, just if they found it)
-banquet food was horrible, a tiny portion of cold chicken, waxy potatoes, and fake key lime pie
-no response from management

I know that some people will think I am being nitpicky, but for what was suppose to be a relaxing getaway, actually involved many stressful situations. I am most disappointed in the lack of customer service.


Would I stay again at this hotel, probably not, Unfortunately, Clearwater Beach is becoming overrun with condos which limits your choices but I think next time, we will try the Sandpearl.

If you go, you must go to Frenchy's!! The original is my favorite but you can't go wrong at any of them, and their cajun Grouper sandwich is the best!!!

Stayed here with kids 15 and 12 who like nothing more than enjoying the pool, beach, and Gulf. We're from Michigan where Winter is much, much too long!!! We had many things to do in Tampa, as my wife and I are USF Alumni, and I worked at Busch Gardens as a student. Trips out to those locations are a bit of a haul, but there's no denying that Clearwater Beach is one of the cleanest, widest, and white sandiest (is that a word) that you'll find anywhere. I grew up in North Miami Beach so I know something about beaches.
Location: Best on the Beach, real close to Hwy 60 and the Pier that has craft merchants in the evening. A few cheesy carnival activities at the base of the pier. We relied on the CVS heavily and it's just a short walk to get water, beer, snack, toiletries, etc. You'll really need to get bottled water as the tap water SUCKS. High sulfur content I guess?
Room: Location important. I don't know the idiot that built the hotel, but the layout is weird! Must get Parkview rooms. We were on the 5th floor parkview kinda close to the harborview side. Not bad, but try to get a little higher-9th floor-and closer to the Gulf instead of the street. Direct Beachfront rooms have you staring down at air conditioner units, while harborview looked at the street and the harbor, not bad but parkview is the only room that you'll want. Rooms themselves apparently renovated a few months back. They are a little on the small side, not terrible though. The bathrooms however are too small for a family of four
with someone always needing the sink, shower, toilet. Small refrigerator, but they need a microwave and more AC outlets. Great plasma TV with satellite stations in HD. Clock radio needs illumination to see time in the dark. Balcony decent size.
Room safe present. Sign up with Hilton Honors before your stay to take off the $10 WiFi charge daily.
Food: Did not eat at the hotel restaurants after reading reviews. Plenty of other options around. Beach shanty across the street for Breakfast was OK, nothing fancy and prices were OK as well.
Frenchys down to the left was a typical tourist trap with decent food and beachfront location. If you want real Cuban food, venture off to La Teresita on Columbus near the airport/stadium. No frills diner with the real deal Cuban fare, many other "Cuban" places such as the Columbia are modified Spanish, not really Cuban. Do not get scared by the looks of the place, the portions are huge, and the food is the BEST!
Pool: Cafe between the two pools. Heard food is not great and drinks are a little pricey. Two pools themselves well maintained with one being a little more shallow than the other. Average size whirlpool present but never seemed to work when the button was pushed. Towels available at times but not consistent. A very friendly supervisor was only too happy to get us towels that were stashed in the back at 8AM, before they were open.
Did not rent chairs, umbrellas, cabanas. We have no problem laying on towels and were playing in the surf most of the time anyway.
Parking: Ample and easily accessed with the room card. $5 self park,$8 valet park.
Staff: No compaints. They did charge us $50 to delay check out until 3PM as we had a later flight but we felt this was worth it in order to enjoy the Beach and Pool fully the last day. WARNING: It rains every day during the Summer. Probably best to time your activities early morning or later on in the evening to allow for this.