The Villas At St Pete Beach

“Still good, but used to be better”

We stayed at this place about 2.5 years ago, and it was awesome. So, I was pretty excited to go back, thinking I'd have the same great time. But this time around, things were a bit different, and it left me feeling kind of mixed. Back in the day, this place was managed by the hotel next door, and t… more

We stayed at this place about 2.5 years ago, and it was awesome. So, I was pretty excited to go back, thinking I'd have the same great time. But this time around, things were a bit different, and it left me feeling kind of mixed. Back in the day, this place was managed by the hotel next door, and there was a friendly hotel manager you could chat with. But that's all changed now. They told me the property got sold, and it's now all automated. You do your check-in online, and they send you a lock combo to get into your place. Quick tip: You gotta enter that 10-digit code fast, or the lock times out. There's no manager on-site anymore. If you've got questions or issues, you have to call Vacasa, the folks who handle bookings and everything else. But even though I still had a pretty good time in St. Pete, it didn't quite match my previous experience. Here's the lowdown on what was good and not-so-good about my stay at Villas of St. Pete: The Good Stuff: - The location is still a winner, super close to the beach, and you even get your own parking spot. Plus, I loved that I could see the beach right from my porch. - The rooms and the whole place were spick and span. No complaints on the cleanliness front, both in the room and around the property. Most things worked fine, though there were a couple of exceptions. - The room was pretty modern, with a nice big-screen TV. Although the internet connection was a bit iffy. - The kitchen had what you needed – a fridge, a little electric stove, and all the pots and pans for your culinary adventures. - They've got a cool pool area with comfy pool chairs, big umbrellas, cabanas, and chill-out spots all over the place. - They even throw in free bikes to cruise around town. - And if you're into DIY laundry, there's a washer and dryer on hand. The Not-So-Good Stuff: - The shower was a bit of a letdown. The water pressure was weak, making showers take forever, and the bathroom floor turned into a mini pool after every shower because the glass wall only covered half the area. - The Wi-Fi was super limited. So if you're thinking of getting some work done while you're here, you might be in for a rough time. - They don't give you extra trash bags, so by the end of my four-day stay, my tiny bin was overflowing. - Security was a bit sketchy since there was no one on the property. Anyone can stroll in and help themselves. One night, some random guy wandered in and even got into a neighbor's room. They caught him going through their stuff and called the 800 number for Vicasa, but nothing much happened. I saw that guy hanging around a few more times, probably looking for stuff to grab. - Let me tell you about those bath towels. They were like the worst towels ever. Thin microfiber things that stick to your skin and don't do a good job of drying. I seriously hated them and wished they had regular cotton towels. After a day at the beach, a good shower with nice towels is a big deal. - The whole automated setup with no humans around made the place feel cold and not as welcoming. I'm all for tech, but some things just work better with a real person there. So, to sum it up, I've got fond memories of this place, and it's in a killer location. But the lack of staff and some other issues left me a bit disappointed compared to my last visit. Unless they step up the Wi-Fi, security, and get some better towels, I might explore other spots in the area next time. The good stuff still outweighs the bad, but not as much as it used to.

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“Worthy ”

One of the best deals on St Pete Beach. Updated property, renovated rooms. Clean and comfortable. Only a block away from the beach. Nice pool area. Convenient walk to numerous bars and restaurants. Minus two stars for, first, the 15mins it took for the shower water to get hot (annoying and waste o… more

One of the best deals on St Pete Beach. Updated property, renovated rooms. Clean and comfortable. Only a block away from the beach. Nice pool area. Convenient walk to numerous bars and restaurants. Minus two stars for, first, the 15mins it took for the shower water to get hot (annoying and waste of water). And second, it’s 2023 folks, get wifi that works. It should work in the room and not have to “go outside to find a signal” as the owner suggested. I’d most definitely stay here again.

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