Hey everyone thanks so much for watching. If you are planning a visit to Tradewinds and have questions about staying, leave them in the comments. If you have stayed in the area and have other hotel and resort recommendations leave those in the comments too as we do want to experience other accommodations in the area!
This was the very BEST video I have seen about the Trade Winds Resorts. The paddle boats... I sent this video to all of my family in Ohio & Virginia. I want to treat them to a week at the Grand Island Resort next year. Maybe some prefer 2024. How far in advance should I book for June 2023?
This is always the hardest part of planning a trip and often the make or break when planning a much needed getaway. So glad you are adding resorts and hotel reviews to your channel. This one is exactly to our liking and budget.
We have been trying to incorporate some great viewer suggestions...including visiting hotels and resorts 😉 we are really happy to finally be able to include this kind of content! Thanks so much for your support and suggestions 😊
Booked this resort to celebrate our 9 year anniversary in a few months. We're also local Floridians who have never booked a beach cabana. Thanks for the great video!
Wow I can only imagine how much it has changed throughout the years! Thanks so much for watching 😊 With so many options in the area, what keeps you coming back to Tradewinds?
So in this video we had the room right in front of you but we left and got a newer building. It was like an antique hotel. Just got back and could not be happier to be back in South Florida, where I’m 10 min from the beach. I’m honestly glad I live in the most expensive city of Florida as well. Wow just wow. St. Pete is in need of an upgrade. Everything there should get renovated. And I mean everything. All resorts. Don Cesar too! It was super rough ocean too and lots of extra seaweed. So glad to be home. 🌴 we had 1 good sunset. I will give you that, the sunsets are really nice. Also the fire pit smelled so bad at night on our balcony. Another reason we switched rooms. I love smell of fire but the smoke that got into the room was bad. I immediately recognized your room lol so we would have been neighbors. I’m glad we moved buildings and had a newer room!!!!! It was the building to the left. It’s been changed since this video from 2 years ago. We just got home today!!!!!! They did give us free meals and drinks though. ❤❤❤
It sounds like St. Pete Beach just might not be your vibe, but it sounds like you had some bad luck too. Generally this time of year you'll get a good sunset at least 70-80%, so to only get one during your trip is definitely not typical. Also, the gulf waters are generally calmer that the waters on the Atlantic coast. They definitely get rough, but more often than not they aren't (again, bad luck if you prefer calm waters). Bad luck on the seaweed too, as on most of our more recent trips to the beach we've barely seen any. I (Skylar) actually enjoy bigger waves, so I'd probably prefer the Atlantic Coast in that respect. Back when we visited the Tradewinds, we definitely would not have considered it to be modern, but it we did think it was a bargain for the price, mainly due to location and amenities. It's crazy that they initially put you in a room right next to ours! The smoke situation that you mentioned definitely would have deterred us as well. Coming from South Florida, we can definitely see how St. Pete Beach is a bit of a culture shock 😂. They definitely try to keep that old Florida beach town feel... which means not having a whole lot of trendy/modern hotels and resorts. It may seem a bit crazy, but a LOT of people we talk to don't like the modern hotels/resorts. They find them to be sterile and not feel homey. We love the laid back vibes of our beach towns here on the Gulf Coast, but like you we do generally prefer more modern hotels too. I guess our preference would be if the hotels/resorts could all have modern room interiors, but everything else could stay old school!
@@Explorcation I lived in St. Pete for a good year in my early 20s after college. I don’t remember it the same. The beach side seemed very run down and not well kept. South Florida has a little more class and manners. Just my observation from this recent trip. It was all congested w run down places to shop etc. not like that here. We definitely went around to some other areas as well like Slice of the burg which has the absolute best pizza and so many vegan options and that was a 10/10. We like Naples and had more fun there…. In terms of west coast preferences. Where did you guys move???
@@Explorcation Skylar I love your comment to me. Thank you!!!! Yeah we are laid back but it wasn’t like the laid back vibe we expected. It felt sort of trashy. :( we aren’t toooo far from the keys and I feel more laid back there versus st Pete beach, yes the rough waters we are used to. I mean it’s not rough compared to New Jersey lol but ya when we went to Naples so calm. The seaweed is generally good but lately it’s been extra from pollution and fracking (you can read on that … it’s a separate situation). We only had 1 sunset. I’m glad to experience the one. I grew up going to jersey shore every summer and my brother lives in Cali literally pacific coast so I’m not one to complain and I’m aware of gulf versus pacific versus Atlantic versus Indian etc but wow just wow The price was okay. But we had blood and stuff in our room. We literally didn’t get in our room until after 11pm lol. Anyways it is what it is but we aren’t super big air bnb fans for a many myriad of serious reasons that include but aren’t limited to : trying not to continue to allow the greedy to get more greed and our hardworking money. I overall had a great time because we went to Orlando first lol and did Harry Potter which I love and had the best frozen vegan butter beer and plenty of water rides. It was sort of out of the way but we left south Florida for universal then from universal to st Pete. My parents were in treasure island, I’d have chosen Tampa but landed on trandwinds after your video and to remain 4 miles from family. Not mad at you guys at all. The don Cesar had some renovations going or we’d have chosen there. I could def tell it’s not as modern from my research. We def enjoyed the amenities etc and the beach service is a breeze. I didn’t do the slide and I was bummed because it was really safe and study but maybe next time. The drive from Orlando to st Pete was amazing It’s over 3 hours to universal. Our way home we went through Florida in some terrible farm areas like the poorest county, de Soto lol and that’s not for us but it was a good experience to embrace south Florida. We want to move but are now very unlikely to go on the west coast of Florida unless it’s west coast as in California. lol.
@@veganmermaidyogi3299 that's funny you mentioned Naples because we almost suggested that as a Gulf Coast city that a South Florida fan would probably enjoy. We do enjoy Naples too, although parts of it are a bit boujee for us. We ended up moving to some new construction apartments just south of St. Pete on the other side of the Skyway bridge. It's very modern, but a bit more rural, and very calm and relaxing which has turned out to be exactly what we need in between all of our travels!
Fantastic video! So glad I found your channel..we retired to southwest Florida 4 years ago and are looking to explore the beaches in your area. Deciding where to stay is hard with the many options so this is very helpful! Would love to see more resort/hotel tours! Love all your videos, keep up the great work❤️
We're so glad you found the video to be helpful, Andrea. If you haven't already watched our top 10 beaches video, we'd highly recommend you check it out, as we list the pros and cons of our 10 favorite beaches in the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area. We would certainly like to do more beach hotel/resort tours as well, but this time of year they are so expensive! We hope that we can do a few more this fall though!
I stayed here many times when it was called the Alden, before TradeWinds purchased the property. They used to have great deals on two room suites located on the side of the building. They aren't ocean front rooms, but the rooms are angled, so they still provided a great view of the beach. I have some great childhood memories of the place, and I came back there many times as an adult. I really need to come and visit now that it's part of TradeWinds, which is another property I stayed at a few times. I'm sure the room rates have increased now that TradeWinds owns the property.
We stayed at the TradeWinds Island Grand this past spring. We loved it!!!! We can't wait to get back to St. Pete, when we come back we will be staying there again! Bonus, it's not too far from Bongos!
Thanks so much for watching, Billy. I think it would be hard to find someone who wouldn't love Tradewinds. It really has something for everyone. Glad to hear that you will back to St. Pete Beach and will be staying there again. And we 100% agree about the proximity to Bongo's. Probably our favorite bar on all of St. Pete Beach!
Thank you for your video. This helped so much. I wish the pools had an island look to it. I heard they are expanding, which would be awesome. They are upgrading the pool area.
This seems like an amazing Resort and I would definitely love to stay in that room. I really like how many different activities there are there I would try the paddle boating for sure. My husband would love to do the sunset s'mores and happy hour drinks. But he'd probably be hiding in the shade while I enjoyed the pool and all of the sunshine ☀️ but the slides might get his attention!!
Alan could hang out in the covered pool while you relax in the sun at one of the uncovered pools! The slide is definitely worth trying at least once, and the paddleboats are fun and relaxing (when you're not crashing them).
What an amazing view you had! Looking so beautiful. Watching this just makes us want to go to a resort and have an actual time off from everything. This place is huge, they have paddleboards too! Nice they have a happy hour as well. Loce smores. Seems like an amazing time!
The view from the room really was great. We wish we could have had another day at the resort just to relax, though. There was WAY too much to do in just a single day!
Well that makes our 8 years not seem so bad 😂. We hope you got to spend a bit more time enjoying them than we did! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Stay at the RumFish Grill resort. Youll love it!! It’s better than the big tall building and you have the same amenities. I’m headed there for my third time. 👍
What an amazing resort, you guys did such a good job showing it off and managed to do so much. I can’t believe there’s even more things to do 😅 I loved the s’mores area and would totally have one before dinner! Really cool that you had an aquarium view at dinner. Your room was amazing, especially the view. And how cool that beach cabana rental is included! It’s so convenient!
We could hardly believe how much there was to do either. It really exceed our expectations. And believe it or not, there were actually a few other establishments and activities that were temporarily shut down due to COVID. So normally there would be even more to do.
I am loving y’all’s vlogs me and the hubby will be at st Pete’s beach at the end of June we are staying across from Madeira beach and we can’t wait. Y’all have helped us pick so fun fun stuff we can’t wait.
It's so great to hear that our channel has helped you two plan out your upcoming vacation. We hope that you have an awesome time! Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment, Sarah!
Listen you two...I’m concerned about your drinking habits. By that I mean your habit of drinking without us! Lol! You two do a great job. I enjoy your videos.
😂your concern is greatly appreciated, Ron. You can rest assured that our New Years resolutions this year will not be to give up drinking! Thanks so much for the kind comments, and have a happy new year.
Thanks for watching, Kathy. We are hoping that this resort stay will be the first of many! As long as these types of videos get views and great comments like yours, we'll keep making them!
If you haven't already, I would recommend a video on the Margaritaville Beach Hotel on Pensacola beach. Stay in a King Corner suite. I promise you won't be disappointed. Then visit the Gulf Islands National seashore just east of town for a quiet and remote beach experience. If you go off season in September after labor day, and during the work week, you may only see one other couple on the National sea shore.
Thanks so much, Arnold. We have not made it up to Pensacola yet, but we certainly plan to in the future. We'll always appreciate recommendations and would love to check the Margaritaville Beach Hotel out!
Did you guys get sponsored to make this!?!?! It's super comprehensive and love that you showed everything about it! Love the full suite tour though! Microwave, Stove, Fridge... That is awesome!!! Wow, Two beds and then a couch that pulls out! You are right, that view is truly special. So fun that you are doing the fun activities!!!! SLIDE!!! HAHA only adults. Paddle boat is fun too! Always drinking
No, but we are hopeful that this video could potentially lead to some in the future. There really are SO MANY beachfront resorts and hotels in our area, and choosing between the can be a struggle. We hope that eventually we'll have experienced several of them and can provide our viewers with some good reviews and recommendations! Tradewinds is definitely one we'd recommend to almost anyone who can fit a stay there into their budget!
Wow amazing views guys! Resort life really suits you. Love your room and the amenities look so fun! I would definitely try the slide and the paddle boats. Pity you missed the surf simulation! That looks so cool! Jaime you are an expert s’more maker. That look’s so good.
Check out the Doubletree in Redington beach on Gulf blv. Skyler will like that tiki bar at sunset! Great beach burger too! Beachfront room is so worth it too !
Love all the waterways with ducks everywhere and the paddle boats for guests is so cool too 🤩 we would definitely be going down that slide too, love all the fun stuff at the resort not to mention the beautiful beach views. Shame about the mechanical surfboard but love your idea to go get a drink instead. That aquarium would have us distracted too. You guys look like you had so much fun, pool, beer and musician sounds great until the storm stopped it but the sunset and drinks time looks amazing, those rum drinks and s’mores before dinner looked great. We need a vacation after seeing this! 😎
It really was a fun time. It definitely felt a bit like work when you're trying to film so much in a single day. But we'd be lying if we said we didn't have a lot of fun too. But it was definitely one of those vacations that you need another vacation to recover from!
@@Explorcation we completely understand what you mean, when we do a full filming day it feels intense and does take away from the relaxation a bit, you definitely time out after for a rest!
Wow guys, that was a long one and have been going back and forth for the last few days to get it finished. I really like the variety wth adding the Hotel stay in and the Tradewinds Rumfish resort looked like a really great spot. It was lucky you got a room with such an awesome view and the rooms looked really great! That floating water slide was great too - We have a few of them popping up all over the place here in Australia. The paddleboat ride was something a little different too ! Those damn storms upsetting your plans :(...I do like me some smores. Not big over here, but I have had them in the States a few times! Good to see they did spoil your meal - You should have had one Skyler HAHA. I just loved the cabana - We don't have a lot of them on our beaches. Mostly we have to bring our own. But I do know beachside resorts will always have some chairs. Great addition guys and thanks for sharing!
Yeah, it ended up being the longest video we've ever done. Definitely will not be the new norm... way too much time editing! Honestly though, the video easily could have been longer. We were only at the place for about 20 hours, but it seemed we were filming constantly as there was so much to see and do at the place. And yeah, we pretty much just expect the weather to interrupt our plans whenever we do anything outdoors in the summer. But summer here will be over soon, and we get to look forward to 6 months straight of beautiful and mostly dry weather!
@@Explorcation I would be interested to know how your analytics goes for this one. Engagement rate and average view time. Do you delve much into your analytics? I've wanted to do longer videos, but no sure how they would go. I think my longest is 15 mins so far and your right - soooo long in editing!
@Aquarius Traveller we both do pay attention to the analytics, but Skylar is definitely more analytical and enjoys delving into the numbers. As we expected, the retention rate was a little lower than usual on this one,, but we are seeing around 13 mins for avg watch time which we are happy with. Since we started creating longer videos we do make a point to pay attention to the numbers and make adjustments to try and improve the retention and watch time. Understanding the analytics can be so helpful!
I'm looking forward to my vacation at this resort even more now! great video :] Those red tropical drinks with all the different flavors sounds amazing, do you remember the name of it by chance?
I really enjoyed this video! I'm hoping to visit the Tampa Bay area later this year. I was looking into Clearwater Beach but I'm being drawn to St. Pete now! I don't know that staying at a resort is in my price range but a girl can dream! I just subscribed and saved a bunch of your videos to watch later ☺️
Thank you so much for watching and subscribing, Tonya. The resorts on St. Pete Beach (and Clearwater Beach as well) are quite expensive, especially this time of year. But in later summer and fall you can definitely find some better deals. Let us know where you end up deciding to visit and how you like it!
Fantastic video guys!! You did a great job. I always wondered what Trade Winds look like. In one of my first visits to St. Pete beach I was staying next to Trade Winds at the Grand Plaza hotel (Bellwether beach resort now). The view from your room was so beautiful. The marshmallows looked amazing!!! 😀 I'm intrigued about the strawberry martini/ mojito…🍹
Fortunately you don't need to stay at Tradewinds to experience the Rumfish bar and the amazing Strawberry Mojito Martini. We will definitely be going back for it one of these days! We are hoping to stay at the new Bellwether one of these days too. We've experienced there beach bar (Bongo's) many of times, but have not yet stayed there.
Love cocktails! I need to try that Strawberry mojito martini!! 🍹😀 would be amazing a cocktail tour!!! I think if I was doing doing one I need for sure an uber driver waiting for me outside each venue to pick me up 😂😂🍹☀️ just in case…🤣🤣 Bongo’s it’s great!!! nice food and drinks. Btw, finally your summer is over and from now on just sun and dry weather!!! enjoy it!! ☀️☀️☀️ 🏖
@@JC-po6yj one of the great things about St Pete Beach is that if you are willing to walk along that beach you can hit up several great bars! And if not, the Free Beach Ride or Uber are always good options ;) We sure are ready for some cooler and drier weather!
Such a beautiful place to roam around. The resort has everything to offer. The views around is picture perfect! Thanks for sharing. A new friend of yours from Dubai. Sub 👌
Love this video! You guys are so cute! Very well put together, great job! The other resort island grand versus run fish, what made you choose run fish? Are you Floridian? Xoxo
Thank you! So the room we stayed in if we recall correctly (it's been more than a couple years now) actually was in Island Grand. But they are right by eachother and share amenities. Rumfish has more actual amenities than island grand, but it is also louder and seems to have a lot more kids. Since we don't mind walking to get to more of the amenities and value being in a more quiet space, Island Grand was the way to go for us.
We have been in South Florida for almost 20 years, you two are just like my sweetie and I, except we are vegan. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, have a trip coming up to the west coast, so excited. Where are you originally from? Your video said you've been in Florida 10 years!!!
This looks like a great place to stay, Glad Skylar finally got to go down that awesome looking slide. Great job! do you know if you can rent the paddleboat if your not staying at the resort? that looks like fun
That slide ended up being so much fun, even if we were the only adults on it! I think that anyone can rent the paddleboards, but you could call the Adventure Center at 727.363.2294 to find out for sure!
Welcome aboard and thanks so much for watching/taking the time to comment! We filmed this video in September, which is low season here, and in our opinion, a great time to visit!
Hello, just getting around to watching this video, but I do have 2 questions; When you order drinks, do you pay for them right away, or can you add it to your room? The smores that you ate, where they included? Or was there a charge for them?
Thanks so much for watching. We were able to charge meals to our room and the smores were complimentary. Please do keep in mind though that it has been around 3 years since we stayed at this property and made this video, so things may have changed since then.
Hi, what month did you visit the resort? We are considering going as a family of 5 (early teen age kids) for a week in mid to end of March. Wondering if that's when you went and what type of crowd we should expect to see. Hoping it's not one large party of college kids. The resort looks perfect! Thank you.
We visited in late August of 2021. At that point, kids were back in school, and COVID was still a pretty big factor, so the resort was not busy at all. Mid to late March will probably be pretty busy, assuming red tide isn't bad. We hope you have a great time when you do make it down!
Hello! I bought that dress/cover-up a couple years back off of Sierra Trading Co's website. I have no idea if they still stock it (probably not), but it never hurts to check! Thanks so much for watching.
@@Explorcation thanks it’s worth a try! I love it. Also love watching your videos!!! Keep up the good work. We’re planning on a trip to St Pete beach soon. Hoping to see more videos of the beach and what to do🤩
@@kymountaingal3672 it was one of those online purchases that was a surprisingly good deal and fit well (which is rare LOL) Thank you so much for watching, we hope you have a wonderful time when you do visit!
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment, Kadijah. Rumfish is not all inclusive. We did have to pay for the drinks we had in the video as well as the meal at the restaurant. The giant slide, paddleboats, and use of all the pools/hottubs at both resorts were included though.
Hi Scott. Tradewinds is actually considered to be in the Tampa Bay area (not technically SW Florida). We enjoyed it a lot though, but it is aimed a little more at families. If it's just Jamie and I, we would probably prefer the Sunseeker in Port Charlotte area or Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach. But for a family with kids, Sunseeker would be really hard to beat.
I would probably say Island Grand if you have kids, more of the kids activities are there. The inflatable slide is right in front of Island Grand on the beach and the Adventure Center, Game Room, putt putt golf course and paddle boats are on that property too. The Rumfish property does have the nightly smores, surf simulator and touch tank, but it would only be a short walk for those activities. We hope that information helps you plan your stay :) thanks for watching!
Can be gotten much cheaper during offseason, but yes, not a cheap room. We personally have paid good money for hotels/airbnb's in the past and cooked our meals to save money, but then again, we also enjoy cooking! Thanks for watching, Steve.
St Pete was extremely lucky. We saw a lot of downed trees and there were a lot of people out of power for a few days but it seems things are back to normal. We do have a video on our channel driving through downtown and some of barrier islands the day after the hurricane. It is minimally edited driving footage to show everyone the conditions. You can watch it here if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/ky1bTTFWOOY/w-d-xo.html
It’s with total disappointment that I communicate via TH-cam to share my personal opinion and recent experiences at the Tradewinds “Resort” on St. Pete beach. I watched this video and was convinced it would be acceptable but I was so wrong. My family and I luckily only stayed one night last week on this property. I knew something was not right as soon as I stepped into the poorly lit, strange smelling and very dated lobby. It was a blast from the past nightmare from start to finish. The condition of this property is beyond repairs. The elevator is super slow or does not work. The entire place smells like roach spray. The rugs in the hallways need to be replaced because they look and smell dirty plus they are a hazard because there are bumps everywhere. The exit doors are full of rust. I had to use a towel to open the door so I wouldn’t touch the rust. The room looked acceptable but when we flushed the toilet it overflowed onto the sleeping area and drenched the rugs. In my opinion, this property needs a total overhaul. Maybe my standards are too high but I would not trust general ratings ever again. I would rate this property a 1.5 out of 10. Respectfully, I hope other visitors think about it twice and use better judgement before staying here. Go to Clearwater where hotels cost about the same but you are guaranteed a better experience.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Rosa. When we stayed at Tradewinds we really enjoyed out stay, but it's been over 3 years since we made this video, and we understand that lots can change over that period of time.
@@Explorcation Thank you for responding to my comment. I was actually a bit shaken when I got there but decided it it a chance. At this point in time, this property is not up to my standard of comfort, service overall and cleanliness. I would say, check out the property before you make a reservation.
I believe every rooms comes with a cabana. You don't have to rent it... just reserve it. We don't remember the exact details, but they can tell you how to do it at the front desk.
Hey everyone thanks so much for watching. If you are planning a visit to Tradewinds and have questions about staying, leave them in the comments.
If you have stayed in the area and have other hotel and resort recommendations leave those in the comments too as we do want to experience other accommodations in the area!
Stay there for a few days back in 1985. Are there still any Bell buoys out in the water there on the beach?
@@laredogrande6183 I do not recall seeing any in the area.
Thanks so much for watching :)
Was the paddle boat included in the hotel stay price?
It was, Shannon!
This was the very BEST video I have seen about the Trade Winds Resorts. The paddle boats... I sent this video to all of my family in Ohio & Virginia. I want to treat them to a week at the Grand Island Resort next year. Maybe some prefer 2024. How far in advance should I book for June 2023?
This is always the hardest part of planning a trip and often the make or break when planning a much needed getaway. So glad you are adding resorts and hotel reviews to your channel. This one is exactly to our liking and budget.
We have been trying to incorporate some great viewer suggestions...including visiting hotels and resorts 😉 we are really happy to finally be able to include this kind of content!
Thanks so much for your support and suggestions 😊
Booked this resort to celebrate our 9 year anniversary in a few months. We're also local Floridians who have never booked a beach cabana. Thanks for the great video!
That's awesome, Tabitha. We hope you have an amazing anniversary! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Frequent flyer at Tradewinds back through the decade of the 90's ..... Looks like it's only gotten bigger and better 🌊 🌴
Wow I can only imagine how much it has changed throughout the years!
Thanks so much for watching 😊
With so many options in the area, what keeps you coming back to Tradewinds?
May & June are nice times too. I visited this beach last year & ate at the restaurant on the beach.
You are right, Regina. May and June on the island are great! Thanks for watching!
So in this video we had the room right in front of you but we left and got a newer building. It was like an antique hotel. Just got back and could not be happier to be back in South Florida, where I’m 10 min from the beach. I’m honestly glad I live in the most expensive city of Florida as well. Wow just wow. St. Pete is in need of an upgrade. Everything there should get renovated. And I mean everything. All resorts. Don Cesar too! It was super rough ocean too and lots of extra seaweed. So glad to be home. 🌴 we had 1 good sunset. I will give you that, the sunsets are really nice. Also the fire pit smelled so bad at night on our balcony. Another reason we switched rooms. I love smell of fire but the smoke that got into the room was bad. I immediately recognized your room lol so we would have been neighbors. I’m glad we moved buildings and had a newer room!!!!! It was the building to the left. It’s been changed since this video from 2 years ago. We just got home today!!!!!! They did give us free meals and drinks though. ❤❤❤
It sounds like St. Pete Beach just might not be your vibe, but it sounds like you had some bad luck too. Generally this time of year you'll get a good sunset at least 70-80%, so to only get one during your trip is definitely not typical. Also, the gulf waters are generally calmer that the waters on the Atlantic coast. They definitely get rough, but more often than not they aren't (again, bad luck if you prefer calm waters). Bad luck on the seaweed too, as on most of our more recent trips to the beach we've barely seen any. I (Skylar) actually enjoy bigger waves, so I'd probably prefer the Atlantic Coast in that respect. Back when we visited the Tradewinds, we definitely would not have considered it to be modern, but it we did think it was a bargain for the price, mainly due to location and amenities. It's crazy that they initially put you in a room right next to ours! The smoke situation that you mentioned definitely would have deterred us as well.
Coming from South Florida, we can definitely see how St. Pete Beach is a bit of a culture shock 😂. They definitely try to keep that old Florida beach town feel... which means not having a whole lot of trendy/modern hotels and resorts. It may seem a bit crazy, but a LOT of people we talk to don't like the modern hotels/resorts. They find them to be sterile and not feel homey.
We love the laid back vibes of our beach towns here on the Gulf Coast, but like you we do generally prefer more modern hotels too. I guess our preference would be if the hotels/resorts could all have modern room interiors, but everything else could stay old school!
@@Explorcation I lived in St. Pete for a good year in my early 20s after college. I don’t remember it the same. The beach side seemed very run down and not well kept. South Florida has a little more class and manners. Just my observation from this recent trip. It was all congested w run down places to shop etc. not like that here. We definitely went around to some other areas as well like Slice of the burg which has the absolute best pizza and so many vegan options and that was a 10/10. We like Naples and had more fun there…. In terms of west coast preferences. Where did you guys move???
@@Explorcation Skylar I love your comment to me. Thank you!!!! Yeah we are laid back but it wasn’t like the laid back vibe we expected. It felt sort of trashy. :( we aren’t toooo far from the keys and I feel more laid back there versus st Pete beach, yes the rough waters we are used to. I mean it’s not rough compared to New Jersey lol but ya when we went to Naples so calm. The seaweed is generally good but lately it’s been extra from pollution and fracking (you can read on that … it’s a separate situation). We only had 1 sunset. I’m glad to experience the one. I grew up going to jersey shore every summer and my brother lives in Cali literally pacific coast so I’m not one to complain and I’m aware of gulf versus pacific versus Atlantic versus Indian etc but wow just wow
The price was okay. But we had blood and stuff in our room. We literally didn’t get in our room until after 11pm lol. Anyways it is what it is but we aren’t super big air bnb fans for a many myriad of serious reasons that include but aren’t limited to : trying not to continue to allow the greedy to get more greed and our hardworking money. I overall had a great time because we went to Orlando first lol and did Harry Potter which I love and had the best frozen vegan butter beer and plenty of water rides. It was sort of out of the way but we left south Florida for universal then from universal to st Pete. My parents were in treasure island, I’d have chosen Tampa but landed on trandwinds after your video and to remain 4 miles from family. Not mad at you guys at all. The don Cesar had some renovations going or we’d have chosen there. I could def tell it’s not as modern from my research. We def enjoyed the amenities etc and the beach service is a breeze. I didn’t do the slide and I was bummed because it was really safe and study but maybe next time. The drive from
Orlando to st Pete was amazing
It’s over 3 hours to universal. Our way home we went through Florida in some terrible farm areas like the poorest county, de Soto lol and that’s not for us but it was a good experience to embrace south Florida. We want to move but are now very unlikely to go on the west coast of Florida unless it’s west coast as in California. lol.
@@veganmermaidyogi3299 that's funny you mentioned Naples because we almost suggested that as a Gulf Coast city that a South Florida fan would probably enjoy. We do enjoy Naples too, although parts of it are a bit boujee for us. We ended up moving to some new construction apartments just south of St. Pete on the other side of the Skyway bridge. It's very modern, but a bit more rural, and very calm and relaxing which has turned out to be exactly what we need in between all of our travels!
Fantastic video! So glad I found your channel..we retired to southwest Florida 4 years ago and are looking to explore the beaches in your area. Deciding where to stay is hard with the many options so this is very helpful! Would love to see more resort/hotel tours! Love all your videos, keep up the great work❤️
We're so glad you found the video to be helpful, Andrea. If you haven't already watched our top 10 beaches video, we'd highly recommend you check it out, as we list the pros and cons of our 10 favorite beaches in the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area. We would certainly like to do more beach hotel/resort tours as well, but this time of year they are so expensive! We hope that we can do a few more this fall though!
I stayed here many times when it was called the Alden, before TradeWinds purchased the property. They used to have great deals on two room suites located on the side of the building. They aren't ocean front rooms, but the rooms are angled, so they still provided a great view of the beach. I have some great childhood memories of the place, and I came back there many times as an adult. I really need to come and visit now that it's part of TradeWinds, which is another property I stayed at a few times. I'm sure the room rates have increased now that TradeWinds owns the property.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like some great memories. No doubt prices have gone up since then, but we hope you do get a chance to visit again someday!
We stayed at the TradeWinds Island Grand this past spring. We loved it!!!! We can't wait to get back to St. Pete, when we come back we will be staying there again! Bonus, it's not too far from Bongos!
Thanks so much for watching, Billy. I think it would be hard to find someone who wouldn't love Tradewinds. It really has something for everyone. Glad to hear that you will back to St. Pete Beach and will be staying there again. And we 100% agree about the proximity to Bongo's. Probably our favorite bar on all of St. Pete Beach!
I’m booking this hotel thanks to you. Going there for our anniversary. Appreciate your thorough video
That's great, Tracy! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Thank you for your video. This helped so much. I wish the pools had an island look to it. I heard they are expanding, which would be awesome. They are upgrading the pool area.
Yes we heard the same and will be excited to see what the resort looks like when they are done. Thanks so much for watching!
This seems like an amazing Resort and I would definitely love to stay in that room. I really like how many different activities there are there I would try the paddle boating for sure. My husband would love to do the sunset s'mores and happy hour drinks. But he'd probably be hiding in the shade while I enjoyed the pool and all of the sunshine ☀️ but the slides might get his attention!!
Alan could hang out in the covered pool while you relax in the sun at one of the uncovered pools! The slide is definitely worth trying at least once, and the paddleboats are fun and relaxing (when you're not crashing them).
What an amazing view you had! Looking so beautiful. Watching this just makes us want to go to a resort and have an actual time off from everything. This place is huge, they have paddleboards too! Nice they have a happy hour as well. Loce smores. Seems like an amazing time!
The view from the room really was great. We wish we could have had another day at the resort just to relax, though. There was WAY too much to do in just a single day!
great job on the narration. We're like you. Been here 34 years, never rented a cabana until this weekend
Well that makes our 8 years not seem so bad 😂. We hope you got to spend a bit more time enjoying them than we did! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Stay at the RumFish Grill resort. Youll love it!! It’s better than the big tall building and you have the same amenities. I’m headed there for my third time. 👍
We have stayed in the Rumfish (in this very video actually), and we did love it! We hope your third time there is as enjoyable as the first two!
That is rumfish hotel x
What an amazing resort, you guys did such a good job showing it off and managed to do so much. I can’t believe there’s even more things to do 😅
I loved the s’mores area and would totally have one before dinner!
Really cool that you had an aquarium view at dinner.
Your room was amazing, especially the view. And how cool that beach cabana rental is included! It’s so convenient!
We could hardly believe how much there was to do either. It really exceed our expectations. And believe it or not, there were actually a few other establishments and activities that were temporarily shut down due to COVID. So normally there would be even more to do.
Great video! It really showcased all the resort has to offer!
Thanks so much, Jamie! We're glad you enjoyed it!
Great walk through, information and room tour. The beaches are so beautiful!
Thanks so much for watching! We wish we would have had a little more time to enjoy the beach, because it really is beautiful!
I am loving y’all’s vlogs me and the hubby will be at st Pete’s beach at the end of June we are staying across from Madeira beach and we can’t wait. Y’all have helped us pick so fun fun stuff we can’t wait.
It's so great to hear that our channel has helped you two plan out your upcoming vacation. We hope that you have an awesome time! Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment, Sarah!
Stayed here 4yrs ago nice 👍
Thanks for watching, Justin!
You made the video so nice. I hope you keep making them!
Thank you so much! We have no plans on stopping making videos, so we hope you keep watching them!
Listen you two...I’m concerned about your drinking habits. By that I mean your habit of drinking without us! Lol! You two do a great job. I enjoy your videos.
😂your concern is greatly appreciated, Ron. You can rest assured that our New Years resolutions this year will not be to give up drinking! Thanks so much for the kind comments, and have a happy new year.
Tradewinds is such a great place to hang out and relax! It’s so pretty! -S
It really is. We just wish we had more than a day!
I used to live in St Pete. Now looking for beach front resorts with more all adult only features. I will be watching for your suggestions.
Thanks for watching, Kathy. We are hoping that this resort stay will be the first of many! As long as these types of videos get views and great comments like yours, we'll keep making them!
If you haven't already, I would recommend a video on the Margaritaville Beach Hotel on Pensacola beach. Stay in a King Corner suite. I promise you won't be disappointed. Then visit the Gulf Islands National seashore just east of town for a quiet and remote beach experience. If you go off season in September after labor day, and during the work week, you may only see one other couple on the National sea shore.
Thanks so much, Arnold. We have not made it up to Pensacola yet, but we certainly plan to in the future. We'll always appreciate recommendations and would love to check the Margaritaville Beach Hotel out!
What a beautiful vacation!
It really is a beautiful property. Thanks so much for watching!
Did you guys get sponsored to make this!?!?! It's super comprehensive and love that you showed everything about it! Love the full suite tour though! Microwave, Stove, Fridge... That is awesome!!! Wow, Two beds and then a couch that pulls out! You are right, that view is truly special. So fun that you are doing the fun activities!!!! SLIDE!!! HAHA only adults. Paddle boat is fun too! Always drinking
No, but we are hopeful that this video could potentially lead to some in the future. There really are SO MANY beachfront resorts and hotels in our area, and choosing between the can be a struggle. We hope that eventually we'll have experienced several of them and can provide our viewers with some good reviews and recommendations! Tradewinds is definitely one we'd recommend to almost anyone who can fit a stay there into their budget!
Wow amazing views guys! Resort life really suits you. Love your room and the amenities look so fun! I would definitely try the slide and the paddle boats. Pity you missed the surf simulation! That looks so cool! Jaime you are an expert s’more maker. That look’s so good.
Jamie is indeed an expert smore maker, and even more of an expert smore eater! Thanks so much for watching, guys!
Love the videos you two are awesome. It is great to see the fantastic things to do in the local area.
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment Ron 😊 there really is so much to do around here!
I love StPete beach its heaven
No argument from us. Thanks for watching!
Check out the Doubletree in Redington beach on Gulf blv. Skyler will like that tiki bar at sunset! Great beach burger too! Beachfront room is so worth it too !
Thanks so much for the suggestion Deb! A tiki bar for sunset is definitely a place we would want to check out 😁🍸
Love all the waterways with ducks everywhere and the paddle boats for guests is so cool too 🤩 we would definitely be going down that slide too, love all the fun stuff at the resort not to mention the beautiful beach views. Shame about the mechanical surfboard but love your idea to go get a drink instead.
That aquarium would have us distracted too. You guys look like you had so much fun, pool, beer and musician sounds great until the storm stopped it but the sunset and drinks time looks amazing, those rum drinks and s’mores before dinner looked great. We need a vacation after seeing this! 😎
It really was a fun time. It definitely felt a bit like work when you're trying to film so much in a single day. But we'd be lying if we said we didn't have a lot of fun too. But it was definitely one of those vacations that you need another vacation to recover from!
@@Explorcation we completely understand what you mean, when we do a full filming day it feels intense and does take away from the relaxation a bit, you definitely time out after for a rest!
@@TideKnotTravellers absolutely :)
By the name of your channel explorecation that catches my attention. Great vidz my friend. Keep it up. Stay Safe Always
Thank you so much for stopping by and for your comment, we really appreciate it :)
Excellent video. Thank you!
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Paddleboat looked like fun 😁 great video as always guys 👍🏼
It was a lot of fun once we finally stopped crashing it 😅. We were mainly just glad that we didn't hit any ducks!
Thanks for the excellent tour
We're glad you enjoyed it!
Wow guys, that was a long one and have been going back and forth for the last few days to get it finished. I really like the variety wth adding the Hotel stay in and the Tradewinds Rumfish resort looked like a really great spot. It was lucky you got a room with such an awesome view and the rooms looked really great! That floating water slide was great too - We have a few of them popping up all over the place here in Australia. The paddleboat ride was something a little different too !
Those damn storms upsetting your plans :(...I do like me some smores. Not big over here, but I have had them in the States a few times! Good to see they did spoil your meal - You should have had one Skyler HAHA.
I just loved the cabana - We don't have a lot of them on our beaches. Mostly we have to bring our own. But I do know beachside resorts will always have some chairs.
Great addition guys and thanks for sharing!
Yeah, it ended up being the longest video we've ever done. Definitely will not be the new norm... way too much time editing! Honestly though, the video easily could have been longer. We were only at the place for about 20 hours, but it seemed we were filming constantly as there was so much to see and do at the place. And yeah, we pretty much just expect the weather to interrupt our plans whenever we do anything outdoors in the summer. But summer here will be over soon, and we get to look forward to 6 months straight of beautiful and mostly dry weather!
@@Explorcation I would be interested to know how your analytics goes for this one. Engagement rate and average view time. Do you delve much into your analytics?
I've wanted to do longer videos, but no sure how they would go. I think my longest is 15 mins so far and your right - soooo long in editing!
@Aquarius Traveller we both do pay attention to the analytics, but Skylar is definitely more analytical and enjoys delving into the numbers.
As we expected, the retention rate was a little lower than usual on this one,, but we are seeing around 13 mins for avg watch time which we are happy with.
Since we started creating longer videos we do make a point to pay attention to the numbers and make adjustments to try and improve the retention and watch time. Understanding the analytics can be so helpful!
You have to be the most adorable couple i have ever seen
You are too sweet! Thanks so much for the kind comment 🙂
I'm looking forward to my vacation at this resort even more now! great video :] Those red tropical drinks with all the different flavors sounds amazing, do you remember the name of it by chance?
We hope you have a great stay! It was quite a while ago when we stayed here, so unfortunately I do not recall :( Thanks so much for watching.
Great video guys now I know where to take my family 😊😊
I'm sure you and your family will have a wonderful time, Martin. Thanks for watching!
@@Explorcation ur welcome and thanks alot
wow wonderful resort! have fun!
We agree, the TradeWinds properties have so much to offer. Thanks for watching :)
I really enjoyed this video! I'm hoping to visit the Tampa Bay area later this year. I was looking into Clearwater Beach but I'm being drawn to St. Pete now! I don't know that staying at a resort is in my price range but a girl can dream! I just subscribed and saved a bunch of your videos to watch later ☺️
Thank you so much for watching and subscribing, Tonya. The resorts on St. Pete Beach (and Clearwater Beach as well) are quite expensive, especially this time of year. But in later summer and fall you can definitely find some better deals. Let us know where you end up deciding to visit and how you like it!
Fantastic video guys!! You did a great job. I always wondered what Trade Winds look like. In one of my first visits to St. Pete beach I was staying next to Trade Winds at the Grand Plaza hotel (Bellwether beach resort now). The view from your room was so beautiful. The marshmallows looked amazing!!! 😀 I'm intrigued about the strawberry martini/ mojito…🍹
Fortunately you don't need to stay at Tradewinds to experience the Rumfish bar and the amazing Strawberry Mojito Martini. We will definitely be going back for it one of these days! We are hoping to stay at the new Bellwether one of these days too. We've experienced there beach bar (Bongo's) many of times, but have not yet stayed there.
Love cocktails! I need to try that Strawberry mojito martini!! 🍹😀 would be amazing a cocktail tour!!! I think if I was doing doing one I need for sure an uber driver waiting for me outside each venue to pick me up 😂😂🍹☀️ just in case…🤣🤣 Bongo’s it’s great!!! nice food and drinks. Btw, finally your summer is over and from now on just sun and dry weather!!! enjoy it!! ☀️☀️☀️ 🏖
@@JC-po6yj one of the great things about St Pete Beach is that if you are willing to walk along that beach you can hit up several great bars! And if not, the Free Beach Ride or Uber are always good options ;)
We sure are ready for some cooler and drier weather!
@@Explorcation I didn’t know about Free beach ride, thanks for the suggestion. Sounds a like great concept. Definitely, We’ll try it. 😀
Great hotel review! Looks like a fabulous place to stay!
Even though our stay was short we really enjoyed it, thanks for watching :)
Such a beautiful place to roam around. The resort has everything to offer. The views around is picture perfect! Thanks for sharing. A new friend of yours from Dubai. Sub 👌
Thank you so much for watching. It really is a lovely place to visit!
Thank you both we just made reservations for October great job 👍
Thank you for watching! We hope you have a great stay in October.
Love this video! You guys are so cute! Very well put together, great job! The other resort island grand versus run fish, what made you choose run fish? Are you Floridian? Xoxo
Thank you! So the room we stayed in if we recall correctly (it's been more than a couple years now) actually was in Island Grand. But they are right by eachother and share amenities. Rumfish has more actual amenities than island grand, but it is also louder and seems to have a lot more kids. Since we don't mind walking to get to more of the amenities and value being in a more quiet space, Island Grand was the way to go for us.
I LOVE YOU! @@Explorcation
We have been in South Florida for almost 20 years, you two are just like my sweetie and I, except we are vegan. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, have a trip coming up to the west coast, so excited. Where are you originally from? Your video said you've been in Florida 10 years!!!
I think you stayed at Rum Fish
@@veganmermaidyogi3299 thanks for all of the ❤😁
This looks like a great place to stay, Glad Skylar finally got to go down that awesome looking slide. Great job! do you know if you can rent the paddleboat if your not staying at the resort? that looks like fun
That slide ended up being so much fun, even if we were the only adults on it! I think that anyone can rent the paddleboards, but you could call the Adventure Center at 727.363.2294 to find out for sure!
Love the video
Thank you so much, Tekorio!
New subbie here from uk ❤ wow loved the vlog and this hotel looks amazing....what month did you go?
Welcome aboard and thanks so much for watching/taking the time to comment! We filmed this video in September, which is low season here, and in our opinion, a great time to visit!
I am resident of the Pinellas county from 1069 untill 1998
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment, Gordon. We're sure you saw a lot of changes over the years!
Do you guys remember what room type you booked, we are looking to book there soon and would like a room with extra space, like the one you got
Our room was a "Gulf Front One Bedroom Suite". We hop[e this helps!
yes thank you, and thanks for the fast reply!
@@Explorcation
Hello, just getting around to watching this video, but I do have 2 questions;
When you order drinks, do you pay for them right away, or can you add it to your room?
The smores that you ate, where they included? Or was there a charge for them?
Thanks so much for watching. We were able to charge meals to our room and the smores were complimentary. Please do keep in mind though that it has been around 3 years since we stayed at this property and made this video, so things may have changed since then.
You could do voiceover work. I love watching your wonderful videos.
Your comments are always the best, Scully! Thank you SO MUCH for your continued support.
Hi, what month did you visit the resort? We are considering going as a family of 5 (early teen age kids) for a week in mid to end of March. Wondering if that's when you went and what type of crowd we should expect to see. Hoping it's not one large party of college kids. The resort looks perfect! Thank you.
We visited in late August of 2021. At that point, kids were back in school, and COVID was still a pretty big factor, so the resort was not busy at all. Mid to late March will probably be pretty busy, assuming red tide isn't bad. We hope you have a great time when you do make it down!
Fun!!! J
It really is an incredibly fund place to stay. So much to do! Thanks for watching, Joan.
Do you have a link to your dress at beginning of video? Thanks for the video!
Hello! I bought that dress/cover-up a couple years back off of Sierra Trading Co's website. I have no idea if they still stock it (probably not), but it never hurts to check! Thanks so much for watching.
@@Explorcation thanks it’s worth a try! I love it. Also love watching your videos!!! Keep up the good work. We’re planning on a trip to St Pete beach soon. Hoping to see more videos of the beach and what to do🤩
@@kymountaingal3672 it was one of those online purchases that was a surprisingly good deal and fit well (which is rare LOL) Thank you so much for watching, we hope you have a wonderful time when you do visit!
Great vlog. We’re you there in September?
Thanks so much! We were there on Aug. 29 and 30th. Great time of year to be on the beach!
Hi! Great video, is this resort all inclusive?
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment, Kadijah. Rumfish is not all inclusive. We did have to pay for the drinks we had in the video as well as the meal at the restaurant. The giant slide, paddleboats, and use of all the pools/hottubs at both resorts were included though.
Hi, was this your top rated resort in SW Florida?
Hi Scott. Tradewinds is actually considered to be in the Tampa Bay area (not technically SW Florida). We enjoyed it a lot though, but it is aimed a little more at families. If it's just Jamie and I, we would probably prefer the Sunseeker in Port Charlotte area or Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach. But for a family with kids, Sunseeker would be really hard to beat.
Which would be a better hotel option for a family of four, Rumfish or Island Grand?
I would probably say Island Grand if you have kids, more of the kids activities are there. The inflatable slide is right in front of Island Grand on the beach and the Adventure Center, Game Room, putt putt golf course and paddle boats are on that property too. The Rumfish property does have the nightly smores, surf simulator and touch tank, but it would only be a short walk for those activities. We hope that information helps you plan your stay :) thanks for watching!
@@Explorcation thank you for your response and excellent and helpful video.
7:26 If you're on a budget??
That room is $400+/night. If you can afford that, you can afford to dine out!
😁
Can be gotten much cheaper during offseason, but yes, not a cheap room. We personally have paid good money for hotels/airbnb's in the past and cooked our meals to save money, but then again, we also enjoy cooking! Thanks for watching, Steve.
I went there around June and it was my first night there in awhile and the first night I had the hotel caught on fire
Oh noo, we are so sorry to hear that, we saw on the news that there was a fire 🙁 we hope everyone was safe!
@@Explorcation A few people did get hurt but I’m happy their okay
@@clifferyrodderydoo oh no 😞 that is terrible, but glad to know they are ok 🙏
Did you have to pay for the food at the restaurants or did they come with the amenities?
Hi, Sierra. You do have to pay for the food in the restaurants. Thanks for watching.
How is St Pete after the hurricane?
St Pete was extremely lucky. We saw a lot of downed trees and there were a lot of people out of power for a few days but it seems things are back to normal. We do have a video on our channel driving through downtown and some of barrier islands the day after the hurricane. It is minimally edited driving footage to show everyone the conditions. You can watch it here if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/ky1bTTFWOOY/w-d-xo.html
What type of room was this? A
is there any all inclusive resorts on St Pete beach ?
Not that we are aware of. I know that the Sirata offered an all-inclusive option at one time, but I don't think they do anymore.
@@Explorcation thank you
ya'll seem really cute together.
Thanks! We do enjoy each other (most of the time) 😂
It’s with total disappointment that I communicate via TH-cam to share my personal opinion and recent experiences at the Tradewinds “Resort” on St. Pete beach. I watched this video and was convinced it would be acceptable but I was so wrong. My family and I luckily only stayed one night last week on this property. I knew something was not right as soon as I stepped into the poorly lit, strange smelling and very dated lobby. It was a blast from the past nightmare from start to finish.
The condition of this property is beyond repairs. The elevator is super slow or does not work. The entire place smells like roach spray. The rugs in the hallways need to be replaced because they look and smell dirty plus they are a hazard because there are bumps everywhere. The exit doors are full of rust. I had to use a towel to open the door so I wouldn’t touch the rust. The room looked acceptable but when we flushed the toilet it overflowed onto the sleeping area and drenched the rugs. In my opinion, this property needs a total overhaul. Maybe my standards are too high but I would not trust general ratings ever again. I would rate this property a 1.5 out of 10. Respectfully, I hope other visitors think about it twice and use better judgement before staying here. Go to Clearwater where hotels cost about the same but you are guaranteed a better experience.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Rosa. When we stayed at Tradewinds we really enjoyed out stay, but it's been over 3 years since we made this video, and we understand that lots can change over that period of time.
@@Explorcation Thank you for responding to my comment. I was actually a bit shaken when I got there but decided it it a chance. At this point in time, this property is not up to my standard of comfort, service overall and cleanliness. I would say, check out the property before you make a reservation.
Must be over 21 at check in
Thanks for sharing!
How do you rent cabana
I believe every rooms comes with a cabana. You don't have to rent it... just reserve it. We don't remember the exact details, but they can tell you how to do it at the front desk.
They tried to sell us a better room as soon as we walked through the doors as we were checking in
Sorry to hear about that experience. We hope that you were still able to enjoy your time in St. Pete Beach.