I hesitate to write this review, because if everyone finds out what a great jewel this place is, there may not be any vacancy next time I try to book. But this place, and the sister condo/hotel, Surf Beach (about 500 metres away in Treasure Island) are amazing deals.
The condos are clean, gulf front, perfectly appointed with everything you would expect of a condo, and they are both run impeccably well! The few negative comments I have read in these reviews seem to have been written by people who mistakenly thought they were renting hotel rooms. A condo means that you don't have daily maid service...duh! But what you do get is an amazing, clean condo, with a complete kitchen, washer dryer, and everything you need for a week, including dishwasher soap, laundry soap, shampoo and conditioner for a week, etc. They even leave beach chairs and toys for you if you want to spend time on the beach, instead of the pool.
We almost made the mistake of booking at a few of the St. Pete's Beach "resorts". We were so lucky that we didn't. On a cooler day we drove down and checked out the Sirata, Don Cesar Suites and some others. They are far inferior and charge a bundle more, usually for no Gulf view, very bad smells and cheap furniture, lesser amenities. Every single suite at South Beach and Surf Beach has an amazing Gulf view! And the only thing that seems to define a "resort" would be the "resort fee". This fee, charged by more and more rip-off artists is a scam! They want to advertise lower prices and then add another fee after the fact. The Sirata and Don Cesar charge about $25.00 per day for NOTHING. The "services" that they purport to charge for are already included in any normal hotel charge, but the honest ones just advertise it up front as part of the price. We should all simply boycott the resorts with "resort fees" and let them know...maybe this theft would stop.
But enough of the rant, just book this place and enjoy. Oh yeah, one more thing....if you read the reviews about the long walk across the beach to the Gulf of Mexico....it's true. And anyone who couldn't check Google Earth or look at the maps and know in advance that there is an amazingly large beach in front of this resort ought to stay home and learn how to use the technology available to help them get the vacations they want....and they also ought to go out for a walk now and then in order to get in sufficient shape to walk a few hundred years without cardiac arrest.
Room Tip: go higher for better views
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
March 1, 2013
We at South Beach Condos would like to thank you for taking time to leave us a great review!! We strive to make this your home away from home and hope you will return to visit us again soon! Please be sure to call us and mention you are a return guest so we can offer you a repeat guest discount!! Thank you also for giving all the travelers on Trip Advisor the information about other properties adding all the extra fees on to their prices!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.