Yo-Ho-Ho and a Weekend Full of Fun
My son, Justin, is a pirate-lover, so for his seventh birthday I found the perfect way to celebrate. We loaded our bags in the car and cruised to St. Pete Beach for a weekend at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, which I had discovered was the home of Captain RedBeard the pirate.
The fun started right when we arrived as there was a sand pail full of goodies awaiting Justin in our suite (thanks to my earlier online shopping at TradeWinds' JustLetGoShop.com.) We soon learned that this beachfront resort offers a boatload of activities for kids. He was painted like a buccaneer, saw a movie at the "dive-in" theater and made shark tooth necklaces with Captain RedBeard himself. At the Pirate's Crew Party, he played pirate games, sang pirate songs and enjoyed pirate grub with a few of the new shipmates he had met. Justin had a jolly-good time. In fact, we both did.
The next day I took the birthday boy down to the beach, an 20-acre stretch of pure white sand along the Gulf of Mexico. Though the beach impressed him, he was more fascinated with the gigantic seasonal water slide – at least three stories high – resting before him. It really was his lucky day. An all-day pass to ride the slide kept him occupied while I kicked back on a beach cabana (included in my Resort Amenity Fee). I relaxed and caught some rays, but not before snapping a few great shots of him plunging down the slide.
Before I knew it lunchtime had arrived, so we headed up to the Flying Bridge Restaurant, just a stone's throw from the beach. Justin ordered his favorite (a burger) from the kid's menu, while I had the Shrimp Jammers and a frozen piña colada. We enjoyed the view of the canal below, home to herons, swans, ducks, Koi fish and a fleet of colorful paddleboats, many of which passed under the restaurant as we ate.
Later that afternoon, I dropped off Justin at the resort's KONK Club (Kids' Only, No Kidding!), which offers fully-supervised kids' activities.
Meanwhile, I snuck over to the Body Works Salon for a refreshing mini facial and a soothing full-body massage. When I picked up Justin from the KONK Club, he had all kinds of creations to show me: a freshly painted wooden birdhouse, a ceramic alligator and a keepsake treasure chest.
That night, just in time for the big birthday dinner at the resort's Bermuda's restaurant, Justin's best bud – my fiancé – showed up to surprise us, and he came bearing an armful of gifts. We feasted on fresh Gulf seafood and delicious aged steaks. Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed a slice of cake before Justin tore open his gifts.
But there were more surprises in store for the evening, at least for Justin. I had arranged for a bedtime tuck-in by TradeWinds' official mascot, "Beaker" the pelican. We were lounging around in our comfy suite, recalling pirate adventures and relaxing in paradise, when there came a "tap tap tap" on the door. Sure enough, it was Beaker with a surprise gift. My son jumped off the couch and darted over to accept it.
The next morning, we strolled over to the Sunday Brunch at the Palm Court Restaurant, where our day got off to a delicious start. We dined on the patio courtyard, enjoying everything from ham and cheese omelets to more fresh seafood.
Afterwards, we joined a few of the adventure guides on the beach to feed some of the resident wildlife. Then we made our way to the shaded children's pool, where my son caught up with some of his Pirate's Crew Party shipmates. My fiancé and I took the chance to dip into the whirlpool nearby.
On the way home, we stopped at a few souvenir stores and picked up some beach towels and a bucket load of cool beach toys. Since St. Pete Beach is close to Tampa, we figured next time we'd plan for a day-trip to one of Tampa's exciting theme parks like Busch Gardens or Adventure Island (you can purchase tickets and even arrange transportation through the resort).
No doubt we won't wait until Justin's next birthday to return this way.
By Ann Marie O'Phelan Last modified on Dec 05, 2006
