Our family has been traveling to Clearwater Beach for 10 years now! It is definitely our favorite US beach vacation destination specifically for families. Such a perfect little beach town with all of the essentials- good food, great beaches, unique shopping, lots of beachfront hotel/resort options, children's activities, excursions, etc. I am going to share our must haves/dos when visiting Clearwater, things that have become staples to our family experiences here. Hoping this helps plan your next getaway!
WHERE TO STAY
We have stayed at 3 hotels in the area over the course of several trips over the years: Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key, and the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort. We have enjoyed all three, but THE one to stay at for a few GREAT reasons is the Hilton. This hotel+resort is the ONLY one in Clearwater that has beachside service (food + drinks). It is also a private club beach so it's not crowded like the main beaches of Clearwater. Speaking of beaches, oh the powder white sands. Never felt anything like it anywhere else. And "sea shelling" here is a must.
Another plus of staying at the Hilton, is the location of the resort on the main strip. You can easily walk to anything you need, no car needed. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, shopping, necessities, a night out, literally ALL THE THINGS. I will say this is one of the smaller resorts and along with some of the ONLY's that come along with a stay here, it books up fast so you need to plan well in advance.
Okay, now where to EAT! We have our staples that we dine at every time we visit, so many memories made at each spot.
DINING
1. Crabby Bills (100% a Clearwater Beach staple!) - We love it for lunchtime, super casual in your swimsuit coverup type of place.
2. Frenchy's Rockaway Grill - This is THE beach sunset place to be. There are multiple Frenchy's on the island, be sure to pick this one and plan on a wait. There is usually live music, great cocktails, and get the She Crab Soup if you are a Lobster Bisque fan like myself! (fun fact: this spot has been featured on several travel guides + shows on the best beachside restaurants)
3. Bob Heilman's Beachcomber - for a fancy vacation dinner out. You pretty much can't go wrong with anything on the menu.
4. Backwaters on Sand Key - our FAVE dinner spot. Ask for a patio table, you will be sitting ON the water on the back dock of the restaurant. You'll want to get their oysters and any of their blackened fish dishes. If fish isn't your thing, they have a WIDE variety of options on their menu sure to please anyone.
5. *newly discovered on our April 2021 trip and so good we ate there TWICE* Watercolour Gillhouse- they have an amazing in-house sushi chef! The sushi was our favorite part. My favorite cocktail was the Sparkler, and if you do dessert, you have to get the bread pudding. It's made with Krispy Kreme donuts y'all! The cheeseboard was really good too, we ordered that on both of our recent dining nights here.
Looking for something fun to do with the kids?!
EXCURSION
Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise- we have done this one several times! Lots of fun for the kiddos, and they cater to the adults as well with onboard beer+cocktails.
Now for my favorite SURF SHOPS + my personal vacation style!
SHOPPING:
(all within walking distance of the Hilton)
1. Surf Style- this spot is a Clearwater MUST. They have all of your beach needs. The best location imo is the one connected to the Hyatt Regency.
2. Freaky Tiki Surf Shack- lots of unique brands and designs you won't find anywhere else.
3. Maui Nix Surf Shop- tons of name brands like Billabong, Rip Curl, Hurley, O'Neill, Ray Ban, RVCA, etc. They always have an AMAZING bathing suit selection.
4. Ron Jon- pretty similar to Maui Nix, but a little closer to the Hilton with being right across the street.
My PERSONAL STYLE from our April 2021 trip:
(with links below to shop)
This neutral-tone tie dye dress was PERFECT for a travel day. Super comfy for the plane, but cute enough to go straight to dinner after landing & checkin in to the hotel.
I never thought to wear a denim dress as a coverup until now! So many compliments on this look y'all.
Love this sweet asymmetrical button detail top! It was perfect with jeans for our dinner date at Beachcombers.
Linking TONS of my favorite ivory/white coverup options!
OBSESSED with this romper y'all! It's from VICI and has already sold out twice. I highly suggest adding your email to the wait list to be notified when it's restocked (exactly what I did to snag mine).
This Amazon (Cupshe brand) swim suit was a best seller in 2020!
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See you in 2023 Clearwater Beach! XO
