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About
4.5
#3 of 7 resorts in St. Pete Beach
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Retro-Florida meets modern-chic at the new Bellwether Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach. Capturing the vintage spirit of its coastal locale, Bellwether’s iconic architecture and nostalgic interiors set the tone for the resort experience: thoughtful, fun, and unexpected. Debuting summer 2021, Bellwether will become a Sunshine City flagship for unforgettable moments and immersive experiences.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Bellwether Beach Resort is celebrated for its complimentary beach cabanas and prime location, with many guests finding the proximity to beaches and amenities extremely convenient. While the family-friendly resort offers vibrant live music at Bongos and sunset photo sessions that guests appreciate, opinions vary on the atmosphere, with some finding it too loud.
Room experiences are mixed, with praise for ocean views but criticisms of noise and datedness. Service quality and cleanliness receive both accolades and complaints, and while some guests feel the resort fees and dining costs detract from the value, the hotel's beachfront experience still manages to charm numerous travelers.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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The bellwether resort exceeded our expectations. Staff were friendly & accommodating. Excellent water views, comfy beds, & great amenities. Def book a family sunset photo shoot - SO much fun & a great way to capture a special trip. Cheers!
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Jan 16, 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words and positive feedback! We are thrilled to hear that your experience at the Bellwether Resort exceeded your expectations. It's fantastic to know that our staff's friendliness and accommodation, excellent water views, comfortable beds, and great amenities all contributed to making your stay special. We're especially delighted that you enjoyed the family sunset photo shoot – capturing those special moments is indeed a wonderful way to commemorate a special trip. Cheers to creating memorable experiences, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more enjoyable stays in the future!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Upon arriving late we were given a 2nd floor oceanfront. They should not consider that oceanfront when you can barely see the ocean unless you look through the palm trees. They said they were sold out and no other higher oceanfront room was available but to check back in the morning.
When I checked the next morning they said it was very likely they could move me and that they did, to the 8th floor. That was the view I paid for so I was very happy they could make things better.
The beachside bar service was great and a must for everyone to try once in their life. We ate both breakfast and lunch at Bongos and food was good, just slow service.
The beach is beautiful day and night. The resort fee includes cabana and chairs or umbrella and chairs but beware, they don’t have endless quantities and one day we were there I heard them telling people they were all out. So get yours early.
Dinner at Spinners on the top floor was amazing. Food was delicious although service was very slow. It was pricey but that was expected. We had reservations at 7 so we had perfect timing for the sunset!
The cons…with no room cleaning done, the sand on your floors stays there and is really a pain. I never asked for them to clean the room so I guess that’s on me but I find it hard to believe that not cleaning rooms is still a “Covid” excuse.. especially when you pay what you pay as well as a $45 resort fee.
In addition, I had a separate room for my daughter. One day she was sleeping late and housekeeping walked all the way into the room. And when she asked them to leave a few minutes later another one came in! She never asked for housekeeping so there was no reason for them to let themselves into the room
There is no hot tub and no fitness center. Not sure I’ve ever been to a hotel, never mind a “resort” that didn’t have a fitness center.
Make sure you check your bill! Both of my rooms had a $50/night food/beverage credit but they never applied the credit and settled my room charge to my credit card without the credits. I had to email and ask for it. They quickly gave me the credit back to my card upon my request.
Overall I would most definitely stay there again but maybe not Spring break week with the prices so high.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Mar 22, 2022
Nancy, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I am very pleased to hear that you enjoyed such an amazing stay. It is a pleasure to hear that you enjoyed breathtaking views, our on-site restaurants Bongos and Spinners and delicious food and drinks. I have made sure to read over your other feedback and will make sure it is shared the appropriate staff members. I hope to welcome you back again soon for another great stay very soon!
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We loved the chic fun style at this renovated hotel! They offer everything you need for families (pool, beach chairs, water sports rentals nearby) and adults (Level 11 and great drinks). We visited the lobby coffee bar each morning (great service) and dining at Bongos on the beach was so fun, not to mention watching the incredible sunsets. When we called for extra towels, they were delivered quickly - we loved the stylish rooms with large beds and sitting on the balcony. It was just a great stay ON THE BEACH and we can't wait to go back again!
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Date of stay: November 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Nov 30, 2021
Hello, Amy. Thank you for your review. It is wonderful to hear you enjoyed our wonderful amenities, great drinks at Level 11, dining at Bongos and our beautiful sunsets during your stay with us. We value your business and will see you again soon for another stay!
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Visited the resort 3/10-3/16 2022. Resort is overpriced and still outdated. Placed in room 201 looking out the side of the hotel so our view was trash cans, dead trees, tractor, and the resort next door. They do not clean your room unless you make an appointment 24 hours in advance. I suggest making appointments unless you want sand on your feet, overflowing trash cans, and dirty towels. They text prior to arrival regarding the phone number to call when at the resort. When you call the number they tell you to text them. They never responded to my text messages…said it was a glitch. They only replace towels if you go to the front desk and request fresh towels be brought to your room. If it’s raining they close Bongo’s Beach Bar and floor 11 bar so you have no place to go. We took Uber’s to other bars. Lunch service at Bongo’s was very slow! We waited 45 minutes for our drinks. Our food arrived before our drinks. Coffee/breakfast shop in lobby had long lines every morning. Spinner’s restaurant on the top floor was cool with great food! Make your reservation at least 6 weeks in advance. Floor 11 bar has amazing views and sunsets. If you want a beach chair go down around 8:45 to put towels on them. Lots of mad and frustrated guests were told no more chairs available. Beach was clean, busy, and beautiful! The sand is super soft! The outdoor pool is really small. It only had about 10 chairs on one side. We loved the smaller restaurant next door called Mad Fish. The liquor store across the street was convenient for water.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Uber from airport to resort at 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday was $90.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Mar 22, 2022
Kelly, thank you for taking the time to provide a review. I am very disappointed to hear that your recent stay with us did not meet your expectations. It is our highest priority to ensure our guests are being provided the most quality and seamless stay while visiting with us. I can assure you that we truly value guest feedback and your concerns and feedback will be shared with the rest of the leadership staff immediately. It is my hope that you reconsider and stay with us again for the valuable stay you deserve.
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They received a 2 because the place is clean. Otherwise, I would rate this a 1. This place is definitely not a Resort! From the minute we walked in we experienced frustrations. There was nobody at the check in desk. We waited while the desk manager ran around outside trying to assist others with towels, umbrellas etc. so right from the start you see how desperately understaffed they are. And yet, they have no qualms charging full prices for services not delivered. Do not expect a Resort! This is one step up from a Residence Inn and that because they are on the water. The facilities itself is equivalent to a Residence Inn. Do not expect housekeeping! We received a message a day before checking in saying there is no housekeeping, but you can call down if you need your room cleaned, or you need your garbage taken out, clean towels, toilet paper or soap. The soap consists of tiny bars of dial soap and industrial shampoo, conditioner and body soap on the wall. Thank goodness I happened to have my own shower cap. All of the staff short of the front desk were extremely nice however, they are so over worked. It is not pleasant to sit and have a drink with appetizers when you see the one person waiting on tables working so hard. It’s hard to not want to help out. The beach is beautiful! But be prepared to wake up at 6:30/7:00am to run down and claim your spot/cabana in the front row. You can save your space by simply placing a sandal on the chair. There are 4 plus rows of cabanas. After the second row, you see nothing of the beach. It’s tent city. So overall, there is absolutely nothing about this place that earns them the name Resort. Please beware .
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Know what your getting
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Mar 11, 2022
Hello, thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review and feedback. To say that we are highly disappointed to hear of your most recent experiences at our property is an understatement. Providing our guests with the highest quality stay is our very top priority and we apologize that our property did not meet your expectations. We highly value guest feedback and will share your feedback and concerns with our leadership team to ensure these issues are addressed.
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Our stay during the first week of May 2022 left us less than impressed. Not sure the Bellwether rises to the level of a resort, rather just a hotel on the beach. Although the views from the room were enjoyable, the Bellwether needs to do some tweaking. They appear to be trying at this "resort" but falling flat. First, how about better illumination for the resort's sign on Gulf Boulevard? It's lit by a single weak light leaving it pretty much dark at night when looking for the entrance which makes no sense.Why would a "resort" have a dark entrance sign? It makes no sense. Good luck trying to find someone outside to help you with luggage...maybe they were too busy filling the Kool-Aid dispenser in the lobby located at the rear of the building (???). Upon arrival, the front desk staff stated that housekeeping services would be available every third day of our stay. Well, the third day arrived and NO HOUSEKEEPING. We emptied our own trash and had to request additional towels and soap. In fact, when we consulted with the front desk staff, our names and room weren't even listed on the housekeeping list as originally requested. Not sure if this was a factor of the "resort" having trouble finding employees or what. When housekeeping finally did arrive on the 4th day of our stay, the room was not cleaned thoroughly, bathroom mirror was spotted, sink not wiped down and just an overall lack of effort put forth. You would expect more from a "resort."Deciding to utilize the beach services of a cabana and towels was a mistake after receiving a reply of "no ingles" from the male employee sitting by the beach shack. Seriously? No English? He was quick to accept our tip, however, once a translation occurred. Forget breakfast at Bongo's connected to the "resort" - limited menu and although the menu reads "two eggs any style," you will be limited to scrambled and fried. Head down to Frog Pond or La Croisette just down the boulevard for breakfast - no disappointments at either. Other than the location, there are better choices for accommodations. Unless you're really bedazzled by a spinning restaurant, look elsewhere in St.Pete.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Choose a room allowing views of the Gulf and away from the elevators.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded May 19, 2022
Hello El V, Thank you for taking time to share detailed feedback about your recent stay. I am happy you enjoyed the view from your room and ultimately hope you had a great time relaxing on the beach in the cabana. While I’m disappointed to read about the experience you describe I sincerely value your comments and have shared them with our leadership team. I do hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back to St. Pete Beach in the future.
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I want to start by saying this is a cute retro style contemporary maybe 3 star hotel. I was trying to find an oceanfront room in Saint Pete Beach at an affordable price for many months and came across The Bellweather. We stayed at the Bellweather for two nights 10/16-10/18/22 at $347 plus resort fee about $945 total in an ocean front balcony room. It was a quaint, quiet and a relaxing time to be there in Saint Pete Beach & loved the breathtaking ocean viewes & sunsets at the Bellweather especially from our room. Here’s my experience:
The Bellweather lobby is so cute, very fun retro looking and updated as well as the lobby restrooms & guest rooms. However it stops there, to get to the rooms and rooftop you go in the old slow elevator and step out into the old hot hallway that has retro space (Jetsons style) silver fans circulating the hot air around. I think I could get over that… if the bathroom in my hotel room had been cleaned. There were mounds of long hair from the guest before me all over the bathroom floor. The sink was clean & the toilet but the shower & the bathroom floor were dirty as well as the light switches, dirty. It’s a small updated bathroom but just not clean. We went over to Walgreens to buy Clorox wipes to wipe down all the light switches and doorhandles to relax in the room. The beachy style room itself floor & bedding was clean though. One of the elevators broke so we used the stairs to keep moving as the elevators got crowded. I like to exercise so going to the 6th floor up & down was not a problem.
After all that, the price I paid for this hotel was nowhere near the price I would have paid for an oceanfront balcony room at the Don Cesar which was $700++ dollars a night. Basically I got an ocean front balcony room at a reasonable price in a hotel the does “attempt” to be a 4-5 star hotel although it is not. It tries to be based on the amenities. I love the fact that the cabanas, chairs, umbrellas & parking are all included in the resort fee. I did not like the towels that were out on the beach, they were rough feeling and very old, I air dried after a swim. I loved Level 11 rooftop bar with 360 views of the ocean & town. We went there every night for a nightcap. The views are stunning and well worth going up. Spinners rooftop restaurant is a cool concept & looked beautiful although I did not eat there, we passed through to get to the Level 11 outdoor roof bar. The drinks & hospitality were great at Level 11 & Bongos too. The concierge gentleman was awesome and bar tenders, barista’s too, super friendly & excellent customer service. Cleanliness is just not up to par…I could be considered nitpicky as I do understand traveling to new places is a journey & a learning experience…sometimes you get what you pay for.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Parking, beach chairs umbrellas & towels are included in the resort fee & easy to park in...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Oct 24, 2022
Hi Nicole, thank you for sharing your experiences and detailed feedback. I am delighted to read that you enjoyed our private beach and your time at our restaurants. There is so much fun to be had at our beautiful resort, and I love that you could enjoy so many activities. At our resort, we take upkeep and cleanliness very seriously, and your room should always feel fresh and clean. I can assure your feedback will be shared with the rest of the leadership staff. I hope to welcome you back again soon for another great stay!
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I would NOT recommend this hotel. It is over-priced to begin with, and when you add the $45 resort fee (which basically gets you nothing except towels for their ridiculously small pool), it’s even worse. While some of the staff are nice, a good portion of the staff are rude and unorganized. Check-in is at 4pm, but when I arrived at 3pm my room wasn’t ready. I asked when it may be ready and the person told me “I have no clue. It’ll be ready when I call to tell you it’s ready.” There is no maid service so you have to call if you need anything, however if you ask for something they make it seem as if you’re inconveniencing them. They claim the casual restaurant doesn’t have a phone, so I’d you want to get food to take to the room you actually have to go sit at the loud bar, order and wait for it. I was there for a wedding and had to ask multiple times for my welcome back that the bride & groom left for us, and again, it seemed like I was inconveniencing the staff when I asked. I only stayed there because the wedding was there, but now I wish I would have saved my money and stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn down the road. Even the pool looked better there. The only redeeming quality was that the rooms were clean and had two king beds instead of two queen size beds.
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have stayed at the Bellwether 4 or 5 times, and up until this visit it had been great. When we checked in the person at the desk questioned my referencing vouchers offered when I made the reservation for a free drink, coffee, and appetizer at each of their respective restaurants. He finally gave them to me as I was checking my phone for the reference. But the vouchers were for ONE of each, and there are two of us. (That seemed cheap.) Also, we understand and agree with having room service only once every 3 days. But our shower leaked and so on day 3, (actually day 4), we took the "Do not Disturb" sign off the door. When we returned very late in the day no one had addressed our room. We were out of dry towels, since we were using some to mop up the floor. The next morning we mentioned the leak, which had gotten worse. We asked to be moved, but that was not a possibility. So we stressed the need for room service to replenish towels, etc. The leak repair worker did not get to our room until after 7 pm.... right about the time we needed to clean up for dinner. Someone had brought towels and made up our bed. But they left no bathmat, no toilet paper, no coffee..... Yes, we were able to get the missing items after asking, but attention to detail was not the greatest. Our room was also right next to an elevator on a low level. We were able to see and hear wedding parties right below us. Our tab was nearly $4,000 for one week, so we feel like our room and the service and/or the lack of ability to switch rooms when we had to wade through water in our bathroom was a lot. We also did a lot of waiting around thinking first, room service was coming, then the next day, the worker was coming any minute to fix the leak. We felt somewhat "homeless" for a large portion of two days. Upon returning home, I gave a review directly to the hotel stressing these same issues and no one reached out at all. It is disappointing. Not sure if we will go back.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Mar 16, 2023
Hello, thank you for sharing about your experience. I’m thrilled to have seen a familiar face, but disappointed to read your latest visit didn’t meet your expectations. Working hard to ensure a peaceful and relaxing environment is always our goal, and we are disheartened to hear the inconvenience you describe. As you know, this anomaly doesn’t represent the serene getaways we’re known for. Your feedback is appreciated and will help us further elevate our guest experience for the future. Thank you again and we hope to see you in your future travels.
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Ugh. Came for my niece’s wedding. The lobby is very nice as is the beach but although a lot of renovations were done, a lot of it comes off as cosmetic only. The bathrooms near the outdoor bar and restaurant are very bad. Whomever did the tiling job had no clue what they were doing.
The really bad part - come wedding reception time, we went up to the penthouse and it was (literally) 88 degrees. A/C worked and they tried to bring out some portable units that did nothing. No shades on the windows so the sun just baked everyone. Older guests all left the reception because they could not take the heat. Felt so bad for my niece and her new husband. Food was not very good either. Everything was over seasoned with lots of herbs and salt, to the detriment of the dishes.
As for our room, was ok and was clean. The bed killed my back terribly - very stiff. Don’t expect to sleep late - as soon as the sun is up, the room is very bright. There are only white shutters and no shades or blackout curtains, etc.
Overall, beach nice. Beyond that, for the price I would go somewhere else.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Food at the bar is not very good. Have drinks and go eat somewhere else
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Property Management, Owner at Bellwether Beach Resort
Responded Oct 18, 2021
Hello, firstly thank you for taking the time to provide us your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve the experience of our guests and are disappointed to hear about the inconveniences you encountered. We want to assure you that we have shared your feedback with our team and we hope to have the opportunity to host you again in the future for the opportunity to better impress.
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Same - in our room it was under the window. Because you’re asking about a very specific room setup I suggest you ask at the front desk. The staff is super friendly and very likely willing to find out for you.
There are more places to choose from in the St. Pete Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
C$301 - C$487 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
grand plaza beachfront resort hotel saint pete beach, grand plaza beachfront resort hotel and conference center, grand plaza beachfront hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Grand Plaza Beach Hotel St. Pete Beach | Florida
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaSt. Pete Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
156
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
