Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

My cousin got married here last July. Let me start with the good. The waitstaff was absolutely fabulous, including the bartenders and kitchen staff. The food was absolute perfection. Both the waitstaff and the food deserve 5 stars. The issues came with the wedding planner and photographer. I was my cousin's maid of honor and the deal was that if there was a treat of rain they would call me 2 hrs before so that we could notify everyone that the beach wedding would be moved inside to the clubhouse foyer. At the rehearsal we asked to practice the indoor ceremony as well as the outdoor ceremony, and the wedding planner refused, telling us it wouldn't be a problem. Mind you, Tampa is known for its storms. The day of the wedding comes and the photographer suggested by the venue shows up a half hour early, no big deal. She just comes in to my room in the space we were renting and moves things around including clothes laid out on the bed for the wedding amongst other things. She did this without telling or asking any of us. We're now 2 hrs out from the wedding and I'm getting my makeup done, and my cousin the bride is in a panic because the wedding planner called the photographer to let her know that rain was expected and they were moving the wedding up an hour. My cousin had already said multiple times that if rain was expected she was happy to move the ceremony inside as planned, but this was ignored. So we call the 100ish guests letting them know to show up an hour early, and the bride doesn't have hair and makeup started. The photographer then insists on taking group photos even though the bride still isn't ready. We show up and the guests are on the beach with wind blowing so hard that a speaker fell. Guests are trying to get up and go inside and the planner yells at them to sit back down. As I'm about to walk down the aisle I point out that the rain is heading straight for us, planner insist that its never rained on them yet,and then it starts to pour. Guests and wedding party are booking it inside, ruining hair, make up, and outfits on the way. Once inside, the planner is yelling at and scolding us for trying to dry off and telling the groomsmen that they don't have time to dry off their light gray suits, which show the rain perfectly. When we ask for clarification on the indoor ceremony, she insisted we didn't need to practice, she is rushed and short with us, as if this was the wedding party's fault. We finish the ceremony, and the photographer insists on taking pictures outside, and tries to make us stand in the rain to do so until the bride put her foot down. The photographer then tried to leave a half hour early, becausd she had shown up a half hour early and started working of her own volition. The wedding planner (employed by the venue) and photographer (suggested and preferred by the venue) were incredibly unprofessional. The planner did not listen, did not follow the protocol she put in place, and was hostile towards us based on mistakes and miscalculations she made. Again, outside of these 2, everyone and everything...

We cannot begin to express how amazing Melissa and the entire staff are at Isla del Sol. From the very first moment we toured the venue, Melissa was so sweet, kind, confident, and talented! Everyone at the venue (including the members) were welcoming and helpful - even when I brought my parents back two and three times to visit :)

It was clear Melissa had a lot of experience and we immediately felt at ease with our wedding in her hands. She provided options and recommendations on every detail of the event - from the flow, schedule, vendors, food, linens, etc. Melissa led us through the entire planning process with ease. She was SO responsive and helped to coordinate all of the day-of details with our vendors.

When the day finally came, everything went off without a hitch! Melissa orchestrated the entire day flawlessly and with such grace and agility - she was so calm, that it put us all at ease. Whenever I’d ask if something had arrived or had been done (i.e. did my mom give you the extra place cards, did my flower girl get her headpiece, did someone give you the tray for the bubbles) it had already been taken care of.

The food at the venue is AMAZING! Our guests continue to rave about it and many said it was the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding.

We love the staff, the food and the location so much that we also held our rehearsal dinner at Isla del Sol.

What I love about this venue, in addition to its gorgeous facilities and setting, is that it’s very private. You have an intimate, private beach as your backdrop. It’s the perfect combination of tropical, classy, and elegant.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Ahmed, who was our knight in shining armor the day of the event. He was so attentive to me and my husband during the wedding - refilling our drinks, making sure we ate, and just checking in to see if there is anything we needed.

So, I know this is long, but I have so many great things to say about Isla del Sol, that I just had to share. Thank you Melissa, Ahmed, and the entire staff at Isla del Sol for making our...

Planning a destination wedding, we had looked at several venues over a few days when we had been in town. After looking at venue after venue that didn’t match what we envisioned, Isla del Sol was the last venue we looked at and we knew instantly that it was perfect. Between the private beach, access to the clubhouse the entire day, being the only wedding at the venue during the weekend and the option for s’mores on the beach afterwards, we knew we had found the perfect venue. During the planning process Melissa was always quick to answer our many questions. It was obvious she had experience putting on picture perfect weddings. In addition to her experience though, she was so sweet and made sure that everything was personalized to our vision. All of the vendors we selected were from her recommended list and we couldn’t have been happier with them. We had heard how amazing the food was at Isla del Sol, but when we went for our tasting it still beat our expectations. It was hard to narrow down to the final menu from the delicious food we tried. We know we made the right decision as all of our guest comments on how delicious the food was – everything from the hors d'oeuvres through dinner. The staff at Isla was always going the extra mile as well – between ensuring as bride and groom we had choice drinks as soon as we sat down, accommodating dietary restrictions, hors d'oeuvres at our seats before dinner, all the way to ensuring I had my signature drink down on the beach for s’mores! We not only had a picture perfect day for the wedding, but the most fun we have ever had. It was the perfect venue to celebrate with our friends and family. Thank you to Melissa and the entire team at Isla del Sol for the memories that will...