Don CeSar Beach Resort Loews Hotel, Saint Pete Beach, FL

by Doreen H. on May 8, 2009

The 4th star is for their private beach. 2 stars for their antiquated rooms... straight out of the 70s (I'm reminded of the flowery curtains that they made...

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by Anna L. on March 11, 2009

Running on the beach barefoot every morning next to the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, followed by Beach Yoga in front of the hotel, complimentary for hotel...

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by Justin P. on January 27, 2009

This hotel is absolutely gorgeous. It has been nicknamed "The Pink Palace," and it looks like a giant pink sandcastle on the beach. It is on a wonderful...

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Loved It!

 by  GPP_FL  on  2009-01-08

We just spent Halloween weekend at the Don CeSar and loved it! The hotel is very nice. The service was above average and everyone was ...

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Beach-front pink castle

 by  cavalletta  on  2009-01-08

If your little princess dreams of sleeping in a pink castle on the beach, then pack your bags for this Florida resort. The Don CeSar ...

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Right on the Beach!!!

 by  NangirlBoston  on  2009-02-23

What a great hotel! You can't beat Loews. My family and I had just spent 10 days at Loews Santa Monica. Loved it. Now I was lucky enuf to trave...

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Nice, but some problems

 by  Vacationqueen84  on  2009-02-19

We stayed at the Don Cesar last weekend. My husband had booked a Valentine's trip for me. It was a good stay apart from a couple of things that...

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Nice Hotel

 by  BarneyFlash  on  2009-02-15

Stayed at the Don Cesar in February 2009. Hotel was very grand from the outside and the lobby/reception areas. The bedroom was quite small comp...

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Great Location

 by  b00jum  on  2009-02-12

It is a lovely hotel on a beautiful beach and great heated pools for the winter months. We stayed in room 226 which had two small double beds. ...

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delightful

 by  bigredjohn  on  2009-01-26

We selected "The Don" because we thought it would be a delightful step back in time, and it was. The resort dates to the 1920s. The New York Ya...

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It is what it is. And what it is, is very nice.

 by  Olive321  on  2009-01-23

The reviews I have read of the Don are mixed which raised some concerns when we decided to book our trip. The Don falls somwhere between the Ri...

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 by  anonymous  on  2008-06-19

Booked a vacation at the Sabal Palms Hotel (down the beach) and was horified by the conditions. Drawn by the massive pink hotel, we switched the next day after negotiiating a refund. Our son (2.5) loved the pools, grounds, nightly piano player and big beach, one of the nicest hotels we have ever seen. Rooms was a little bit small, but very well decorated and clean. Do not accept a room on "pet" floors (unless you plan on bringing one....) Yoga on the beach was very good but children's activities were limited (staff was very kid friendly). Given that we had no reservations and we were allowed to check in early our firsrt impressions were good, and that may have made a huge difference in how we felt about everything. Overall, it was really really nice. (i have to include that cocktails were all 8 bucks! ouch! but beers were reasonable and drinks were strong:). Poolside was the best service for drinks and food (was truely excelent) but hotel wasn't that busy during our stay. All the amenities made the 200 not seem so brutal. Was refered to by the locals as the nicest place in town and sightly envied. Central A/C was noisy. Linens were high quality.

 by  anonymous  on  2008-06-19

Booked a vacation at the Sabal Palms Hotel (down the beach) and was horified by the conditions. Drawn by the massive pink hotel, we switched the next day after negotiiating a refund. Our son (2.5) loved the pools, grounds, nightly piano player and big beach, one of the nicest hotels we have ever seen. Rooms was a little bit small, but very well decorated and clean. Do not accept a room on "pet" floors (unless you plan on bringing one....) Yoga on the beach was very good but children's activities were limited (staff was very kid friendly). Given that we had no reservations and we were allowed to check in early our firsrt impressions were good, and that may have made a huge difference in how we felt about everything. Overall, it was really really nice. (i have to include that cocktails were all 8 bucks! ouch! but beers were reasonable and drinks were strong:). Poolside was the best service for drinks and food (was truely excelent) but hotel wasn't that busy during our stay.

 by  anonymous  on  2008-05-27

We went for a weekend getaway and clearly picked a bad time - or maybe it is like this all the time. The hotel was jammed with people, 3 weddings that weekend. Not a seat at the pool to be had, nor on the beach. Everyone seems to go down before daybreak and stack their stuff on the lounges. Never a seat available at the pool bar. If you were tall or obnoxious you might get service standing behind the seated people at the bar if you could stand the cigarette smoke while you were waiting. Undisciplined kids abound, I guess if the parents are on vacation they feel their kids get a vacation from having public manners and respect for others. Lovely piano bar in the lobby, you would think it would be a peaceful way to end the day and have a leisurely drink. It would be if people didn't bring their kids in there, dirty sandy feet climbing all over the furniture, and talking and laughing loud. We ate there once for breakfast and once for a late lunch - both times we ate outside. Food was good, service was good. Enjoyed the "dive in", a Saturday night movie by the pool.

 by  anonymous  on  2008-05-02

Checked in late Sunday to find our 400 + a night oceanfront suite has no balconies. In fact there are only a handfull of only the most expensive suites that have balconies. On a resort that sits on one of the most beautiful beaches ever. No balcony, just a 3 foot square window that only opens a crack. They moved us to the beachhouse a half mile away that does have balconies with use of all hotel amenities. The beach house is an outdated old 4 story condo building with run of the mill condos. Your master bedroom has only a queen bed (no kings in the beach house) The hallways are outside with a railing overlooking the parking lot. I forgot to mention the master bedroom window has a view of the outdoor hallway like a cheap motel 6. So if you want any privacy, keep the shades drawn or everyone walking by has a view of your master bedroom. The only saving grace for our luxury beach vacation was the beach itself and the wonderful staff at the resort and the beach house. Don't pay 400 a night for a room with no balcony or a run of the mill condo. Stay somewhere else.

 by  anonymous  on  2008-04-02

Our room was overpriced and undersized. The a/c unit was very noisy. No coffee maker in room. Parking is a hassle. Internet access is expensive.

 by  anonymous  on  2008-03-30

We stayed overnight for one day at the beach (2 adults, 3 tweens) to conclude our Spring Break vacation. The beach was beautiful. The pool area very nice. The room was nice, but a bit crowded for a party of 5.Generally the staff was excellent. They place a high value in calling each customer by name, etc.We ate 2 meals in the casual restaurant. Each time the food was good, but the service was abysmal. Long delays between visits from the wait-staff; requested drink re-fills that never came. For the evening meal, the greeter was down-right rude. She informed us the wait was 45 minutes. No problem I thought. We gave her our name and went to browse through the shops. When we came back 43 minutes later we received a dressing down from her for returning too early. I can not recall ever being made to feel less welcome. Once seated it took another 30 mintues for the waiter to stop by to say he was "busy". It all went downhill from there. I certainly expected better from a hotel of this caliber.While it may not be fair, this one aspect of the Don's operation definitely left me with a poor overall impression.

First class service!

 by  tibbyhime  on  2008-05-01

I was fortunate to stay at the Don CeSar for a conference last month, and it was one of the best hotel experiences I've had in my entire life. ...

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A retreat for F. Scott Fitzgerald and modern-day celebs, this castle by the sea provides water views from every room.

 by  Contributor  on  2004-09-08

In ShortOriginally opened in the late 1920s, this pink palace pampers guests with a full-service spa, surfside massages and a boardwalk wit

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