Our first visit to St. Pete, Florida was pretty much a dream thanks to RumFish Beach Resort! The perfect Gulf Shore destination right on the white sand beaches with plenty of activities for all ages! Located right outside of Tampa and just a short drive from Orlando, it was the type of vacation that we’ll talk about for years to come!
For the first time in our 19 years of marriage, we didn’t make it to a beach at all this summer. I thought I was okay with it, but as we started getting towards the end of summer… I realized I was not!
Not at all. It was like I couldn’t stop talking about getting to the beach. So when we decided to head to Orlando for a few days in October, I knew immediately that I wanted to tack on a beach vacation for the other half of the week.
We are not familiar with Florida beaches AT ALL, so we started this planning pretty much clueless. But I had always heard about the gorgeous beaches on the Gulf Coat, so I had my heart set on experiencing it in person.
RumFish Beach Resort in St. Pete, Florida
We settled on St. Pete, Florida because it was an easy roadtrip from Orlando, friends had stayed there and raved about it and as I was browsing resorts in the area, I stumbled on RumFish Beach Resort and was hooked. It was the first resort I looked at that made me stop and read more. And because I’m nothing if not thorough, I looked at probably 20 more resorts/hotels but kept coming back to this one!
We were invited as guests of RumFish Beach Resort but all opinions are 100% my own.
There are a few things I always look for when I’m booking a family vacation:
- are the rooms spacious enough for kids plus 2 parents
- bonus points if the rooms have 2 queens or even better if they have 3 beds
- are there multiple dining options on-site
- can we park and then forget about the car for the rest of the week
- are there activities on-site to keep the kids busy? We always bring a massive selection of kids airplane activities for the plane, but by the time we get to our destination, the kiddo wants something new.
These are pretty much my standard questions and when one resort can check off every single one of them, I’m sold.
RumFish Beach Resort did that and so much more!
RumFish Beach Resort Review
When we first arrived it was still a few hours before check-in time. But I had called ahead and they assured me it was no issue to hold our bags while we enjoyed the property and they would let me know when our room was ready.
Parking was easy and very convenient, and the check-in process went just as smoothly! We were all checked-in within minutes and then we set off to explore the property.
Knowing we would be arriving early, I had everyone pack bathing suits and a cover-up in a backpack. It worked out perfectly. There’s a bathroom to change in on the 2nd floor and then we headed down to the beach and pool area.
Honestly, we were enjoying ourselves so much that even once our room was ready for us, we stayed for a couple more hours drinking cold beverages and lounging on one of the many beach beds. You will not have any trouble finding loungers on the sand and beach! There’s plenty for everybody!
RumFish Beach Resort Rooms
But we did eventually make it back to our room, and were pleasantly surprised with how spacious it was! We had a Gulf Front Suite with Balcony and the room was like a whole vacation in itself!
With a separate bedroom with 2 beds and a TV, it was pretty much ideal for our family!
The bathroom and kitchenette separated the bedroom from the living room.
The living room had sofa bed, arm chair and small dining table with a 2nd TV.
And then the balcony. Ahhh, the balcony. I sat out here with a glass of wine and watched the sunset every night.
EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
They weren’t kidding when they said these Gulf Coast sunsets need to be see in person. The whole beach would line up with people every evening just staring in awe at the colors in the sky.
In general, I’m a sucker for a great view from a hotel room. It’s one of the first things I look for. The views at RumFish Beach were spectacular!
RumFish Beach Resort Vacation
But those are the basics of the room and the things you can mostly find just by looking at the website. I’m here to tell you some of the things we loved that you can’t find from looking at a website. Some of the things that can really ruin a vacation for us and that we’ve experienced other places, but didn’t here at RumFish Beach Resort!
NOISE
The older I get, the more bothered I am by noise. I just think I’ve lived in a single family home for so long, that I’m so tuned into every little sound that I hear in hotel rooms. Especially at bedtime. I just cannot sleep at all if I can hear a TV in the room next to us or people talking outside by the pool or at the bar.
I was a little bit nervous about this room both because we faced the pool and bar from the living room but also because the bedroom had a large window with the main walkway on the other side.
But we heard NOTHING! It was so quiet in that room. You could open the door and instantly hear music and people laughing, but as soon as you shut it, it was silent again! It was perfection!
EMPLOYEES
The staff at accommodations can easily make or break your mood on a vacation. The employees here at RumFish Beach were exceptional. Check-in was friendly and helpful, the beach staff that helped set up your cabana were quick and friendly, the food service staff went above and beyond at nearly every meal we were at, the activities staff were having a blast playing games with the kids at the pools.
It just was a fun and relaxed atmosphere! Everyone we encountered seemed happy to help us and so friendly answering all of our questions!
LOCATION
I’m always a little nervous when we visit a place for the first time, because you just never know what the surrounding area is going to be like. Or how convenient our accommodations are going to be from where we’re driving in from.
We scored with this location, though! SO easy to find when you cross the bridge into St. Pete! Directly on the water and surrounded by other shops or restaurants that are in walking distance.
We did drive around a little bit the one day just to see the rest of the town and we even after that, we still agreed that the location of RumFish Beach Resort was pretty ideal!
One of the best parts of RumFish Beach Resort, though, was all the on-site activities that were available! In fact, there were so many that it deserves a post of its own!
Check out TradeWinds Island Beach Resort Amenities for info on dining options, beach activities, pool info and more!
Book Your Stay at RumFish Beach Resort
You can check availability and make your reservations directly through the TradeWinds Island Resorts.
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TradeWinds Island Resorts Website
