Our little winter get away

So, for Christmas this year my husband gave me the gift of warmth.  Part of this gift was to go on a 4 day trip to St. Pete Beach, FL, where we would stay in the beautiful Don CeSar hotel. Scott and I went there a little over 3 years ago for our 30th anniversary, and enjoyed our time, so we knew what a special treat it was to go there.  

It really is hard to capture the grandeur of this place.  It's quite a stunning scene as you come over the bridge into St. Pete Beach.  You see the Don CeSar Hotel, also known as the Pink Palace, towering over the McPherson Bayou like a beautiful castle. It was built by a developer, William Rowe. He really was ahead of his time, building this resort on the gulf coast of Florida back in 1929.  When you enter the hotel, the quote of Rowe is on the wall for all to see, "Come all ye who seek health and rest, for here they are abundant". This was Rowe's desire some 86 years ago, and this amazing resort is still providing outstanding service and a relaxing experience for all who enter.

 The inside is just as stunning as the exterior.  

Views from our balcony outside our room.

        Just a mile south of the hotel is the community of Pass-A-Grille.  A quaint part of the island

that holds shopping, dining, fishing, it's own beach access and even shuffle board, if you are so inclined.

The Sea Horse Restaurant where locals come for breakfast and lunch.

You can see the Don CeSar in the distance from the Pass-A-Grill beach front food stand.

I became quite enamored with pelicans on this trip. The white necked pelicans migrate south, while the gray necked ones are local birds.  They were so cute, perched on the old dock posts.

 We took a short pontoon ride to Shell Key.  Captain Steve took us the long way to the island so we could spot some dolphin and ride through the beautiful canals and water ways.

Once we got to the island, it's name did not disappoint.  The shells were abundant.  In addition, the water was beautiful.

Just a little tidbit of trivia, the blue house to the left of Scott in the back ground of the picture is owned by Mel Gibson. 

Another fun thing we did was go into the city of St. Petersburg.  A beautiful city that sits on Tampa Bay.  The downtown has parks, beautiful marinas, fun shops to explore and plenty of restaurants.

The Bodega Restaurant, serving Latin food, was the favorite place we ate while on our trip.  A cute place.  You order from the window and all their seating was outside.

On our trip back to Jacksonville, we stopped in at Tarpon Springs, FL.  A Greek community where they dive for and surface most of the sponge in the world.  Who knew?

 Of course, we had to try some Greek fare while we were there.  YUM!!!

Our time at the Don CeSar was a refreshing break.  We were sad to leave it, but are thankful for the time together and are now ready to jump back into our busy life.  Thanks Scott!!!  Time with you was the best present you could give me!