Florida's west coast has sprawling expanses of creamy sand, gentle waves, and brilliant sunsets. Barrier islands protect mainland Florida's west coast, and it is on these sandbars that people find beach cottages, kayak to small islands, and fish off the beach for their dinner. Although each town along Florida's west coast has its own flavor, the sun, sand and surf unite them with one common attraction: the beach.
St. Pete Beach, including the historic Pass-a-Grille portion of Long Key, is the southernmost beach community in Pinellas County. From the island's southern tip, visitors can rent a kayak from Kayak Nature Adventures (see Resources) and paddle to Shell Key Preserve, a sandy island home to nesting birds. The beach itself has a retro mini-golf course and restaurants that range from fine dining at Patrick's to inexpensive, first-rate seafood at PJ's Oyster Bar. The Beach Trolley travels the beach every 30 minutes, and golf carts serving as taxis mingle with cars and scooters on the one main road, Gulf Boulevard.
Hotels boasting several hundred units stand juxtaposed with tiny mom-and-pop motels. The Bon-Aire is a two-story family motel on the beach, as is its grill, which serves generous-sized Iowa beef burgers. Guests compete with locals for a seat at the grill.
Bon-Aire
4350 Gulf Boulevard
St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
727-360-5596
BonAireResort.com
Shell collectors comb the sands of Sanibel Island daily, looking for conch and scallop shells, among others. The time ranging from one hour before and one hour after low tide (get a tide chart from the Chamber of Commerce) offers the best shells, but the beaches almost always have a consistent collection of delicate pink, peach and white shells. This island has no stop lights and no tall buildings; bike paths run throughout the island and the lighthouse on the beach is the tallest structure around. Cottages and inns are the lodging order of the day here. This is a town for shell collectors, book lovers, and sun worshipers -- island life revolves around beach activities. For food, Doc Ford's restaurant on Rabbit serves fresh seafood and real key lime pie.
Cottages like Beachview offer vacationers beachfront access and come with enough amenities that will allow guests to stay in the cottage and on the beach for the entirety of their visit.
Beachview Cottages
325 West Gulf Drive
Sanibel Island, FL 33957
239-472-1202
BeachviewCottages.com
On the other side of Tampa Bay from St. Pete Beach and north of Sanibel, Anna Maria Island juts into the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Farther off the beaten path than either Sanibel Island or St. Pete Beach, Anna Maria Island remained undiscovered by out-of-towners for quite some time. For years, day-visitors drove to the unspoiled creamy beaches and played in the surf; now the island sees visitors from all corners of the globe. The island gets busy, but it retains a smaller-town feel. The cottages here share real estate with luxury resorts like the Bali Hai, and while parts of the island give way to sand dunes and sea oats, many private properties have lush tropical foliage and exotic plants.
Anna Maria Island is a beach town as well; it has beach restaurants, a few bars, and lots of sand. Resorts like the Bali Hai have private beaches and pools. The island trolley helps keep the roads clear of congestion.
Bali Hai
6900 Gulf Drive
Holmes Beach, FL 34218
941-778-6604
BaliHaiBeachResort.com
