Guest reviews Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater

by bmorgan027

Great amenities and location. Poor service

We loved the beach and how close the hotel is to so much in town. The service was below average. From the valet when we checked in, to the front desk staff. Just felt like people didn’t want to be helpful at all. When you pay more, you expect more. They did not deliver.

by SteveBritsky Wesley Chapel, Florida

Nice View/Great Food& Service/Few Amenities/Pricey

The view was great, staff friendly, food at Caretta's and Tate Island Grill was great, and they have some of the quickest elevators we've seen in a resort property. Conversely, no apparent amenities other than free internet, water bottles and towels. Didn't seem to justify the Resort fees plus applicable taxes, but I know most everyone has them these days. Would have liked some snacks on our first night there (Friday July 31st) but found Marketplace closed early. Biggest disappointment is the lack of room cleaning service. Understand the why due to Covid, but being handed a bag upon check in with a laundry bag for your towels, doesn't sit well. At roughly $400 per night (plus parking), the DIY vibe didn't work for us, along with the lack of other amenities. Still, we will likely return at some point.

by 761lindseyc St. Petersburg, Florida

Too crowded; operating at full capacity

We stayed the 1st weekend of August. We couldn’t use the pool the entire weekend because it was too crowded Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Just too many people for the size of the pool, if you’re trying to adhere to some measure of comfortable social distancing. Service at the beach was very slow. Each round took about 30 minutes. Room service was estimated to take 1 hour. Valet was very slow—waited about an hour for our car and self park isn’t available. manager’s response was quite apathetic—said that they’re operating at full capacity. So there’s nothing he could do. My advice—save your money.

by Muffeen The Villages, Florida

Very Nice, But

Once what I considered icing on the cake for an A+ stay in Clearwater at Sandpearl was the champagne welcome. Due to pandemic, that is no longer the case. Our room 601 was ready, Gulf Front King Suite was very nice with great views, but the bathroom drain was clogged, which I managed to clean the drain best I could on our day of departure, it was real gross! Also, the air conditioner did not work that well, either. Where the sofa was with the ceiling fan on high it was comfortable, where the bed was, was a lot warmer. The hotel is keeping with CDC guidelines, hotel half full to below. Pool kept to well below half capacity. All workers wore masks. Only one party at a time allowed in elevator at a time. No daily cleaning of rooms or turn down service, but they provided bags for dirty towels and trash. All you had to do was to call "0" on phone to get clean towels, more coffee, etc. They were there at your door within 10 minutes or less. Service was excellent by Niki from Tate's Grill, Bill on beach server, Garrett for beach chair and umbrella, all excellent service, friendly, professional and always with a big smile. Also, the one and only concierge which they only have I guess on weekends provided my preordered champagne was Jose Flores and also made our dinner reservations for the following day. Excellent service from all of them. Check- in service was a little slow, due to a new girl and she wasn't sure what to do. My suggestion: to provide splits of champagne in tote bags for adults, which could be added at the last minute.

by Skipper711 Greenwood, Indiana

The good and not so good.

I would give this a 3.5 if allowed. My expectations of this resort were very high. The prices are VERY steep, and we did splurge for an oceanfront suite for our anniversary. My thought was that the resort would not be at full capacity and pricing was higher because there would be fewer guests. I was wrong. The resort did text to check on our expectations during our stay, and I mentioned the issues that I am listing, because I always say you can't fix what you don't realize is an issue. The good: The resort is absolutely beautiful. It is in a perfect location, and has a lovely beach, beautiful pool, wonderful staff, nice food options, and is walking distance to many attractions. Upon arriving to the resort, there is a lady to make sure you are wearing your mask, and she opens the door for you. It is nice that they do a wonderful job to make sure everyone is compliant. There are stations for hand sanitizer, and signs regarding use of the elevator and not getting in when other families are already inside. They limit housekeeping, which was completely fine, as you can call for towels or anything needed. When you order room service, they put items on a tray and in a paper bag. Once you are finished, you place the tray and everything inside the bag outside the room, and they come by and pick up. I also liked this feature, as it kept the mess out of the room, but you didn't have to call and interrupt someone to pick up, you could place in the bag and when someone was in the area, they could easily take it. They were great at providing all necessary condiments needed. The wait staff working around the pool deck were phenomenal. I was so impressed by the number of drinks/food I would see them carrying around. The fact it was very hot, humid, and they are wearing masks was completely impressive. I'm not sure I could have done that job for so many hours so effortlessly!! They were great. The beach area is very large and beautiful, and chairs are set up, and you likely could social distance better in this area. However, we tend to be more pool people than beach people. However, if you want a wonderful beach, this is the place. All the staff we encountered were fabulous, I have no complaints. The concierge set up a private boat tour with Matt from Adventure Boat Tours, which was the absolute highlight of our trip. We had a wonderful day with him visiting Three Rooker Island, seeing dolphins and just relaxing. The concierge also set up our airport transfer with William, and he was wonderful. Room service for breakfast was impeccable, always there very fast. I loved that the pool is walk in, and doesn't have a deep end where people wouldn't be able to use as much. I felt this was a really nice feature. The room was very nice, I loved having the gulf front view, and fortunately, we made good use of it since the pool deck was so incredibly crowded and noisy. I do wish they would stock the mini fridge or have soda/water machines available nearby for convenience. Fortunately, there is a CVS and a gas station in walking distance. There are multiple restaurants in walking distance which is very convenient. Many dining options are available, so a car is not needed. The bad: The resort was very busy over the weekend. I am uncertain if it was people just getting away prior to school resuming, or if everyone is just trying to get out of their homes. The pool area was packed, and I was surprised at the number of pool chairs lined in a row, not allowing much social distancing. It was also very loud. I was expecting more of a relaxing atmosphere, and that wasn't what we experienced. My other thought is that if cruises aren't allowed to resume, I'm not sure how resorts are allowed to keep people so closely together. I would say it is great for families, but not for an anniversary or relaxing trip. I would now recommend more toward families and not couples. I had no idea there would be so many children. Again, at the prices we paid, I was expecting more of an adult friendly location. I should have opted for the Opal Sands, which did seem to cater more toward adults, and pricing was FAR better. It is on a little smaller beach area, but still would have suited our taste better. When we arrived, there were beautiful chocolate strawberries in our room for our anniversary. When I looked, it said happy 32nd, and listed the name of the guests....it wasn't us!! I never said anything, but later, some new strawberries were left for us, but the others were not removed. I thought that was odd that they didn't take those. We enjoyed the time away, and this resort is definitely beautiful, but sadly, for the price, I would not be inclined to return. If you are traveling with family, it is likely a good fit, but not for a relaxing trip.