Gulfport Review

Gulfport is a cute little town reminiscent of an old hippy beach town.  Much of it is ‘tired’ looking but that doesn’t seem to keep people away.  One of the plusses is the beach.  It’s on the bay side of the gulf.  The beach isn’t crowded and the water is warm. There are cute bench swings along the beach as well as shelters.  One day we had a group of woman ask if they could share our shelter and there was lots of good food and interesting conversation!  They were very thankful that Miss Joanne and Miss Joanne’s husband were willing to share their shelter!! You will recognize the “regulars” who are at the shame shelter or spot every day. J The peer is a fun walk.  Another plus is the restaurants.  I think we ate at every place and didn’t have a bad meal anywhere.  (Reviews  below!) The people-watching is great!  Loved the nightlife!  It was fun sitting at a street or beach side restaurant with a glass of wine listening to someone play guitar or sing and dance.  Lots of interesting people!  There are lots of cute shops and on Tuesday there is an outdoor market that was lots of fun! Make sure you are here for a Tuesday. There is a casino (not in the gambling sense, but a meeting place) where they have dancing lessons.  Fun to watch.   If you are looking for a big town or nicer hotels it’s not the place for you. If you just want a small town with good restaurants, small beach and good people, you will enjoy it.   It’s not far from St Pete’s or Tampa if you are looking for a big beach or town.

We rented bikes from ABC bike shop and biked along the Pinellas trail. The trail, created along an abandoned railroad corridor is a fun ride.  We thought it would be more scenic though.  There are some parks along the way to stop at if you want. Loved the signs saying “DON’T molest the alligators!!”  Good turtle watching too.   We biked to St Petersburg and had lunch.  There are overpasses over the highways so you can get a bit of hill training in.

We ran most days.  There is a small park on either end of the town.  Wood ibis Park is north of town.  It was interesting seeing the different houses along the way.  There are some nice ones, and some not-so-nice ones-sometimes right next door to each other!!  Clam Bayou is east of town close to the marina.  It’s a nice place to run or walk.  There are little lookout points to observe the water, water life and birds.  We saw several osprey nests. Very cool.

One day Lou golfed in Tampa with his friend Bob and I had lunch and shopped and in Hyde Park with the girls.  It’s a fun place to spend an afternoon.

We also spent a day at St Pete’s beach.  It’s a great beach with cabanas to rent.  Parking is insane though.  We lucked out because we stopped at a little restaurant to eat lunch and the waitress let us keep our car there while we went to the beach. We had dinner at a very good restaurant called the Red Messa Cantina.  Then walked and found a cute outside bar where we sat and listened to music.

We were there 10 days so we tried quite a few restaurants.

Pia’s Trattoria-a bit more upscale than most places.  Cute atmosphere and good Italian food. A bit pricy

Little Tommies Tiki-casual. great view of the beach and great fish and chips and key lime pie

O’Maddy-we were told this was the “happenin’ place” J Good food and view of the beach. You might have to wait for a table.  It’s always crowded.

Fish- Aptly names!  Also a bit more upscale.  We went a few times!  I think this was our favorite. The daily fish special was very good with excellent sides.  But the shrimp was the best!  They were huge and you could get them by the half or whole pound. One time we made a meal just out of them.  We also enjoyed the tuna nachos. Owners come out and chat. Great outdoor seating and they have entertainment some nights.

Mangia Gourmet-good food. They also have a good breakfast.  Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free options.  Open mike night on Thursday evenings was fun.

Neptune Grill-Good greek food.  Nice view of the beach.

Manatees-We really enjoyed the upstairs deck.  Beautiful breezes and views.  Food was good.

We also went to a Yankees exhibition game.  The Yankees lost!  The traffic going was terrible!!

Jeff and Clare joined us for few days.  Lou and Jeff got in several days of golfing and Clare and I shopped and sat on the beach.

We stayed at The Historic Peninsula Inn. I would not recommend it! If you are interested in our review it is below.

The location is excellent; Close to the beach and plenty of great restaurants. Gulfport is a small town reminiscent of an old hippy beach town. Bed was comfy and sheets and towels were soft and welcoming. Staff was helpful when asked. The breakfast was very good although our stay was 10 days and we would have appreciated a little variety. The inn is a 100 year old building and therefore some "character" is to be expected, but we found the building "tired" looking and in need of some updating...Little things, like a coat of paint on the ceiling of the porch and floor boards goes along way and is easy to do. We frequently stay at Inns or bed and breakfasts and actually look forward to the charm and character of an older, historic building. This one left us a bit disappointed. Our room was on the ground floor and I would not recommend it. To get to our room you needed to walk through the office. We were very uncomfortable doing this. Once there was even a delivery that was left partially blocking our door. Also there was an exit door in our room, that could not be used as there was no way to open from the outside and there was a screw driver holding it closed. Very tacky. There was also an extremely bright exit sign over the door. (see photo) It did not give the room a comfortable feeling. Some of the blinds did not have cords so could not be opened. We wanted to be able to enjoy the Florida sunshine. Some half curtains and valances would go a long way to make the room more homey. I had to wind up the over 5 ft of cable cord so i wouldn’t keep tripping over it. For the price we paid we were disappointed. Our friends stayed on the 3rd floor and their room was much better. I did get to see other rooms while the maid was cleaning and they did appear nicer. Maid service was spotty. Some days good, but some days the blankets were just tossed over the pillows and garbage not emptied. I understand that the inn has a relatively new owner and that she has made some improvements. Hopefully that will continue

One day Clare and I were sitting on the porch after breakfast planning out our day and a man walked up and asked us about the Inn.  Two and a half hour later he was on his way!  We had a fascinating chat about running, triathlons, life, death, aging, health, wellness and everything in between.  Turns out Donald B. Ardell has been one of the leading figures in the wellness movement for four decades. He is the author of numerous books and articles on wellness, and is been a popular speaker on wellness-related topics.  He recited a very moving speech written by Robert Ingersoll called THE LOTUS CLUB SPEECH.  It is definitely worth a read/listen and can listen to Donald reading it here. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312226186636961701/

Donald has also earned distinction as a senior athlete. He is considered one of the fastest runners in the world in his age class. He has also been a perennial All-American triathlete and duathlete, winning national titles in both sports. He has also won four World Triathlon Championships. We thought Lou and Jeff would enjoy meeting him and since he invited us to stop by and visit him we did!  He and his wife have a beautiful condo and welcomed us into their home. They joined us later for coffee and dessert at open mic night at Mangia Gourmets!  This just gives you another picture into the type of people you might meet in Gulfport!!