A great new option between Tampa/St. Pete and Sarasota
By Ray Collins
People in New York and Los Angeles sometimes condescendingly refer to the rest of the country as the ‘fly-over states.’ I guess you could say people in Tampa Bay and Sarasota have referred to Palmetto also as an area where there’s no reason to stop.
All that changed last October when the Palmetto Marriot Resort & Spa opened next door to the Manatee Convention Center and the Riviera Dunes Beach Club on US 41.
My wife, Erin, and I recently checked in on a Saturday afternoon for a 3-day weekend.
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We had a nice room with a king-sized bed, huge window looking out at the Manatee River and state of the art technology on the plugs, coffee maker and big-screen TV.
We went downstairs to for spa treatments: Erin signed up for a facial treatment and I got a deep-tissue massage. My masseur moved back to Bradenton after doing massages for 30+ years at high-end resorts in Arizona. Matt was excellent.
Afterwards we walked out the back parking lot to check out the beach club. It includes another pool, a beach volleyball court, basketball court, pickleball courts, corn hole, an oversized chess board and fitness room. We got a basketball and shot baskets for the first time in years. Fun!
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We showered and dressed for our high-end dinner at their signature restaurant. The Oyster River Restaurant occupies the top corner of the 8th floor. What a view of the region! The service was excellent. Erin had lobster and I had the filet. Decadent!
Afterwards we went down to the lobby and had a nightcap at a restaurant/bar called The Social. The bartender was friendly, a hockey game was on—and it was a nice way to wind down the evening.
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We got up early the next morning and had a hot breakfast in the private club designated for certain Marriott Bonvoy members called the “M Club.” Nice perk. (I actually went in there the day before to raid the M&M jar and grab a bottle of water.) Non-members can also enter for a fee.
Erin and I love to walk—we did 34,000 steps in Manhattan ten years ago—and we were about to come near that record today.
Our first move was walking over the bridge into downtown Bradenton. Full disclosure: We went over the US 41 bridge with very narrow sidewalks—but on the way back we smartened up and took the other bridge back that was much safer (Business 41). I’m still getting flashbacks about that bonehead move. It was like walking a balance beam for half a mile with cars zipping past at 50 miles per hour.
I love to walk around downtown areas before they get busy—and on this Sunday morning at 8am, the streets were ours. Bradenton has some pretty areas (Main Street, the Riverwalk, etc.) and also some historic buildings (the old courthouse and adjacent Baptist church).
After our 5 mile walk, we freshened up and went back down to brunch in the lobby. They had a great spread with plenty of staff to assist. It looked like a lot of area residents came in to enjoy this new hotel in their community.
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Some friends of ours came up from Sarasota to spend the afternoon with us. We had a great time playing pickleball—and then walked back across the parking lot to the hotel to have Margaritas at the pool-side bar. Nice atmosphere.
After they left, we got in the car and drove a few miles west to take a hike at Emerson Point Preserve. It was a beautiful drive out to Snead Island, and then a nice walk—often in view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Tampa Bay.
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By now we were nearing our 34,000 steps, so after a short nap and another shower, we went down to the lobby for a relaxing dinner at The Social. I had a salmon Caesar and Erin ordered a couple appetizers. We saw some flight crews from Jet Blue coming and going. Nice to see this new hotel has caught on.
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After all that walking, we hit the hay early—and then enjoyed breakfast in the morning at the “M Club.” (Ray: What’s ‘M’ stand for? Erin: Marriott. Ray: Oh yeah.)
It was a delight to pack up, check out and be back home in Sarasota in 20 minutes. Felt like we were farther away. Nice to know the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa is a new option for us.
Ray Collins has been published several hundred times, writing about hotels, resorts and destinations around the world. www.RayCollinsMedia.com/articles
