The Don

I want a pink palace. I want to be a princess and take a bath of diamonds and have my own hairdresser.

But reality says I have to shower in water and blow dry my own hair. Sigh.

BUT!! Every few months, the Husband complies to my dreams (for a day or two) and takes me to the Loew’s Don Cesar on St Pete Beach.

The Don Cesar, aka the Pink Palace, the day we got married there.

Yes, we even got married here. We sort of eloped; had 4 friends, our amazing photographer Lexia Frank, and the officiant.

If you ever have a chance, go during the Christmas season. It’s so stunningly beautiful, it’s hard to leave.

Of course they have a pink tree. And Santa.

Room 611 is my favorite room so far. Try to stay there. It’s in a funny, angled corner and it has the perfect view for spying on weddings or people on the beach.

The view from 611

The view from 611 of a wedding. I know, I’m kind of a creeper.

The lovely room. The Husband looooooves the TV in the bathroom…. And a Keurig makes me happy.

The view from the Gulf

And the food is amazing. The Maritana Grille is a AAA Four Diamond award winner and has an awesome fish tank! For a little more casual of a meal, the Sea Porch Cafe has delicious food, and a separate bar with outside access.They have watermelon gazpacho for me and pizza for the picky Husband. The bartender Mario is amazing. He makes my favorite Hendricks/cucumber drink perfectly and has been there for every event we’ve celebrated and even gave us moving advice! He is the epitome of amazing customer service.

The amazing gazpacho at the Sea Porch Restaurant

Dessert at the Maritana Grille on my 20-something birthday

The beach is lovely. You can use the lounge chairs, or rent a beach bed.

The beach beds are awesome, and they’ll put up umbrellas for some shade.

The Spa Oceana is amazing too. They did my hair and makeup for our wedding and it was perfect. The Husband and I also got massages the day after the wedding, and it was heavenly. The massage room had a lovely view of the beach and it was so relaxing. The spa also has a roof top deck that’s awesome.

The lobby bar has a fancy, old world feel to it, with a man playing the piano and lots of dark wood. It practically begs you to drink a nice glass of Glenlivet. Which I do, every time.