Tracy Kelly
Google
If you are a "it's just a place to lay your head at night" kind of person, then stop reading, and just book your stay. The best thing about Hilton Clearwater is the location. Right on the beach, cool Tiki Bar, and nice pool. The front desk, and beach staff were kind, as were the bartenders at the pool. Super nice people :) However.... The rooms were 2 stars, AT BEST in my opinion.
We were able to do an early check in, which we were grateful for- got into our (1st) room, at 10:00am. Upon walking in the room, we were immediately hit w/ a strong, musty smell- No problem. we can over come that. The rooms felt old, and motel-ish. Opened up the curtain to the small balcony, that does hold 2 chairs and a table, only to see were facing a poop covered rooftop that must have housed air conditioners, w/ just a sliver of ocean view. Mind you- we did reserve a gulf view, NOT FRONT FACING. So, if you want a full view, make sure you book that. Walked into the bathroom, and hallway, and that's where it fell apart.. hair all over the floor, (not mine... just walked in), there was a pimple patch.. yes, a used pimple patch, stuck to the counter top in the bathroom. Yellow stains on the counter. One of the beds had a very large, visible stain on the comforter, and the pillow case looked like it was ran over by a tire. Tried calling the front desk, but the in room phones did not work. So, off I go, back down to the lobby, and inquire about another room. (side note, the lobby does have a wonderful "lobby" smell, but the couches MUST BE REPLACED! I swear, it looked like someone had slept on them the night before. NOT the first thing you want to see when you are checking in- it kinda sets the tone.) The gentleman that assisted was very kind, and kept his cool, when I was a bit flustered. I had overheard him having a similar conversation w/ another family in front of me. We were moved to another room, with a much better view- room configuration the same, as was the datedness. We unpacked..
Housekeeping was hard to find- we had to track them down daily to request service, and on our last night, I spoke to 3 housekeeping folks, who were on our floor, as well as the front desk... they never came. Engineering came though, to fix our bathroom light- which looked like a strobe light when you turned it on. Couldn't turn the light on for 2 days.
Again, the location is key here- loved being able to walk just about anywhere. Beach rentals (cabanas/chairs) were a bit pricey, but when in Rome, right?! We did the "Full Beach Package"- Cabana, bed, 2 chairs, and a table = $251 for the day. The grounds were lovely, and they did a very nice job of keeping things clean, swept, dry- Kuddos to the staff.
We ate at the Spotted Donkey- again, great service, and the food was very good. Drinks at the pool bar were about $17 each. We would come back to Clearwater, but I think we'd stay elsewhere.