Trip Motivation
In October 2022, we took a quick trip to Clearwater Beach, FL. Ben was originally planning on doing a half-marathon race in September that was canceled due to the hurricane. Although the race wasn’t rescheduled, we decided it would still be fun to travel for a quick trip. We still have double Southwest companion passes so this trip was very inexpensive!
We made the repeat trip a year later in October 2023 for the race and spent a few more days exploring the area.
Flying: BNA to TPA: 2 hrs
We purchased tickets from Southwest Airlines for $200 RT/person. One of the main reasons we flew, even though the cost was high, was due to Southwest’s promotion (expired now) to fly before November to earn a companion pass for Jan/Feb. If you’re not working on a promotion, you can fly use Southwest points from Southwest credit cards or by transferring Chase points using the Chase portal. Read more about tips for airline trips here.
When traveling with layovers or to new cities, we always check the local airport website and the Priority Pass Lounge website prior to the trip. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card (in addition to others) comes with Priority Pass access. This card gets you access to various airport lounges. It is much more common internationally. In Nashville, there is a Minute Suites lounge in terminal D.
Another perk you can get from several credit cards we have used is Global Entry/Pre-Check. This is always helpful for avoiding long lines and spending as little time as possible with others. After you activate your credit card, you’ll use it to pay for the Global Entry fee and get reimbursed immediately. If you want more on this particular benefit and how to use a credit card to receive it for free, check out our tips here.
Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach
We love the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach. The hotel is about 40 minutes from the Tampa airport and right across the street from the beach.
Prices vary and can get quick expensive on wedding weekends. The price came with a ton of perks, some available to all guests, and some because of our hotel status. We received free arrival drinks, bar drinks, free breakfast, and a nice suite upgrade to an awesome space. When sleeping with kids, extra space to spread is always a great perk.
You can earn Hyatt points from Hyatt stays, the Hyatt credit card and Chase points, which can be transferred to Hyatt. Learn more about points here.
Between the beach and hotel activities, we filled our days full. Read on to learn more about what to do in this cute city.
Beach Time
It was a little chilly (70 degrees) in late October but that doesn’t stop our kiddos! We spent several hours playing and relaxing on the beach. There were bathroom and showers and lots of restaurant options, all very walkable. Pier 60 is a close walkable distance and had a playground and giant waterslides. <3
Pool Time
Our hotel had a small heated pool. We packed goggles and dive sticks and had a blast. My favorite kind of vacations involve pina coladas and sitter-vising. Virgin with cherries for the littles.
Sunrise Near the Docks
We woke up everyone at 7am and walked a block to the docks to watch the gorgeous sunrise. We’re a lot more likely in our house to see sunsets than sunrises and it was a joy.
Hotel Recreation
Although not as large a property as others we’ve stayed at in Orlando, Maui, Lost Pines, or Coconut Point, there was still an excellent recreation staff ready to make the day fun. There were hourly activities ranging from snow cones to scavenger hunts, watermelon contests, and more. There were also cornhole and foosball tables set up around the rooftop pool. Carter loved it. Ben scoffs that we would spend any time doing something that wasn’t the pool or the beach but the kids had so much fun.
Dolphin Cruise
There are several options for boat cruises to find dolphins. We found a groupon for a cruise that promised dolphins and ice cream. A fun quick 2 hour adventure but super fun.
Eat, Eat, Eat!
Arrival evening: Right next to our hotel, there was a great pizza spot, a burger and milkshake spot, and even a McDonalds next door. We picked up some late night munchies before heading to bed.
Hotel breakfast: Our kiddos are becoming spoiled from hotel breakfast omelets! As a perk of our hotel status, we were able to enjoy free breakfast buffet with omelets, bacon, pancakes, crab benedicts and more!
Lunch: Along the main street, there are tons of choices for yummy seafood and other delicious options. Our lyft driver recommended Frenchy’s, Coco’s and Spotted Donkey. We ate some yummy crab at Frenchy’s south beach and the kids loved an adult portion of shrimp alfredo.
Other Clearwater Recommendations
Final Thoughts
This was a quick trip but so much fun!
