Tampa Bay Downs

Room is comfortable

As a travel agent I have traveled extensively and reviewed a plethora of properties. I would highly recommend Ocean Club. The check in area is small but it gets the job done. All condos are gulf front with beautiful views. Previous reviews remarked about the music from the pool- we were in room 206 which is almost directly above the pool and we didn’t have a problem. The actual Condo is very clean with everything you need for your stay- pots and pans, dishes, can opener, toaster, keurig (complete with a variety of pods), quality towels, and comfortable beds. There is also a full size washer and dryer in each unit. Others also remarked about “the trek” to the beach. Please remember that the waterline on a beach is variable and building codes require structures to be specific distances from the beach. Additionally, Florida law prohibits the destruction of certain grasses and sea oats. You can rent chairs and umbrellas on the beach OR there are plenty of umbrellas, chairs, sand toys,and floats that are in a communal area left by previous guests. There is a limit to one car per unit and with this parking is free. WiFi can be spotty as my partner did have to use her hotspot in order to work from our unit.

I dined here for brunch a year ago, and decided to return to the Don CeSar this summer as a hotel guest. I had been looking forward to this trip. The hotel is very cute, and the staff are very nice. My only complaint is that they contract out their beach chairs, and the service is shady. They set up their massive cabanas in the front row, and all other beach chairs have to be placed behind the cabanas. They set them up well before 9am, even though the cabana rental period doesn’t begin until 9. If you would like to lay in a chair with a view of the ocean, you must spend $300 to rent a cabana for the day, which doesn’t even include any complimentary snacks or beverages like sodas or juice. It’s just for the view. Despicable. I went down early one morning with a muffin and iced coffee, basically the only person on the beach at 7:45am, I moved my chair slightly over to be able to sip my coffee and watch the waves, and a beach chair employee came over and told me that I can’t move the chairs, they must all be behind the cabana, but that it was too early for me to rent and sit in a cabana. The spa is lovely here, but after spending money at the spa, and all the additional money on food and beverages, I’m not sure I have the patience to be bullied about beach chairs. Just not the 5 star service I would expect from a resort like this one. If you would like a beach front property for the actual beach views, stay somewhere else.