Avalon Hotel St. Petersburg / Downtown — Attraction in Saint Petersburg

If I could give this place a 100/5 I would. The service was exceptional, everyone was extremely friendly, rooms were clean, and the amenities from The Hollander that you can use were a huge bonus.

I was originally set to check-in Monday (7/15) and check-out Friday (7/26). With the IT outages on Friday, my flight was pushed to Sunday morning and I was able to stay a few extra nights.

Here are a few of the things that stand out to me:

The first evening there I got in a little after 7pm, when their free wine social (that takes place from 5-7 every day) was done. As I came in with all my bags, the employee who greeted me, Larissa, told me I just missed it (without me even prompting) but she had some still out! With all of my bags in tow, I now entered my room holding a glass of pinot grigio which was an awesome way to start my stay!

One of the employees (I can't remember his name but he was working the morning of 7/17) explained to me how they feed the squirrels and cats when I asked why I was getting screamed at by a squirrel while I read a book. I learned they put peanuts out for the squirrels to eat and have a little picnic bench/tree rig set up for them on the other side of the building.

They serve free coffee until 10 am and I had run out of my cup. I asked if there was anymore when another employee, Brian, came onto the patio. He said I just missed it and I told him "no worries!" I'd go to The Hollander (where they serve Kahwa Coffee and pastries) to get some. But then he went inside and came back with a voucher for free coffee and told me to take it there and say Brian sent me. When I got there I was asked if I wanted a small or a large. I didn't even think I'd have a choice?!

After I came back with my free coffee, as I was sitting on the patio I was getting bit up by bugs like crazy. Of all the things I packed I forgot bug spray. I went inside and asked Brian where the closest place to buy bug spray was, and he said he thought he still had some left and gave me his bottle from behind the counter.

I checked out Friday (their check-out is at noon which is awesome) since I planned to be at the airport that afternoon. With the IT outages that affected the airlines and banks, I wasn't sure what was happening with my flight. I had been eating at the (amazing) hotel bar/restaurant at The Hollander next door and decided to ask Brian if they had any rooms for that night just in case I needed to stay while I waited to find out what was going on. They said they had one left (coincidentally the room I just left) and would hold it for me for a few minutes. I ended up needing the room and they booked me again with no issues. A little later I found out the next flight I could get on was early Sunday morning, so they were able too book me again Saturday night. Usually it's more on weekends, but because I had been staying there all week and due to the unprecedented situation, they gave me the discounted rate for both nights.

Since I hadn't planned on being in Florida any longer than what I was scheduled for, I had no extra clothes and expected I'd need to buy some. I mentioned this to Brian and he told me I could use the laundry facilities after housekeeping was done with it that evening if I needed to. Larissa ended up letting me into the laundry area later that day and helped me with the industrial washer.

The hotel staff were absolutely amazing and I'm sure I could wrote a novella about how great everything was but these were just a few extra things the staff did to make the trip a great experience, especially with the unprecedented extra few days I was forced to stay.

The hotel food was unexpectedly delicious. I think I ate there 5 out of the 6 days I was there at one point or another. (Shout out to the fried buffalo cauliflower bites that didn't have to go as hard as they did. I'll miss you.) I did go to the attached bakery to get tea or coffee (and maybe a pastry) everyday.

tl;dr 100/5 absolutely...

Picking a hotel is always the most daunting part of planning a trip. You want to be in the heart of things, have a comfortable and clean room, and you don't want to over pay. If you go to St. Petersburg I will save you the time of researching a dozen hotels and comparing prices and amenities. I have the perfect place for you, stay at the Avalon.

My friend and I wanted to escape for a weekend away that happened to fall on Valentines Day. She was recommended this hotel by a friend and really wanted to stay here. We wanted two separate rooms and she purchased hers first. When I went to pay for my room online there was no longer any rooms at that price. In fact they were charging significantly more. I was getting stressed out trying to find something I could afford and I decided to finally just call the hotel and see if they could help me out. At that point I was willing to sleep in a closet. That is when an angel named John answered the phone. After talking it over with him he was able to find me a room in my price point and he saved my vacation.

The Avalon is an older building from 1930 which I love. Its Art Deco design would be right at home in South Beach. It has a huge front porch with couches that you can relax on shielded from the street by bamboo trees. The Avalon has free parking in the back that they share with their sister hotel The Hollander next door. The parking fills up fast so once you leave your car it is better to proceed on foot or use the downtown looper trolley.

The lobby of the Avalon is so inviting. As soon as I walked in I felt at home. There is a sectional with fluffy pillows along the glass front window perfect for lounging . Hanging in the lobby is a portrait of 60's supermodel Jean Shrimpton.

John was waiting for me at check in and he knew exactly who I was. It was like meeting a friend. I absolutely loved the room he found for me right behind the desk. I didn't have to walk far, it was just perfect. The room was large with a comfy bed that felt like a cloud. The bathroom even had a tub which was wonderful for soaking in after walking around all day. Since the building is older the AC is window units but the temperature was comfortable. I slept like a dream.

Before we went out for the night I had a couple of glasses of wine at the Avalon's 5-7 Happy Hour. They also served champagne. In the morning they offer free tea and coffee which was super convenient since my room was only steps from the lobby.

John had recommendations for different places to eat and things to do in the area. He even had feee coupons for the famous watermelon bruschetta at The Mill. You are welcome to use the pool next door at the Hollander and they also have a restaurant and coffee shop. At the Avalon you are only blocks from downtown St. Petersburg and you can easily walk to the free downtown looper trolley which will take you pretty much anywhere you would want to go. This hotel has it all, convenience and comfort. It is also the most reasonably priced hotel in downtown St. Pete. I loved my stay and would not hesitate to book here again. If you see John tell him...

First Off I have to say a big thank you to Randy at front desk and for whoever else gave us a complimentary 2 bottles of champagne with chocolate upon arrival after me requesting on my reservation for the 6th of may (this past weekend) to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. Randy was very informational and chipper with telling us about the events going on for the weekend and circling everything on each location on the map they provide. Me and my boyfriend have stayed at many other hotels across Florida, and even at Double tree in the Keys, or Costa De Este in Vero Beach, and Bentley Boutique in Sarasota and I ALWAYS left a request for each of our anniversaries to get some or any complimentary treat/ or treats and none have given anything, but here at a 2 star hotel, Avalon had been the most generous. It is also a great Location (5 to 8 minutes driving and walking to so many museums, restaurants, and has access to a local tour ferry). It is also 5 minutes to great restaurants that we enjoy (I highly recommend Meze nearby for vegetarians or for anyone wanting to try great Mediterranean food, and the Melting Pot that is 4 minutes away is above par in service.) Also in the middle of the night we were told to call the sister hotel next door (The Hollander) during after hours (after 10 pm) if we needed anything, and we did around 12 am since we forgot water bottles, we walked over and they happily gave us as many as we wanted. Everyone was so polite, helpful, and did their job superbly. Something to keep in mind is that the cheaper room that we got did not come with a microwave or fridge, but that was fine for us since we spent each meal eating out and exploring the city (just keep that in mind and upgrade to a room that has these appliances if needed), but also there is a microwave downstairs the staff politely said if needed they could microwave something for us if needed or that we could use it. I have to also give props to the designer of the hotel, since it has such a great art deco style, from the room numbers to the vintage elevator, to the updated showers , shower curtains, and photos on the wall. Also one big thing with me and my boyfriend is cleanliness and everything was clean, new, and fresh. My boyfriend inspects every bed in every hotel we go to for bed bugs or anything, and everything was clean in our room and bed, which was amazing. The bed was bouncy but super duper comfortable, as for me, an insomniac, sleeping straight through the night is very rare, and I did do just that for both 2 nights we stayed. Please give this hotel a try if you are visiting the area. Amazing price and beautiful customer service, St Pete beach is also just 20 minutes away. I really wanted to stay an extra night but we had to return home from our trip. I definitely want to come back here if we visit St...