St Pete Beach Holidays

Sitting pretty on Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast, St Pete Beach is known as the Sun Capital of America thanks to its almost constant rays. It's an ideal place to lap up the American beach lifestyle. And Mickey and pals are just over 90 minutes' drive away at Orlando's theme parks.

St Pete Beach does a nice line in casual shopping and dining. Lively Corey Avenue draws in visitors looking to update their beachwear wardrobes or tuck in to classic American grub. Sunday's the best day to stock up on souvenirs, as that’s when the lively local market takes over the streets.

Lapped by sapphire-blue waters and stretching for nearly 50 kilometres, the dreamy, palm-flanked beaches here merge to form a nearly never-ending belt of bleach-white sand. Head for the less busy sands of Egmont Key State Park if a hush-hush paddle's more your thing.

An hour's drive south past the magnificent Sunshine Skyway Bridge takes you to Sarasota – one of the state's cultural capitals. You'll also be a 50-minute drive away from Busch Gardens, and under two hours' hop from Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.