VIBRANT GUIDE: St. Pete, Florida

Hi friends. Welcome to my very first ‘Vibrant Guide’!

Here’s a little back story: My boyfriend is in his final year of medical school, therefore we have been and will continue to be traveling all over the country this year, so that he can audition at different hospitals. What I love about this, is getting to actually live in a new place for a month or so and truly get a feel for the area. We most recently spent the past two months in St. Petersburg, FL. I’ve decided to start creating Vibrant Guides aka a run down of all the places both vibrant (and pure) that you should check out should you ever find yourself in the area. Here we go!

DOWNTOWN ST. PETE

Intermezzo:

We lived in downtown St. Pete, and to be honest, I was probably at Intermezzo almost everyday. They have coffee & matcha (and espresso mint juleps) served till 5, and then they have cocktails served from 5 until late…my kind of place. The vibe at Intermezzo is right up my alley; they have marble and mint green tables, palm leaves and green plants galore, turquoise colored coffee cups, and plush pink chairs.

The Mill:

I’m always looking for a place to eat that has quality food first and foremost, but also a somewhat inventive/creative menu. If I’m going to pay to eat out, I want to experience something I can’t make myself. The Mill provided all of this and more. The food offered on their menu is interesting and SO good.

(watermelon bruschetta)

The FarmTable Kitchen at Locale Market

We came to this place all the time. First of all, the food is seriously insanely good (and quality ingredients). They also have great food & drink specials for happy hour (always a plus…and the reason we went so much !)

(I live for a smoked fish dip, and they were kind enough to sub bread with fresh vegetables for dipping)

(This beauty was on the happy hour menu….)

Bandit:

While I did prefer Intermezzo, Bandit was a close second for coffee/vibes. Bandit also has a beautiful bright white interior with green plants and an industrial chic look. They’ve also got this cool “Hello St. Petersburg” Wall:

 (Vanilla bourbon iced almond milk lattes + an earl grey cronut)

(bouquet latte)

Bodega:

Bodgea is the best place ever. They serve authentic cuban food (with many vegetarian/plant based options if you need it) out of a little window on the street, and next door they serve freshly made juices.

ST. PETE BEACH

HOTELS:

Inn On The Beach 

We had the pleasure of staying here one weekend to get a feel for Pass-A-Grille beach. We stayed in the ‘Gulfstream’ room and it was literally my dream come true…there was a mini orange Smeg fridge! (I’m obsessed with both the color orange & smeg fridges). The room was spacious with a classic big white fluffy hotel bed, a balcony looking right at the ocean, and a full kitchenette with everything we needed. Inn on The Beach is more like a B&B and gives you that ‘at home’ feel; it’s more like staying in a plush apartment vs. a hotel room.

 

Inn On The Beach provided towels, chairs and a cooler, so we really had everything we needed for the perfect beach day.

Our weekend in Pass-A-Grille was made so wonderful due to our accommodations at Inn On The Beach…we will definitely be back!

Grace Restaurant:

Grace is a new restaurant in Pass-A-Grille and it did not disappoint. I loved how innovative and well thought out the menu items were. We spoke to the Chef after we ate and were so delighted to hear how meticulously he planned and created each meal, down to the locally grown romaine lettuce leaves (from innovative indoor hydroponic Brick Street Farms in downtown St. Pete) for the caesar salad (complete with anchovy hush puppies…need I say more?) If you are a scallop person, you MUST try them from Grace, they were unreal.

       (The rare tuna taquito, so good!)

The Don Cesar Hotel:

(Spa Oceana)

If you ever venture to St. Pete Beach, you MUST check out The Don Cesar, though it’s pretty hard to miss, as it is a humongous pink castle and you can pretty much see it from anywhere across the beach. I had way too much fun taking photos all over the hotel, the pink walls and white and pink stripes everywhere are beyond photogenic. We were so lucky to be able to experience Spa Oceana and get a couples massage (p.s. you can go to their Spa and rooftop even if you’re not staying at the hotel!) Everyone who worked there was so kind, and the scene of the massage was breathtaking:

 

After our wonderful massages, we got to go hang out in this gorgeous rooftop and drink some rosé champagne, what’s not to love? BIG thank you to Visit St. Pete Clearwater for setting this up!

Kimpton Zamora

The Kimpton Zamora is a beautiful hotel that brings the fun vibes and views. We had such a great time during our stay enjoying the beach, the pool, the delicious restaurant and the ridiculously amazing views of their ‘‘360 Rooftop Bar’

(views for days…I wasn’t lying about seeing the pink castle everywhere)

(Dinner at Castile)

(ideal room service order…)

If you are a beer fan or are with someone who is…you must check out all the amazing local breweries (they are everywhere!):

Mastry’s 

(Right on St. Pete Beach)

Green Bench Brewing Company

Cigar City Brewing Company

(I’m not typically a beer drinker, but if I ever indulge, my favorite beer is called Jai Alai, a super citrusy hoppy IPA made by Cigar City)

3 daughters brewing

Okay, so these next two are not in St. Pete, they’re in Tampa about 30 minutes away, but they are musts:

Foundation Coffee:

This was the best coffee I had during my stay on the west coast of Florida, hands down. The iced macadamia milk latte was to die for. They also have gluten free and paleo baked good options.

Fancy Free Nursery

This place is right around the corner from Foundation and it seriously my dream come true: gorgeous plants and vintage rugs galore. I had to go in here every time I was nearby.

 

There’s so many more places I could list, but then we’d be here forever. This concludes the first ever Vibrant Guide, hopefully the first of many. Let me know/tag me if you check out any of these places…I’d love to see!