The Don CeSar
An Old Florida Hotel
I grew up in the hustle and bustle of Tampa with the Gulf beaches only a 30-minute drive away, while Court grew up in rural Hardee County, the daughter of a third generation citrus grower. We met at FSU, got married in an orange grove, and now happily live in St. Petersburg. We love Florida and have always enjoyed our little weekend escapes to the Gulf or wandering around small towns trying out new coffee shops.
A few weeks ago, while in Indian Rocks Beach, we were chatting with some friends who asked for recommendations of things to do around the area and had a simple but epic epiphany: we should share the specifics of our Florida adventures so that others can fall in love with this place too! Over the next few weeks, we slowly planned how our stories would take shape, where our adventures would take us, and the best way to share our findings with you.
Ultimately we felt like #HowIFlorida captured our intentions well because our goal is to help people celebrate and experience Florida in their own special way. We hope that through our Floridian adventures, you’ll be inspired to explore the Sunshine State and discover the magic of this place. Ultimately these blog posts will show you #HowIFlorida and we are hoping that you'll show us how you Florida too.
The Don CeSar
Our first #HowIFlorida trip brought us to a classic Florida hotel... The Don CeSar (aka the Pink Palace) on St. Pete Beach. We checked-in after dinner Thursday night, spent all of Friday and Saturday in the sun, and checked-out Sunday at lunch.
When I say we spent all day Friday and Saturday in the sun, I'm exaggerating (but just barely... there was some cloud cover). Our base of operations for the weekend was poolside. With great wait staff, food and drinks could be ordered from your lounge chair without ever having to burn precious calories. Calorie conservation is very important part of relaxing, you guys.
The service at the Don was great. Most meals can be ordered to your room and poolside food and drink service begins at 10 am. Courtney and I ate all of our meals at the hotel, and it should be noted that while the food and drink is good, it’s not cheap. This is to be expected at a high-end hotel like the Don CeSar, but extra expenses like this can add up fast. Courtney and I generally ate breakfast in the morning, got some snacks by the pool for lunch, and then ate dinner at the Rowe Bar.
The Rowe Bar (named after the hotel’s developer Thomas Rowe)… was hands down our favorite restaurant on the hotel premises. It has indoor and outdoor seating with a gorgeous patio overlooking the beach and makes for a spectacular Florida sunset viewing spot. You can cozy up on one of their lounge seats by the fire shortly after the sun goes down, with the restaurant lights twinkling above. We enjoyed splitting the Wagyu burger and some fried calamari. Other fun spots to visit for food or drinks are the hotel lobby bar (especially in the evening when the jazz quartet is playing in the lobby) and the pool bar/restaurant The Beachcomber Bar and Grill.
The architecture and interior design of the Don is the definition of “Old Florida”, and we discovered some cool spots to take pictures in. Our favorites were:
By the pool - The bright blue hues of the pool umbrellas and water were a perfect contrast to the pink of the hotel and green palms found all over the grounds.
By the sand dunes - Found just south of the Don’s beach cabanas, the sand dunes are one of the most dreamy places to take pictures during sunset. It’s a little off the beaten path which makes it feel like more of an adventure too!
For Court and I, three nights was a great amount of time to spend at the Don. We loved sitting by the pool with a good book and were grateful for a few days to escape from the stress of work. Even though the hotel is only 20 minutes from where we live in St. Pete (yes St. Pete and St. Pete Beach are two very different places), we felt like we were in a completely different place. Call me partial, but I always say that the Gulf beaches are the best beaches anywhere in the country and this weekend at the Don only reinforced this as fact.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the Don CeSar through our lens, and we’d love to hear about your trips to the Don or to St. Pete Beach! What was your experience like?
#HowIFlorida
Check out the rest of the pictures from our stay below.
