Keeping It Cool at TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach

ST. PETE BEACH, FL – July 26, 2022 – It’s snowbird season, and that means Floridians flock to cooler states during the hot months of summer, not us. InFlorida spends its summer months exploring every inch of Florida’s beautiful landscape eating, drinking, swimming, lounging… you name it. This month, we headed to St. Pete Beach to TradeWinds Island Resorts to soak up the hot sun on the Gulf of Mexico. Don’t worry, SPF is always in our arsenal!

We arrived for check-in and were warmly greeted by TradeWinds’ lovely staff. There are two resorts within the entirety of TradeWinds Island Resorts; The Island Grand Beach Resort and RumFish Beach Resort. The InFlorida Team stayed at The Island Grand Beach Resort. The grand lobby was bright and open with lots of natural light and giant floor-to-ceiling palm trees. Awakenings Lobby Bar, a cocktail and coffee bar, sat right in the middle, where we would soon grab our morning sips the next couple of days. There was also a quaint, little deli that served everything from breakfast sandwiches to cold subs and salads. They also had a ton of St. Pete Beach souvenirs.

At the front desk, the concierge presented us with our keys, VIP wristbands and a beautiful beach bag that came equipped with a soft purple beach towel. We were placed in a corner suite beachside, right by the main pool. We enjoyed our walk to the room as we were surrounded by tropical vegetation and the salty smell of the ocean in the air. Rivers intertwined with the lush landscape where you could cruise on paddle boats throughout the resort as well as a mini golf course to get your putts in during the day.

Our suite felt like a little vacation home. We had a large bedroom and bathroom as well as a kitchen and sitting room. Our balcony looked right out onto the beach and we could listen to the live music playing outside from the comfort of our suite at any time. We were welcomed into our room with a bottle of wine and an array of snacks to enjoy during our stay. After we settled in, we threw on our bathing suits and explored the resort.

If you’re a Floridian or a frequent Florida-flyer, you know it’s imperative to stay hydrated, especially in the summer. With that in mind, our first stop was Salty’s Tiki Bar and Beach Lounge. There’s nothing better than a crisp, spiked seltzer on a hot summer day. I grabbed a pineapple flavored High Noon and found a funky lounge chair to sip my drink and relax on. 

The beach area surrounding Salty’s was very inviting, with outdoor couches and firepits, large woven lounge chairs, and my favorite, hammocks galore. Live music was delivered every day right by the bar and a 21+ pool was right around the corner, which we took full advantage of each day.

After a little relaxation, it was time to explore more of the resort. We walked over to the main pool, put our things on a lounge chair and took a quick dip. Above the pool sat Flying Bridge Bar & Grill, which you had to take a few small bridges to get to, it felt like a little tree house. Details like that are what make resorts feel like you’re in a completely different world. We grabbed another cold drink there, then relaxed in the 21+ pool until it was time to get ready to grab some dinner.

Bermudas Beachside Cantina is a new restaurant at TradeWinds Island Resorts and we were in the mood for some delicious Mexican cuisine. We ordered two margaritas and some queso fundido to start; melted Oaxaca and Monterey Jack with roasted chorizo served with tortilla chips. If you haven’t tried queso with chorizo in it, I highly recommend giving that a go when you have the opportunity. I was in the mood for street tacos; three soft corn tortillas with beef, chili, garlic, pickled red onion, lime juice, cilantro and avocado, while my partner wanted something spicier, like relleno de camarones; fire-roasted poblano filled with shrimp, mushroom, Monterey Jack topped with avocado and roasted red pepper sauce on a bed of cilantro lime rice. You can’t eat at a cantina without polishing off some churros at the end of your meal, and you know the InFlorida Team loves their churros. Our Mexican meal did us in, so we called it a night after dinner and got a good night's sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

Bright and early, we took a long walk around the entire resort. A brick path guided us down the stretch of the beach. The RumFish Beach Resort had a three story zipline called The Zing Ray Zip, lots of places to catch some rays and relax, as well as RumFish Grill where we would be dining that very evening. We stopped, swung on hammocks and listened to the waves before heading to the grand lobby for coffee at Awakenings Lobby Bar and breakfast sandwiches at The Deli.

A front row cabana was reserved for us on the beach, which was amazing considering how hot it was that day. We were perfectly comfortable in the shade. On the water sat two floating Aquabanas, covered, floating cabanas equipped with a table and a cooler of ice. We would come back JUST to sit in one of those! Behind us, people of all ages were flying down the High Tide Water Slide, an inflatable slide that sits three stories tall and 200 feet long. Talk about the perfect way to cool off. We did some cooling off ourselves in the ocean, and soon after, we jumped in the pool.

It was finally time for our highly anticipated dinner at RumFish Grill and boy, were we impressed. We sat right against the 33,500-gallon aquarium that was featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Tanked”. It was filled with beautiful, exotic fish! I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and my partner ordered a beer. Appetizers are essential and we were ready to eat our body weight in seafood. A bread basket was served and we ordered the Florida Snapper Ceviche; aji amarillo, lime, cilantro, onion, tomato, and yuca, Cold Water Oysters with Ginger Mignonette and Charred Octopus; harissa pepper aioli, gigante beans, arugula & oil-cured olives, all delicious and refreshing. For our entrees, we ordered Floribbean Black Grouper; heart of palm, heirloom tomato relish & Israeli couscous and Mahi Mahi with Seared Scallops; roasted cauliflower, fregula salad & cardamom carrot purée. There’s nothing like a super sweet dessert to wrap up the perfect meal. We indulged in the Molten Chocolate Lava; Decadent Dark Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramel Ice Cream & some Vanilla Ice Cream. Our walk back to The Island Grand Beach Resort was much needed after all of that delicious food! We ended our evening at Flying Bridge Bar and Grill for a nightcap before heading back to our suite. We sat by our balcony and sipped on the wine that was gifted to us by the resort.

We woke up feeling refreshed and ready for one last morning walk around the resort, this time with coffee in hand. It was nice to take everything in one last time before our departure. As far as in-state getaways go, the TradeWinds Island Resorts were a real treat. It has everything you need in a resort and we had an all around wonderful experience there. The InFlorida team hopes to return soon!

A huge thank you to TradeWinds Island Resorts for hosting us on this incredible trip!

InFlorida.com

Formerly Florida Coast Magazine