Island Grand at TradeWinds
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Photos: Photo: Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Our take
By Matt Spaulding, Founder and writer
The Island Grand is the biggest resort on St. Pete Beach, and you book it for the sheer amount of stuff to do. Multiple pools, the giant High Tide water slide, mini-golf, a floating waterpark, kids' programming all day, and beachfront that goes on forever. For a family that wants a self-contained vacation where nobody has to get in a car, few places on this coast pack in more per day. Two things to go in knowing. First, it took real damage from the 2024 hurricanes and is now partway through a multi-year renovation and expansion, so there is some construction footprint and a mix of freshly redone and still-dated rooms depending on where you land. Ask for a renovated room when you book and again at check-in. Second, the money adds up fast: a $45-a-day resort fee sits on top of the room rate (it covers the slides, while the spa and floating waterpark cost extra), parking is paid and genuinely tight at peak times, and food on property runs expensive. That is the steady theme across reviews, a prime location and endless activities weighed against high fees, dated corners, and the odd maintenance hiccup. Who it suits: families and groups who will use the amenities hard and love having everything on site. Anyone after a quiet, polished, room-first stay tends to be happier at a smaller property up the beach.
Quick facts
- Rooms
- 381 rooms and villas, per the operator's own resort-amenities section, verified 2026-09-02. Worth recording because a guide of ours put it at 700, which is closer to the two TradeWinds resorts combined.
- Beach access
- Direct, huge private beach frontage
- Parking
- Paid self-parking, tight at peak times
- Pets
- Dogs allowed, fee applies
- Check-in
- 4:00 PM
- Pools
- Multiple pools, the High Tide water slide, mini-golf
- Resort fee
- $45/day (covers the slides; spa and floating waterpark cost extra)
- Status
- Open, mid multi-year renovation after 2024 storm repairs
Where you are
📍 5500 Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Open in Maps →The heart of resort row. You can walk the beach south to the Don CeSar or north to the quieter mid-beach stretch; most guests never leave the property.
Still thinking about it?
Last-minute rates move fast, and the small beachfront places sell out first. Check the live price and judge the deal for yourself.
Check tonight's price →Island Grand at TradeWinds FAQ
Is the Island Grand fully open after the 2024 hurricanes?
Yes. It was damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and has reopened, and it is now working through a multi-year renovation and expansion. The hotel, pools, slides, and beach are open, though you can expect some construction on the property and a mix of renovated and older rooms.
What does the $45 resort fee cover?
The daily fee, added on top of the headline rate, covers wifi, beach setup, and the activity programming including the water slides. The spa and the floating waterpark cost extra. Families who use the amenities hard get far more out of it than a couple there mainly for the beach.
Should I ask for a renovated room?
Yes, and ask twice: once at booking and again at check-in. With the renovation running in phases, room quality varies a lot right now, and a renovated room is the difference between feeling the value and feeling the fees.
Is the Island Grand a good pick without kids?
It can work for the beach-bar scene and the location, but the place is built around family activity. Couples after quiet or polish, or anyone sensitive to construction noise during the renovation, tend to be happier at a smaller property nearby.
Is the Island Grand worth it?
For a family that will use the place hard, yes. Multiple pools, the High Tide water slide, mini-golf, a floating waterpark and all-day kids' programming mean nobody has to get in a car. The 4.0 rating comes from the other side of the ledger: a $45 daily resort fee, paid parking that runs tight, expensive food on property, and a mix of renovated and still-dated rooms while the multi-year renovation runs.
Things to do nearby
All Tampa Bay things to do →
Attraction passZooTampa and Florida Aquarium Combo TicketTampaOne ticket for ZooTampa and the Florida Aquarium, good for one visit to each within a week.See tickets →
Museum & funGlazer Children's MuseumTampaDowntown Tampa's hands-on children's museum, where a toddler pays the same as the adult holding their hand.See tickets →
Museum & funHenry B. Plant MuseumTampaThe inside of Tampa's silver minarets, and it is one wing of one floor.See tickets →
Tour & cruiseShell Key Preserve Clear Kayak TourTierra VerdeA guided paddle into a preserve with no road, in kayaks you can see through.See tickets →
Featured in our guides
- The Best Hotel Pools on the Gulf Coast, Ranked by What They're Actually ForFrom the TradeWinds' five-pool sprawl to a tiny heated gem behind a 1950s motel: the Gulf Coast hotel pools actually worth planning a stay around.Read the guide →
- The Last-Minute Booking Playbook: When 'Tonight' Is the Cheapest NightSame-day hotel booking isn't a gamble if you know how hotel pricing actually works. The rules, the exceptions, and when to walk away.Read the guide →