Just south of the Don Cesar Resort, or what locals like to call "the pink palace," is one of my favorite spots on the planet -- Pass-A-Grille Beach! I discovered it years ago when my daughters and I first moved to the bay area. We have been "hooked" ever since!
Okay, Caladesi Island is one of the premiere beaches in our area and rightfully so. It's gorgeous! Clearwater Beach, also beautiful, long, wide and a favorite with teens and young adults. It has plenty of hotels, water attractions, shopping, bars and restaurants lining the entire beach. If you keep traveling south, you will cross a short bridge to pristine Sand Key and then onward to more sand and surf until you reach St. Petersburg Beach. Yes, I know, they all have their beauty and particular allure, but Pass-A-Grille Beach still keeps calling me back!
My family and I discovered a little gem called Inn on the Beach, at 1401 Gulf Way, Pass-A-Grille Beach, FL 33706 (for your phone app, gps or mapquest) run by very nice innkeeper Shelia McChesney, (727-360-8844; www.innonbeach.com). It's wonderful and adorable! We have spent holidays and many long weekends at the Inn savoring the beach that's right across the street. There is nothing better than getting up in the morning, enjoying the Inn's self serve breakfast, grabbing my sand chair and a cup of hot coffee. I then park myself on the beach to watch the surf and sometimes a pod of dolphins. My daughters even surprised me with a weekend for my birthday (that had a special number associated with it) and I can tell you quite honestly, it was the best birthday ever! Inn on the Beach provides a great little "get-a-way" for those of us that live in the Tampa Bay region. And why not since we have paradise right in our own backyard?
Pass-A-Grille Beach is also home to the Hurricane Restaurant which is a 3-story eatery, bar and entertainment spot, best known for its grouper sandwich. It has an open air bar on the roof which is the ultimate spot to watch the sun set. I have taken some incredible photos from that rooftop with my point and shoot camera...beautiful vistas loving provided by "Mother Nature." 
A short walk from the Inn and around the corner, you'll find a charming little street -- Eighth Avenue, that has more restaurants, bars, an ice cream parlor, artsy shops and jewelry. I love Bamboozle...it's a fun little tropical spot filled with beachwear, gifts, unique jewelry and lots of things Pass-A-Grille! I have my "PAG" sticker on my car to prove it!
Being the creature of habit that I can sometimes be, I always park my car across the street from Inn on the Beach. There are these nifty electronic parking meters that make it so easy to pay for just the right amount of "bronze time." The catwalks are placed at convenient intervals to get you across a section of dune and sea oats to your main attraction -- the beach!
My other favorite spot is The Paradise Grill. It's directly on the beach catty-corner from The Hurricane and a short stroll from my "beach turf." The Grill has a yummy breakfast and lunch menu with plenty of picnic tables. Try to get one with an umbrella for a "break" from the sun. On the opposite side of this beachfront restaurant is a small store with all of the beach essentials that you forgot at home and another necessity -- restrooms! I have to commend Paradise Grill for their "green" savvy. Lined up under the seagrapes are cans for different trash types...plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, etc. Now isn't that eco-responsible? Kudos for setting a "let's keep the beach clean" example! On Friday, Saturday and Sundays beach goers can even enjoy a crafter's bazaar set up on the patio next to the Grill and there's sometimes live music! If you're the observant-type, you'll spy an important fixture -- a large bell mounted on a post overlooking the beach. Every day as the sun sinks into the sea, the bell is rung as a salute to the sunset. Perfecto!
My other favorite spot is The Paradise Grill. It's directly on the beach catty-corner from The Hurricane and a short stroll from my "beach turf." The Grill has a yummy breakfast and lunch menu with plenty of picnic tables. Try to get one with an umbrella for a "break" from the sun. On the opposite side of this beachfront restaurant is a small store with all of the beach essentials that you forgot at home and another necessity -- restrooms! I have to commend Paradise Grill for their "green" savvy. Lined up under the seagrapes are cans for different trash types...plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, etc. Now isn't that eco-responsible? Kudos for setting a "let's keep the beach clean" example! On Friday, Saturday and Sundays beach goers can even enjoy a crafter's bazaar set up on the patio next to the Grill and there's sometimes live music! If you're the observant-type, you'll spy an important fixture -- a large bell mounted on a post overlooking the beach. Every day as the sun sinks into the sea, the bell is rung as a salute to the sunset. Perfecto!
You know, I believe that the main reason that I adore Pass-A-Grille Beach is that it is not overrun by high rise hotels. The street that lines the beach, Gulf Way, is predominantly homes. There are inns and a few condos on this main drag too, but none of them are huge monstrosities. They all fit, rather aesthetically, together! It may not be a very wide beach or a very long beach, but it feels like "old Florida" and kind of cozy. Whether you are a local or a Florida visitor, don't miss spending the day at Pass-A-Grille Beach! Just don't take my parking space, okay?
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