St. Petersburg

Posted by nancy On January - 6 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Beautiful, sandy beaches lapped by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico draw millions of vacationers to St. Petersburg, Florida every year. Sitting just across the bay from Tampa, its bustling sister city, St. Pete has a laid-back, beach-town charm that encourages vacationers to relax and enjoy the many delights this tropical paradise has to offer. In addition to fabulous beaches, an incredible array of water sports and recreational activities, championship golf courses, delightful restaurants, fantastic shopping and an excellent selection of luxurious St. Pete Beach rentals lure vacationers to Florida’s favorite sun-kissed playground.

Tucked among the myriad Gulf Coast pleasures that have made St. Pete such a popular vacation destination is something you will find nowhere else – the Florida Orange Groves Winery. Ranked St. Petersburg’s No. 1 attraction by TripAdvisor, this unusual winery gives vino a distinctive Sunshine State twist. As its name suggests, Florida Orange Groves Winery specializes in wines made from oranges that are, TripAdvisor reviewers universally agree, every bit as good as grape wines. Tours, tastings and more are offered at the main winery located at 1500 Pasadena Avenue South in St. Petersburg.

Your winery tour begins with an interesting 8-minute video that tracks the vineyard’s history and explains how fruit wines are made. Visitors are then taken behind the scenes for a peek at the fermentation area and tour of the bottling and shipping process. At the end of the tour, visitors can enjoy complementary samples of several of the vineyard’s unique fruit wines and smoothies. A welcoming atmosphere and informative staff make a visit to Florida Orange Groves Winery a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Make sure you visit the winery’s great gift shop where you’ll find wine gadgets, wine-related merchandise and lots of kitschy Florida souvenirs.

Start planning your relaxing St. Pete vacation by reserving beautiful St. Petersburg beach rentals on iTrip.net today.




Posted by stacy On June - 15 - 2011 ADD COMMENTS

Photo compliments of Flickr

There are plenty of romantic things to do in St. Petersburg, Florida. The beautiful beaches and restaurants, offering gorgeous views, attract couples from all over the world.

St. Pete Beach, nestled between Boca Ciega Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, offers clear blue water and white soft sand.  Stroll along the beautiful beach or watch the sun set over the gulf from one of the superb local restaurants. Charter boats cater to romance on sunset sails.  You can also charter a sailboat for just the two of you.

Take a romantic, moonlit horse-drawn carriage ride, along the waterfront at St. Pete Pier. Enjoy the water, moon and stars while having some alone time with your sweetheart.

Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum showcases over 200 palms and cycads, representing 45 species from around the globe. It includes beautiful large palms, too large for residential yards.

Dine and watch the sun set at Don Cesar’s Beachside Bar and Grill (3400 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach). The restaurant is situated along the soft sand of St. Pete Beach.  Stroll along the beach and watch the stars sparkle on the water.  The restaurant is within easy reach of beach front condo rentals, St. Petersburg, Florida [http://www.itrip.net/st-petersburg-beaches-vacation-rentals/fl/search].

Fort Desoto Park, situated on an island, consists of 900 unspoiled acres, seven miles of beach and picnic areas on the Gulf of Mexico. The place offers great sightseeing and entertainment.

The upscale Columbia Restaurant (North East 800 2nd Ave) situated on the pier, offers delicious Columbia and Spanish seafood dishes and incredible 360 degree views from floor to ceiling windows. It’s one of the most romantic restaurants in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Find a romantic St. Petersburg vacation rental at iTrip.net!




Posted by stacy On May - 16 - 2011 ADD COMMENTS

Why not spend Memorial Day weekend in sunny Florida?

In the Tampa Bay area, Clearwater or St. Petersburg rentals can help you celebrate freedom at the Freedom Fest happening all weekend long in Oldsmar. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will be launching their new roller coaster, Cheetah Hunt, on Memorial Day weekend and across the street you’ll find fun at the Adventure Island water park.

If you prefer the beach, Tampa Bay has some of the country’s best beaches. There’s

Honeymoon and Caledesi Island in Dunedin, Fort De Soto park at the entrance to Tampa Bay, and John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk in Madeira Beach. They’ve got a shopping village, beach access, dolphin watching tours and fishing charters.

On Memorial Day itself, pay homage at The Armed Forces Museum in Largo. Their annual Memorial Day event will be held from 10 to 5. Or enjoy a perk of being armed forces personnel, (active duty or retired), and get free admission to the Lowry Park Zoo, one of the top 10 zoos in the country.

You will love our Orlando vacation homes which will give you access to Disney World and all the great theme parks in the area. There are plenty of natural wonders too–like Lake Eola Park, located right in the heart of the city, with an amphitheatre, a view of the Orlando skyline, and on Sundays, a farmers market. There’s also the University of Central Florida Arboretum where you can see 600 or so plant species and at least eight ecosystems, including the Swamp Habitat. Stroll or bicycle around the lake, or try out disc golf. On Memorial Day, see the parade in nearby Sanford and observe the holiday tribute at the Veteran’s Memorial Park on the waterfront, with the 21-gun salute and a fly-over by the Sheriff’s office.

Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend right by booking St. Petersburg rentals, Orlando vacation homes or Clearwater Florida condos.




Posted by stacy On March - 8 - 2011 ADD COMMENTS

St. Petersburg, Florida, holds the Guinness World Record for most consecutive days of sunshine – 768! No wonder they call Florida the Sunshine State! Nothing goes better with sunshine than plenty of white sandy beaches and lots of sparkling blue water, and St. Pete has all that and more. Built around the largest city marina in the U.S., life in St. Petersburg revolves around the water and the city’s iconic pier.

Just minutes from the heart of St. Pete’s downtown action, a quieter, more relaxing world beckons. Vacationers flock to the idyllic Gulf Coast cays that shelter the St. Petersburg marina. On these pristine spits of sand that jut into the blue waters of the Gulf, luxurious, waterfront vacation rental properties line the sugar sand beaches of Madeira Beach and Treasure Island.

Beach activities and water sports may be the most popular St. Petersburg vacation activities, but the city also offers an eclectic collection of world-class museums, including the surreal Salvador Dali Museum, the exceptional Museum of Fine Arts (now showcasing British Watercolors and Drawings from the collection of BNY Mellon), and The Great Explorations Children’s Museum where youngsters can enjoy plenty of hands-on fun.

No trip into St. Pete is complete without a visit to the iconic Pier. A mile long, The Pier is dotted with cute little shops and wonderful restaurants. Visit the aquarium or marvel at the unique Florida architecture or just sip a drink and people watch while you listen to the music and soak up the ambience. Be sure you climb to the observation deck on the top floor of The Pier to take in the incredible view. A romantic dinner at Cha Cha Coconuts on the observation deck is a lovely way to end a day in St. Pete, and afterwards you can relax in your St. Petersburg Beach vacation rental.

Start searching for your St. Petersburg condo rental today!




Posted by michelle On November - 30 - 2010 5 COMMENTS

St. Petersburg, Florida (a.k.a. St. Pete) is the fourth largest city in Florida, located in Pinellas County, directly next to Clearwater.

Clearwater, Florida has been in our vacation destination lineup for quite some time, making it easy for vacationers to mosey on over to St. Pete for a quick change of scenery, or ambiance. But now, we are happy to announce that we have officially added St. Pete vacation rentals to our extensive vacation rental marketplace, so you can be exactly where you want to be.

Here are a few reasons why St. Pete is known as a vacation hot spot amongst both American and foreign tourists:

St Pete Beach1. Wide Open, Pristine Beaches – St. Pete’s gorgeous, snow-white, sandy beaches and emerald-green waters are some of the most prestigious in the world. In fact, St. Pete’s Beaches are literally award-winning, voted the number one beach in North America in 2008 and 2009. Some of the area’s top beaches include, of course, St. Pete Beach itself, Madeira Beach, and Treasure Island.

2. Weather/Climate – Sunshine is the keyword here. St. Petersburg, FL holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most consecutive days of sunshine, averaging 360 days of sunshine a year. It is the sunniest place in America, earning it the nickname “The Sunshine City.” Here’s a little known fact for you: Around three-quarters of American teens and adults are vitamin D deficient, a crucial vitamin that helps fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. Sunshine is a natural source of vitamin D- this makes St. Petersburg the perfect place to replenish your vitamin D deficiencies naturally.

St Pete Dali Museum3. The Arts- St. Petersburg is first-rate when it comes to anything art related. It was recently named the #1 Arts Destination of all mid-sized cities in America. At this very moment, St. Pete is up for voting in the Top 10 in the Nation section for their Mainsail Arts Festival, so get your votes in! Aside from its stellar art and art festivals, St. Pete also reigns supreme when it comes to their museums. They have a children’s museum, Great Expectations, a history museum by the St. Petersburg Pier, a Holocaust Museum, and the renewed and rebuilt Salvador Dali Museum, which is home to the largest Dali collection outside of Europe.

4. Location- As mentioned earlier, St. Pete is in close quarters to Clearwater Beach, Madeira Beach, and Treasure Island, making it convenient to hop from one beach to the next. However, if you’re feeling an urge to appease your inner child, Disney World and Orlando are just two hours away. In the other direction, just four hours away, is Miami and the Florida Keys. To put it simply, St. Petersburg is in the center of it all.

These are our top reasons St. Petersburg is the complete Florida vacation experience, but don’t take our word for it- come check out St. Pete yourself and begin making your own list of St. Pete vacation musts.

Here at iTrip.net, we’ve got your St. Petersburg, FL vacation covered, but be sure to stay tuned for a larger St. Pete vacation rental list soon!