This week, the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa joined in on the Christmas-themed pop-up craze with Rudolph's Rooftop Christmas Bar. Rudolph's joins fellow pop-ups in Tampa Bay including Santa's Social Club in Dunedin and Miracle at Mezzo in St. Petersburg.
“We are thrilled to introduce Rudolph’s Rooftop Christmas Bar this holiday season,” said Brittany Doyle, marketing manager at Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa. “The pop-up bar will provide holiday cheer with festive decorations, delicious food and drinks, and unmatched views of the Gulf of Mexico for the ultimate ‘Christmas in Paradise’ experience.”
The bar will be open to both resort guests and local residents every night from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. from Dec. 17-Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve).
While temperatures are far from what gets us in the holiday spirit, the themed signature drinks are working overtime. Some seasonal sips include Prancer’s Punch, made with light rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and nutmeg topped with a Captain Morgan floater. If by chance you catch a breeze on the rooftop, opt for Blitzen-Spiked Hot Chocolate with vanilla vodka and hot chocolate or the Gingerbread Old Fashioned with Maker's Mark, bitters, gingerbread simple syrup, and an orange slice.
Since weather's been somewhat unpredictable, the rooftop bar offers both indoor and outdoor seating on the resort's eighth-floor pool deck to offer up socially-distanced dining. Speaking of venturing out in COVID-19 times, a safe way to gather with your gang is with the bar's open-air yard games like oversized Jenga and cornhole.
A release added that Rudolph’s will have several safety procedures in place.
"The resort requires masks to be worn in all indoor public areas, apart from when seated at one of the restaurants. Masks are also required in outdoor spaces apart from when seated and socially-distanced," the release said. "The resort also provides contactless service with plexiglass barriers, has increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitization, provides hand sanitization stations throughout the property, observes social distancing practices, and more."
The Hyatt Regency is located at 301 S. Gulfview Blvd. on Clearwater Beach.
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This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2020.