Situated on the west coast of Florida , Clearwater Beach has under gone a vast change in the last 4 years
Located approx a 90 min easy drive west from my villa I would thoroughly recommend a day trip or even a stop over for a night . An over night stay could be coupled with a visit to Busch Gardens , approx 20 miles east of CB
As to CB , the beach front has been totally renovated , with new walk ways , new sugary powdered sand , new 5 star hotels
It appears to me that the local authority is trying for good or worse to upgrade the hotels on offer , yes there are sill some low budget motels in the back streets , but on the actual sea front they are all slowly being bought out and big 5 star hotels are replacing them
One issue in CB is parking as it is very limited . At weekends, holidays, the parking is horrendous along with the driving , Into CB from the east and south the roads are narrow and on occasions the east approach road from Clearwater , there can be a tail back of a mile to get into actual CB
An alternate place to park is in Clearwater itself , and catch a ferry over to the beach , a pleasant 15 min shuttle with two stops at differant beaches. I had taken the ferry and it is an enjoyable ride and inexpensive .
A place with you can grab a refreshing drink and take in the great vista of the area is ' Pier House 60 Marina Hotel' Take the lift on the ground floor to the top floor and see some great views.
As to be expected with a beach resort , lots of boat trips to see dolphins , sunset cruises , para sailing
There is also a pier , not as we know piers in the UK , basically you can walk the first 300 yards and take in the views, , but then you have to pay a small amount to gain access and be able to walk to the end of the fishing pier .
Every night approaching sunset , on the pier hey have a small market , also street performers , ala Covent Garden style : > )
In the summer months there are open air movies shown on a large screen on the grass area in front of the pier.
Well worth a visit in my opinion : > )
Located approx a 90 min easy drive west from my villa I would thoroughly recommend a day trip or even a stop over for a night . An over night stay could be coupled with a visit to Busch Gardens , approx 20 miles east of CB
As to CB , the beach front has been totally renovated , with new walk ways , new sugary powdered sand , new 5 star hotels
It appears to me that the local authority is trying for good or worse to upgrade the hotels on offer , yes there are sill some low budget motels in the back streets , but on the actual sea front they are all slowly being bought out and big 5 star hotels are replacing them
One issue in CB is parking as it is very limited . At weekends, holidays, the parking is horrendous along with the driving , Into CB from the east and south the roads are narrow and on occasions the east approach road from Clearwater , there can be a tail back of a mile to get into actual CB
An alternate place to park is in Clearwater itself , and catch a ferry over to the beach , a pleasant 15 min shuttle with two stops at differant beaches. I had taken the ferry and it is an enjoyable ride and inexpensive .
A place with you can grab a refreshing drink and take in the great vista of the area is ' Pier House 60 Marina Hotel' Take the lift on the ground floor to the top floor and see some great views.
As to be expected with a beach resort , lots of boat trips to see dolphins , sunset cruises , para sailing
There is also a pier , not as we know piers in the UK , basically you can walk the first 300 yards and take in the views, , but then you have to pay a small amount to gain access and be able to walk to the end of the fishing pier .
Every night approaching sunset , on the pier hey have a small market , also street performers , ala Covent Garden style : > )
In the summer months there are open air movies shown on a large screen on the grass area in front of the pier.
Well worth a visit in my opinion : > )