The Don CeSar, Saint Petersburg

Very Good

Liked: The Beach is very nice and we enjoyed a lot. The Room has a good view and met my expectations. I didn't go to the pool but it looked pretty nice.
Disliked: The Staff for the Room Service and Reception - My bedroom didn't have the room service. The room maid doesn't speak English, I asked her several times to clean my room and she kept repeating the same thing (like.. 10min, 5 min...etc) and never showed up and didn't clean the room.When I arrived at the Hotel, I have been attended by the receptionist and she gave me the keys. When I entered the room (the keys opened the door), there was someone else inside, with all luggages and belongings and it was around 4pm, far from the check out time. Totally Unacceptable!!!

It was my Granddaughtets 11th...

Liked: The location the amenities the ambiance and well …it’s the Don Cesar. Lots of history. Landmark resort in St. Pete.
Disliked: Need more restaurant options. Hard to get a spa appointment.

Good

Liked: In front if the beachPool area
Disliked: Limited vegetarian optionsSmall roomCrowded valet area

Exceptional

Very good. I would recommend...

Liked: Everything was excellent - service, food, facilities
Disliked: Wait to check in. Handed over our American mobile number and confirmed email address but had to return to the desk to ask whether we could get access to the room. Phone number and email were incorrectly added to the booking by staff.

Beautiful iconic hotel but some...

Liked: The hotel is beautiful and some of the staff very friendly (all the front desk, bell hops, wait staff at the pools and coffee place). The hotel is right at the beach and has 2 pools. The gym has great facilities and was very clean. The lobby bar decor is amazing and the bar staff were great. Buffet breakfast is very nice.
Disliked: The first room they put us in was facing a construction site which contractors literally working at eye level. We didn’t get any advanced warning or resort credit. Had I been told I would have cancelled the trip. They managed to move us for our second night but it was a big inconvenience to the beginning of our trip (it would have been a nice gesture to offer us dinner or something to make up for this). The second room was in a better location with partial view of the gulf but slightly smaller and had a strong musty smell. It smelt like a jersey shore motel. At this price point housekeeping should be flagging this and it should be addressed.The hostess and waitstaff at breakfast were not very friendly and the experience was very cold from them. We sat outside for 10 minutes waiting for someone and when I went inside to check if it was self service I was met with passive aggressive attitude from the server.The hotel is on the far south side of the island and there are very few restaurants within walking distance and not much happening outside of the hotel bars in the evening.