Clearwater Florida - A Natural Paradise

With a Billion Dollar Beach Walk

by Richard Frisbie

The first time I was in Clearwater Florida it was a honky-tonk stripmall of a beach town, more a rundown poor relation to the St. Petersburg/Tampa region than a destination. Well, a lot has changed in 30 years since I was there, and it’s all for the better. Today, it is a natural paradise offshore the sprawling urbanity of Tampa and St. Petersburg, with a beach voted the “Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.”

A causeway connects Clearwater to the St. Petersburg mainland. Driving across it from the airport I could see just how big the “back bay” is, and why it is famed for its sailing. The large protected body of water, dotted with sand spits and islands, had every manner of motorized and wind-powered boats plying it. They looked for all the world like a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. A few days later I found out how true that was as I spent a day on various boats there. This approach to Clearwater is beautiful, but I after I had a chance to be on the water I wished they had a ferry.

The Sandpearl Hotel, on Mandalay Street, has got to be the best hotel in Clearwater. When I arrived I was escorted to a comfortable chair in front of a desk and offered a cold towel and a glass of champagne to refresh myself. How civilized! I took more champagne to my room, and had even more later at a champagne and sushi cocktail hour where I met the executive chef, the sushi chef and the capable staff responsible for my comfort during my stay. What a wonderful introduction to Clearwater that was! I felt like visiting royalty. As the shadows lengthened, I reluctantly left the comfort of the Sandpearl and walked southward along the beach to the distant pier.

The Beach Walk is a brand new and/or completely rebuilt pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly stretch of the main thoroughfare, South Gulfview Blvd. New shops, buildings, and 3 or 4 star hotels line the street where parking lots and rundown hotels used to be. Colorful gardens and native trees border intricately paved sidewalks and plazas, with gazebos and benches offering views of the Gulf or the back bay. The wide, powdered-sugar white sand beach stretches hundreds of feet out to meet the warm gentle surf. There, people stroll on the tide-packed sand looking for shells, or just a reason to stop and enjoy the view for miles up and down the shore. It is an idyllic and peaceful scene, with everyone rousing each evening at the pier to watch the red sun melt into the water.

Sunsets at Pier 60 are an everyday celebration. If you’ve ever been to Key West and seen the spectacle there you know pretty much what I found in Clearwater, only here it was family oriented. Every afternoon from two hours before sunset to two hours after, Pier 60 is a magnet for everyone in Clearwater. There are street performers of all kinds, from breakdancers to jugglers and fire-eaters, there’s rock climbing walls and inflatable slides for the kids, and arts & crafts tables lining the pier for us all. The main event, weather permitting, is the sunset. Ohhs, ahhs, and cheers and applause ease the sun into the water, as day-after-day people gather to express amazement at this continuing display of beauty. At times like this, Clearwater feels like paradise.

It certainly has a lot to offer! I enjoyed boating on the back bay, both on catamarans under the auspices of the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, and on Little Toot, a porpoise watching water-surrey, replete with fringe on top. The kayaking through the mangrove tunnels of Caladesi Island was so much fun I almost didn’t leave enough time to walk the nature trails to the Gulf side of the island, but if I hadn’t, I’d have missed going for a swim at the top rated “2008 Best Beach” in the US! As for nature trails, the 2 plus mile hike through nearby Honeymoon Island State Park, Florida’s most visited park, had plenty of birds, mammals and interesting plants to see. I even saw an armadillo! Two “Best Beaches”, three types of boating and miles of hiking trails - all within sight of Clearwater’s new Billion Dollar Beach Walk. How’s that for a natural paradise?

A highlight of my trip was visiting the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where the head honcho, David Yates, gave me a personal tour of the rehabilitation facility. Yes, even though the name says aquarium, it is really where the injured sea otters, sea turtles and porpoise come to be nursed back to health before being released back into the wild. This is where I met Winter, the most famous porpoise in the world.

By now just about everyone has seen footage on all the major TV talk shows, or on a segment of the news, of the tail-less porpoise named Winter. I had, but I didn’t know she was in Clearwater. After she lost her tail in an unfortunate tangle with a crab line, everyone thought Winder would die. She surprised them by not just surviving, but thriving! So much so, that leading prosthesis makers offered to design a new tail for her. The rest, as they say, is history. As Winter matures from baby porpoise to adulthood, she is being fitted and refitted with better and better artificial tails. Designing these state-of-the-art appendages is helping experts to improve the design of human limbs.

One of the most heartwarming things about Winter and her prosthesis is the number of limb-less children and returned soldiers who make the pilgrimage to see her and be inspired by her courage overcoming such adversity. I was in tears watching a video of her visitors, tears that returned when I was able to hold and pet her during the acclimatization process she undergoes several times a day as her latest “tail” is fitted. Seeing porpoise in the wild was thrilling, but actually holding Winter, soothing her with words and strokes, was unforgettable!

No visit to Clearwater would be complete without mentioning the incredible food available there. I had two meals on the beach that were as memorable for the location as the food, and the food was great! Jack Guy, Director of Sales and Marketing for the magnificent Sheraton Sand Key Resort, hosted a sumptuous sunset dinner under a large tent, with servers and chefs and a steel drum player. It was festive and delicious, a great exposure to the fresh seafood available locally. The Sheraton is one of the few places in all of Clearwater where drinks are available on the beach. So besides great wines with our dinner, we were feted with shots of mojitos that had skewered chicken meatballs balanced on the rim. The plan was to eat the chicken, washing it down with the alcohol-laden drink, all while watching for the green flash when the fiery ball of red sun sank into the gulf. After a few shots I didn’t care what the chicken tasted like (it was very tasty!) It was such a good party that at sunset when no one saw the green flash, I offered to hop it into my pictures for them!

Another day we had a sunrise breakfast on the beach hosted by Joanna Patterson-Rizkallah, Director of Sales and Marketing for Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, which just completed a stunning $26M renovation. It is another place where drinks could be served in the sand, so we had eggs benedict and bloody mary’s all around. I know it sounds a bit decadent to be dining in tents on the beach, with chefs and servers and freshly prepared food on site, but at the time it seemed so natural. That is part of Clearwater’s charm, and a credit to my hosts. Both their hotels are an important part of the revitalization of Clearwater, sharing in the billion dollar investment being made to beautify the Beach Walk.

My favorite meal of the many good meals I had took place at the Watercolour Steakhouse and Grille, at Marriott Suites on Sand Key. Chef Jason Poulakis really knows how to turn great food into an impressive presentation. Dinner was served on the gently lighted waterfront patio with complimentary blue cocktails that tasted like a popsicle but packed a powerful wallop. They were followed by the most impressive appetizer I’ve ever seen. A huge platter holding an equally huge bowl, both filled with ice and seafood, was delivered to a side table. It was too big for our dinner table! There were king crab legs split lengthwise already for easy eating, with oysters, clams and lemons on the tray. A whole lobster crowned the bowl which was filled with more crab legs and oysters, plus stone crab claws, and the bowl was rimmed with shrimp. It was really an over-the-top seafood platter!

After carefully listening to our waiter and his answers to my questions, I ordered the best steak in the house - a 12 oz filet mignon ($35.00) "certified Angus Beef" aged 18-24 days. There is a sensibly sized 6 oz filet, but he felt the larger one cooked better and made a better presentation. I went with his choice, and I’m glad I did. First, the way it was cooked surprised me. I’ve never heard of this before: He said “All of our steaks are broiled on an infrared broiler at approximately 1600 degrees to lock in the mouthwatering juices. Our steaks are then placed on a 400 degree sizzling platter so that it remains hot during your meal. We then top each steak with our special seasoning liquid (our owner's special recipe handed down through generations) to accompany the flavorful juices.” I know he meant that because my plate was so hot it was served on a plate of its own! When pressed, I learned from him that the “special recipe” is secret, but that it includes diced black olives, diced garlic and extra virgin olive oil, among other things. He explained that most broilers cook at 600-800 degrees, letting the top of the steak lose moisture through the natural pores in the meat, drying it out. Their unique 1600 degree broiler sears the meat so quickly that the moisture stays in, keeping the steak tender. The chef bastes the steak with their secret seasoning throughout the cooking, and puts one ounce on top of the steak when it is done. That drips on the hot plate and releases the aroma and flavors of the seasoning. Then - Presto! - you have a bit of perfection on your plate.

Dessert was another spectacle. Kudos for the most creative plating I’ve ever seen. These multi-plate candelabras of dessert were delivered to a side table. (I guess my only complaint about the meal was that there wasn’t enough room on our table to place the beautiful displays of food!) Anyway, the angles and heights of the dessert plates were changeable! It’s such a smart way to showcase delicious looking desserts. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to taste any of them! That huge steak and seafood appetizer left me with no room for dessert. They looked good, though.

Showcasing food seems to be an area specialty. There was a lavish breakfast buffet at the Sandpearl Hotel that was so attractive I had to photograph it. There was a menu to order from so you never had to leave your seat, or you could help yourself to a wide array of delicious looking food. Besides the usual fruits, yogurts, cold meats and cheeses on display, there were three stations of live servers - one for eggs, one for waffles and pancakes, and one for oatmeal and other hot cereals! There was enough food to have only one meal a day, but that was never going to happen. My usual fare was fruit and yogurt because I knew big lunches and dinners were on the agenda.

Champagne & Sushi

One thing I hadn’t counted on was the extra food at the cocktail receptions I went to. The Sandpearl has a Sushi and Wine hour on Mondays and Tuesdays. ($25) Executive Chef Steve Jordan oversaw the serving of scallops ceviche, lobster & crab rolls, squid, California rolls and their signature dish, Poke, which alternates bits of snapper and tuna with vegetables in little “sandwiches” - scrumptious! The chopsticks were clicking madly away as the delectable little bites rapidly disappeared. That sushi could have been a meal in itself!

While we’re on the subject of the Sandpearl, I have to mention how “green” they are. The Sandpearl is actively working toward becoming a LEED facility. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.) They are definitely going green with ultra violet water purifying in the spas and pool so that almost none - or no - chlorine is used in the water. This is most obvious when you are walking around the pool and can’t smell any chlorine, and when your eyes don’t turn red in the crystalline water. In the laundry they use ozone, no phosphate soaps and cold water to wash of all their linens, towels, etc.. When they completely rebuilt the hotel last year they added geothermal heating and cooling, including sensors that turn off air conditioning in rooms that have open doors, and that return to ambient temps when the room is vacant. They’re doing some really neat stuff to preserve the environment. Even providing bicycles for employees to get back and forth to work. There is a full recycling system in place, and underground parking (with reserved hybrid parking!) to eliminate large paved parking areas. That avoids raising the surrounding temperature due to the radiation of the sun’s heat, and prevents groundwater loss to runoff. The results in energy savings and to the comfort of employees and guests is most impressive. An added benefit is that the Sandpearl is the ONLY hotel I've been in where the water temperature starts and maintains your comfort pick consistently - no fluctuations or endless waits for hot water! I really liked that feature when I was showering. Kudos for their environmental stance!

Well, there you have it. Clearwater is an environmentally aware, beautiful and natural paradise with local government and private individuals investing a billion dollars to keep it that way, and to make it better. There’s hiking, boating and sailing, plus first-class swimming on a world-class beach. There are top restaurants serving innovative and delicious food, and everyone I met seemed very nice. When you tire of the ice and snow and utility bills of a typical Northern winter, think of spending some quality time in 80 degree weather next year instead. From a few weeks to a season, Clearwater, Florida is a nice place to visit, but a better place to live.