We stayed here in May 2007 for four nights in a room with two queen beds, a pull out sofabed, and a mini-kitchen (hotel stay booked...
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We stayed here in May 2007 for four nights in a room with two queen
beds, a pull out sofabed, and a mini-kitchen (hotel stay booked through
Expedia - multi day discount). The room was clean, the bedding was
comfortable, and housekeeping was very friendly and did a good job.
The Sirata is a very nice resort on a great beach.
The water in May was about 80-82 deg F and quite clear. I introduced
my 8 and 10 year olds to snorkeling, and while there isn't much there
except a sandy bottom, they found it fun looking for shells and spotting
the odd fish, some of which had a neat habit of burrowing in the sand
and looking upward. The sand was nice, but there are bands of broken
shells you have to walk across to get to and from the water. Flip-flops or
sandals make walking easier. It was nice to have a beach towel service.
Signs warn of stingrays (shuffle feet, don't step), but we didn't see any.
We also rented a jet-ski for half an hour ($45).
We took a day trip out to Fort DeSoto and Egmont Key state parks. Both
are Islands at the mouth of Tampa bay that have great beaches and
provide interesting forts to visit, but you are not allowed on some of the
fort ruins at Egmont Key. Some of the Egmont Key beaches were closed
for bird nesting when we were there.
The drinks at the poolside bar were OK, but overpriced for the quality.
There are lots of nice restaurants in the area (Crabby Bill's, Silas Dent's
Steakhouse, Philthy Phil's).
