Clearwater

We have finally made a decision between Naples and Clearwater, and Clearwater it is. So if anyone has any top tips or must do's for Clearwater all advice appreciated :)

Absolutely must do the Screamer speed boat, fabulous fun. We went to the Aquarium but were not at all impressed. I enjoyed a walk along the pier and on a couple of nights during the week they have a market there.
Hope you have a great time.

Seafood & Sunsets at Julie's, 351 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach; (727) 441-2548

This restaurant/bar in a 1940s Florida Cracker house looks directly into sunsets over the Gulf across the street.

The restaurant, with upstairs and downstairs tables inside and outside on an open-air porch, specializes in seafood, steaks, ribs, pastas and salads.

But the big draw are the sunsets, best seen from upstairs over the sand dunes and across the powdery sand of Clearwater Beach.

We first went here in 1983 and its still fabulous today, I still have my T shirt and Im called Julie so its so cool!![msnwink]

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Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill and Bar, 10 Bay Esplanade, Clearwater Beach; (727) 446-2642

Sunsets also reign at this longtime favorite that's been around since 1926.

``Our liquor license number is 000161, so we believe we are one of the oldest bars in Florida,'' says Clearwater native Ken Hamilton, its second-generation owner.

A long back porch stretches across the sandy beach looking toward the Gulf. The restaurant/bar serves a wide range of drinks and appetizers, sandwiches, seafood dinners, steaks and salads. Live music is featured every evening from 6 to 10 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

Best pub grub

Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, 7 Rockaway St., Clearwater Beach; (727) 446-484

Few restaurants outside Charleston, S.C., make she-crab soup as delicious as this popular pastel-painted bar/restaurant's. This beachfront bar also has great grouper sandwiches, good grilled chicken and Caesar salads, huge cheeseburgers and yummy rum runners.

One of three Clearwater Beach bar/restaurants owned by Michael ``Frenchy'' Preston - the others are Frenchy's Sal[bad language filtered out]er Cafe and the Original Frenchy's Cafe - Rockaway has an outside, open-air deck built right up to the sand, with a spectacular view of the Gulf and sweeping views of the wide, powdery beach.

A band plays '70s and '80s rock from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and every night, including weekends, from 7:30 or 8:30 to 11:30 or 12:30.

Best rocking and rollin'

Bongo's Beach Bar & Grill, 5800 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach; (727) 360-6638

This double-deck bar planted on stilts in the sand shakes on weekends with live rock 'n' roll. Acoustic and other types of music are featured weeknights from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

An upstairs bar is packed on weekends, but it's not as crowded as downstairs outside, where there's another bar, picnic tables and a band alcove.

Bongo's serves grouper sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers and an array of appetizers.

Beach Nutts, 9600 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island; (727) 367-7427

This Gulf-front bar features live music 365 days a year, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on weekends and 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays. Rock band Damn the Torpedoes, with singer Greg Billings (formerly of Stranger), plays every other Sunday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

``A couple hundred people come here on a busy Sunday,'' says manager Liam Levasseur. ``It's a good mix of locals and tourists.''

Beach Nutts is best known for grouper sandwiches and music.

But no Jimmy Buffett tunes here.

``We're all rock 'n' roll here,'' Levasseur says.

Best bars by boat

Shephard's Backyard Tiki Bar (part of Shephard's Beach Resort and Waterfront Restaurant), 601 Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach; (727) 441-6875

This resort's bar bordering Clearwater Pass is Party Central on weekends, especially on Sunday afternoons when a reggae band called Democracy heats up.

On some weekends, 30 or more boats sit anchored off the beach, while their passengers party at the bar, sun on the bar's beach or sip drinks waist-deep in water next to their boats.

``This is the way a beach bar should be,'' says charter airline pilot Ian Britton, as he puffs a cigar and listens to Bob Marley tunes.

``Good music, good food, good atmosphere. It's a shock injection of Caribbean culture.''

Live music is performed from 2 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 11 p.m. on weekends.

The Margarita Grill serves sandwiches and appetizers at waterfront tables.

Another highlight: It's a great place to see tattoos and pierced belly buttons.



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Thank you for all the information Julie am excited already and am not going till next year [clap][clap]. We will have the teenagers with us will they be allowed in the resturants that have the bands and entertainment? We are looking at staying at the Marriott on Sand Key do you know the area. Thanks in advance :):)

I stayed at the Sheraton on Sand Key!

Its a wonderful spot on a fab wide stretch of beach just accross the bridge. Clearwater is great for teanagers they will be allowed in but not able to drink (over 21's only with ID) its nice to stroll in the evenings and people watch also to drop into other hotels like the Adam's Mark they often have beach b-b-q's with music etc.

You will have a wonderful time!

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We stayed at Indian Shores this summer, it's only 10 minutes down Gulf Blvd from Clearwater we had a wonderful time.
All along the coast there are great beaches and loads of places to eat.

We passed lots of nice hotels on Gulf Blvd, but there is also an abundance of condos and villas. We stayed in a great 3 bed condo booked through this site, we think is much better for us than 4 of us stuck in one hotel room. Also it was well equipped with everything we needed for a great holiday. [msnsmile2]

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time[msnsmile2]

If you go to Clearwater try the Sea Screamer speed boat. They guarantee that you will see dolphins or will take you back out or at least they did a few years ago. The dolphins came behind the boat and jumped everywhere.
We did stay in a hotel but have a got the villa bug now and recommend you rent a villa on the gulf coast.

We have just got back from Florida and during a day trip to Clearwater Beach we went out on the Sea Screamer and would highly reccommend it to anyone.We saw loads of dolphins swimming behind the boat which was well worth the price of the the tickets.

I also managed to film it using my digital camera which turned out really well,for a better idea of what you get for your money take a look.

http://homepage.mac.com/jeffdalton/F...Theater32.html

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Disneybubs
We have just got back from Florida and during a day trip to Clearwater Beach we went out on the Sea Screamer and would highly reccommend it to anyone.We saw loads of dolphins swimming behind the boat which was well worth the price of the the tickets.

I also managed to film it using my digital camera which turned out really well,for a better idea of what you get for your money take a look.

http://homepage.mac.com/jeffdalton/F...Theater32.html


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Great video and photos - Mac's are great aren't they[msnwink]