As the Tampa Bay region recovers from its brush with Hurricane Irma, thousands are still without power, and could remain so for at least another day.
It's not just frustrating. It can be downright life-threatening for some people, not to mention pets.
Why not head to the beach for a few days?
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater has been compiling a list of hotels throughout the county that are open and accepting guests.
This handy spreadsheet tells you all you need to know about these properties, whether or when they are open, any damage they sustained, if they offer guests unable to return home a "distressed rate," whether they are pet-friendly (and quite a few are) as well as what amenities they have.
As far as damage goes, some of the properties reported experienced none, others said they had a few downed trees and some damage to signage while at least one said is still dealing with sand overwash, which results from storm surge.
Among the properties that are open, have power and are accepting guests:
-Alden Suites (St. Pete Beach).
-Doubletree by Hilton Tampa Bay (Redington Beach).
-Hollander Hotel (St. Petersburg)
-Klimpton Hotel Zamora (St. Pete Beach).
-Palm Pavilion (Clearwater Beach).
-Postcard Inn (St. Pete Beach).
-TradeWinds Island Grand/Guy Harvey Outpost (St. Pete Beach).
With about 400 properties included so far, the list is quite comprehensive — it includes smaller places along U.S. 19 as well as bigger chains just off I-275. And some hoteliers provided their rates as well.
It shouldn't be tough at all to get a room, either, given that September tends to be a relatively slow month for tourist-oriented hotels and restaurants.
But even if you think you can stomach another 30 hours of no A/C, no cold water and no refrigeration, it might benefit your sanity to pop out to one of those beach (or downtown) hotels for a frosty beverage...if only for some temporary (albeit chilly!) respite. It's not like there's anything else to do right now.
