Our Captain takes us to Treasure Island, Treasure Island boasts 4 miles of beautiful beaches, and the famous Treasure Island Municipal Beach is located at the heart of most of the hotels and shopping centers. Every year in November, sand sculptors from around the world come here to compete for the grand prize in the Sand Sculpting Contest. Suddenly a big ray, surprised by our approach, leaps from the water as if it is flying, its golden brown color flashing in the sun over the green Gulf waters.
Treasure Island offers a great variety of lodging options including small motels, cottages, condominiums and larger resort hotels. We pass the well-known Bilmar Beach Resort, with a fitness trail, two heated pools and more amenities;Marriott Residence Inn all suite resort on the beach; Crystal Palms Beach Resort and Island Inn Beach Resort where you might be staying for your vacation. A number of condo hotels, such as Sunset Villas Beachfront Suites and Crystal Palms Beach Resort offer rooms with kitchens and balconies and feel a bit more like home. Older Mom and Pop hotels and motels can still be found with reasonable rates and an old Florida feel. At the southern tip of Treasure Island are the quaint SunsetBeach, BlindPass and the northern tip of St. Pete Beach.
A wonderful feature of Treasure Island is the Treasure Island Municipal Beach access that provides parking at the widest and largest part of the beach. It is very popular with locals as well as visitors and is not as crowded as Clearwater Beach. Additionally, nearby is the Treasure Island Causeway to St. Petersburg that becomes Central Avenue. Follow Central Avenue or First Avenue So. to the spectacular downtown St. Petersburg, Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts and many fine art galleries and incredible restaurants and cafes. This historic Florida city’s downtown is situated on Tampa Bay at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and Municipal Marina. The Vinoy Basin just north of the marina is the location of the world famous Vinoy Hotel, built in the late 1920’s and today offering the same beauty and high levels of service as in the past.
