The Don Cesar

St Pete Beach, Clearwater and St Pete

Deluxe room with bay views
Superior Room
Spa Oceana, rooftop garden
Couples massage Room, The Loews Don Cesar Hotel, St. Pete's Beach, Florida
The Rowe Bar, Loews Don Cesar, St Pete Beach, Gulf Coast, Florida, USA
Sea Porch Restaurant
A video preview image
Deluxe room with bay views
Superior Room
Spa Oceana, rooftop garden
Couples massage Room, The Loews Don Cesar Hotel, St. Pete's Beach, Florida
The Rowe Bar, Loews Don Cesar, St Pete Beach, Gulf Coast, Florida, USA
Sea Porch Restaurant

The hotel

The stomping ground of celebrities past and present (think F Scott Fitzgerald in earlier years and Justin Timberlake more recently), The Don CeSar Hotel is regarded as Florida’s legendary Pink Palace. Registered with the Historic Hotels of America, it effortlessly blends the Great Gatsby era of pampering with modern European grandeur. Picture-perfect in every way, the beach is a wonderful place to relax or indulge in a variety of exciting water sports – kite surfing anyone? There are also 2 beautifully furnished beachfront swimming pools to take advantage of, so grab a good book and some sun cream and enjoy! Whilst you’re busy, chilling out or enjoying a pampering session at the spa perhaps, the kids will be having at ball at Camp Cesar. Enjoy the family-friendly touches – there are kid’s menus and even a cupboard full of toys to play with! Even a dedicated retail shop carrying all the essentials to keep kids and teens happy and active. At Camp Cesar, however, they’ll have the time of their lives, participating in beach crafts, seashell hunting, castle contests and pool games. Dine around The Don at one of our many restaurants or lounges. Enjoy dining al fresco for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner at Sea Porch, experience an exquisite evening at Maritana Grille, or take in the stunning sunset views with coastal cuisine and cool cocktails at Rowe Bar.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Families
  • Kids Club
  • Room Service
  • Wheelchair access
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Beachfront location
  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Restaurant
  • Sailing

Where is it

Facing the Gulf of Mexico and overlooking the white sand dunes of St Pete Beach.

Hotel information

277 rooms and suites. All with air-conditioning, satellite TV with pay-per-view films, telephone, WiFi, mini-bar*, tea/coffee maker, hairdryer, radio alarm clock, iron and board. Luxury Rooms have 1 king-size bed or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

  • Free night offer: Receive every 4th night free, for stays completed between 1 Jun-20 Dec '20 and 1 Jun-20 Dec '21.

    Any applicable offers have been calculated into the prices shown. Offers may not be combinable. 

Close by attractions include Busch Gardens®, the Dali Museum and downtown St Petersburg – just 15 minutes away. Self-parking $24 plus tax per day, and valet parking from $29 plus tax per day (payable locally, subject to change).

Maritana Grill (fresh seafood dishes with an extensive wine list, dinner), Sea Porch Restaurant (Floribbean cuisine, breakfast, lunch and dinner), poolside Beachcomber Bar & Grill, Lobby Bar, Rowe Bar. Uncle Andy’s Ice-cream Parlour.

2 beachfront swimming pools, whirlpool. 24-hour fitness centre with stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, treadmills and free weights. Spa Oceana* with salon and rooftop lounge. Water sports* including kayak and paddleboard rental. Beach yoga, beach track, water yoga, restorative yoga and zumba. Camp Cesar* (4-12 years) complimentary for 3 hours — activities include scavenger hunts and weekly dive-in movies.

Room service*. Concierge service*. Shoppes at the Don (sundries to swim-wear). Complimentary WiFi throughout. Laundry/dry-cleaning service*.

This hotel has a resort fee of $36 plus tax per room, per day (payable locally, subject to change).

Resort fee includes use of the following amenities - Premium Plus WiFi in all guestrooms - Poolside pampering - Non-motorised water sport rentals 8:00am-10:00am - Half-day access to Camp Cesar for kids, aged (4-12 years) - Complimentary tastings - Two bottled waters daily - History tours - In-room coffee - Pool and beach games - Airline boarding pass printing - Unlimited local phone calls - 24-hour access to fitness centre - Complimentary yoga and aerobics classes daily - 24-hour shoe shine service - Complimentary turndown service upon request - Daily newspaper delivery to room upon request. Resort fee, tax and inclusions are subject to change - please see hotel check-in for current inclusions available to you upon arrival.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

*Denotes local charge

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (3086)
  • Very good (1039)
  • Average (466)
  • Poor (252)
  • Terrible (238)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Locals not wanted

Sep 27, 2020 Tom T St. Petersburg, Florida

I opened up lunch meeting destination to my client to choose and they wanted to try the Rowe Bar for lunch. Having lived near the Don Cesar for years have been multiple times, and while in my opinion overpriced for St Pete local standards, the atmosphere and location is nice. The normal procedure as wr have been accustomed to is validation of… Read more
I opened up lunch meeting destination to my client to choose and they wanted to try the Rowe Bar for lunch. Having lived near the Don Cesar for years have been multiple times, and while in my opinion overpriced for St Pete local standards, the atmosphere and location is nice. The normal procedure as wr have been accustomed to is validation of parking fees at any of the dining outlets, which keeps locals coming tk supplement, particularly slow periods as our visit was mid week lunch in Sept very quiet. However, apparently this policu has abruptly changed, and I was shocked to be told by Rowe Bar the hotel no longer validates parking. Not wanting to cause a scene in front of client, ok so how much can 1.5 hr lunch parking cost - $5 perhaps? As I pulled out of lot at the gate out of lot the price came up as $26, surely a mistake. Rang the buzzer at the gate for clarification and a hotel employee comes on and defiantly insists that is the price and pay it or gate will not be lifted. I proceeded to let him know our disappointment after 22 yrs of patronage with validation to stick us with a $26 parking fee, which was essentially sane cost as lunch to no avail. I will never return to this greedy lack of respect of loxal customers. Thankfully, St Pete Beach area offers countless great restaurants that appreciate all customers,and show it. This is St Pete Beach, not Miami Beach. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Disappointed! Wait until renovations are complete

Sep 26, 2020 bkdj96 Auburn

Maybe it was all of the renovations going on, but we were very disappointed in several ways during our 1 night there. First of all, there's no check in at their front entrance due to renovations. We had to park and carry our luggage across the street & enter through the side door. Okay, not trying to be snotty about that, but then again, we… Read more
Maybe it was all of the renovations going on, but we were very disappointed in several ways during our 1 night there. First of all, there's no check in at their front entrance due to renovations. We had to park and carry our luggage across the street & enter through the side door. Okay, not trying to be snotty about that, but then again, we were staying at an iconic luxury hotel for the first time so our 1st impression was not great. Next on my list of disappointments...the hallways & main areas smelled like mildew & a dirty diaper. I honestly don't know why, but every floor we were on just stunk. Then, there's only 1 restaurant open for us to eat at. We checked in around 3:30pm, went out to the beach & then the rain came. So we decided to sit outside at their poolside/beachside restaurant to enjoy the view & have a glass of wine & appetizer. We were told at check in we could eat there & their lounge for heavy appetizers. So we thought we would have another appetizer later that evening. We were very disappointed when we sat down at the lounge later that evening and it was the exact same menu as the poolside restaurant. Geez! We were also disappointed to find out that their gift shops all closed at 5pm! What else was there to do? 1 place to eat, raining outside, we had one night there so we didn't want to leave the hotel. It was a boring place. Now for the positives - that's why i didn't rate it terrible because there were some positives. The food was very very good. The service was friendly. And when I wanted to get a souvenir from the gift shop, that was already closed, the market next door that was open called for a security personnel to open the doors for me to grab the item I wanted and I paid at the market. Very kind of them to do that for us. And the other positive - the bed was very very comfortable. I think once they get back up and running to normal, it will be a great place to stay. But considering all the of the inconveniences we endured AT FULL RATE PRICES, I'd hold off on staying here. Yes, no discount was offered to us when we booked. Had we known all of this in advance, we would have either asked for a discount or just stayed somewhere else. Oh, and that reminds me...we paid for a beachside view. We got a beachside view, but we had to first overlook the first floor rooftop before you could see the beach view - that was a let down, especially considering the hotel was pretty empty. They could've given us a better room. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A Deco Treasure

Sep 23, 2020 YesICan42 St. Petersburg, Florida

The rich history of the Don CeSar, built in the memory of a lost young love, pours throughout the structure. The drinks in the lobby lounge are excellent. Brunch in the restaurants create lasting memories. The beach area with serviced cabanas is my favorite spot on the Gulf. Don't miss this truly memorial building if you are in the area!
Image of the Tripadvisor rating An absolute disappointment!

Sep 23, 2020 vamanos1 Florida

My husband and I recently stayed here as our first getaway since Covid arrived. We were disappointed in so many ways in what claims to be a five star property. Our room was small, which I understand can happen in older properties, but it also had a large tear in the sheer curtain and a broken, unusable security chain. The hair dryer was… Read more
My husband and I recently stayed here as our first getaway since Covid arrived. We were disappointed in so many ways in what claims to be a five star property. Our room was small, which I understand can happen in older properties, but it also had a large tear in the sheer curtain and a broken, unusable security chain. The hair dryer was missing, the bathroom fixtures had rust on them. One day we returned to our room around 3:00pm needing to shower only to find there was NO water. After calling the front desk we were told there would be water service at about 4:00 - why didn’t the staff post notices about this or leave voice mails on the room phone? The staff was uniformly pleasant which is the only positive thing I can say about this hotel. Some of this could be overlooked in a less expensive property but not at the prices charged at the Don CeSar. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Not a "Luxury" Experience

Sep 22, 2020 935lda Tampa, Florida

Loud Construction Close to Room My sister flew from Phoenix to Florida to surprise me for my 40th Birthday. Months in advance, Katie reserved a room. Upon making reservations for our stay, my sister was warned by the receptionist about the construction, and was promised that the work was on the pool, and nowhere close to our room. Well. . .we… Read more
Loud Construction Close to Room My sister flew from Phoenix to Florida to surprise me for my 40th Birthday. Months in advance, Katie reserved a room. Upon making reservations for our stay, my sister was warned by the receptionist about the construction, and was promised that the work was on the pool, and nowhere close to our room. Well. . .we were awoken early on both Saturday and Sunday morning by very loud construction that was occurring very close to our room. After a night of Birthday revelry and a three hour time difference for my sister, the very loud disturbances ruined our mornings. We were both so excited to sleep-in without our small children waking us! We understand that construction cannot be helped, but The Don Cesar should have been transparent about the work being done within such close proximity of our room. Or, we should have been assigned a room as far away from the construction as possible. The Beachcomber Several members of our family joined us at the Beachcomber on 9/18 & 9/19. Both times, our food took two hours to arrive. General Disarray Throughout our Stay Trash overflowed in our room, food, trays, dishes, and bottles from room service littered the halls of the hotel, a random desk was in the middle of the 2nd floor hallway throughout our entire stay, we were expected to pay for parking when our room fee should have covered the cost and there were plenty of empty parking spots. . .etc. Each guest we met during our stay had similar complaints. Read less