We all have been in this terrible quarantine and the covid pandemic affected all of us. Taking this trip, far enough to feel I am getting away and close enough to drive, came as a blessing. I have never been on the West coast of Florida (except for a short day trip to Naples). Because I am that lucky, the tropical storm decided to form right on the weekend of my trip, so the rain was in the forecast. You would say everything was against the trip, and still, we just jumped in the car and drove.
It is a 5 hours drive from Miami Beach. The day we drove tropical storm was still far away, but the rain was already on and off for several days.
Fenway Autograph collection received us with a cozy room. Right after we left our stuff in the room, we were given a fantastic tour around the property. Those of you who follow me on Instagram know I am a big history lover, so anything with a story adds an extra layer of excitement and enjoyment.
Fenway was built in 1924, and it is considered “an Icon of the Jazz age” from the entrance to the rooms, you will feel that music vibe. Every piece of art, every detail will remind you that this building was the very first radio station. see the timeline HERE
Fenway as well went through the prohibition era and hosted its speakeasy. The entrance is still there. And pay attention to the clock at the bar. Ask your bartender what’s the deal; spoiler alert: it has to do with the prohibition.
After the arrival and a tour, you will get hungry, and it was just time for our dinner reservation.
Because of COVID restrictions, Fenway and Hew Parlor & Chophouse accommodate a space at the hotel’s very front for outdoor dining.
Tip: if you are looking for a romantic semi-casual dinner outdoors, don’t look further, this is your perfect spot. Because of the on and off rain, we opted for indoor dining.
Starting with some drinks and appetizers, I can’t recommend their meatballs enough, so good! We even had them the next day for sunset dinner at the HiFi rooftop bar too. We also ordered pork wings, just the name of it sounded exciting, and the taste is superb!
The decor of the dining room is a very mid-century modern chick. Nothing in its design is by accident but very thought through, researched, and carefully selected, from fabrics of the window coverings, shape and style of the chair, finishes, and all that combined with a very modern open kitchen with clean straight lines creative use of stone.
The next morning was a sunny day we decided to explore Dunedin. Fenway is just several blocks from downtown Dunedin, where we found a small farmers market and many brunching options, a museum, and some small cute boutiques and snacks stores. We opted for a walk, but you can get a bike from Jazz inspired bike rack at the hotel entrance and ride it to downtown Dunedin or on a 48.9 miles trail that runs south to north throughout an island from St Petersburg to Keystone.
We walked and picked “A wild iris cafe” for our brunch. Incredibly charming venue with homemade breakfast and handmade sangria. We opted to sit at the porch where we had a view of the street and saw some antique cars and some gorgeous bernadodles ( it was my first time seeing them in person, and they are adorable)
Dunedin has this incredibly relaxing vibe, which was much appreciated.
Fenway is located within 10 min drive from famous Clearwater beaches.
As you probably already know, I live on the beach, so we decided to skip the beach this time; however, we took a drive over the bridge, checked out the vibe, and even got some ice cream.
The day was rainy on and off, but we were hoping for an iconic sunset view and ceremony.
Yes, the Hi-Fi rooftop bar offers a fantastic view towards the bay and the sunset, and they have a ceremony where all visitors say good buy to the day and count down to the sunset, and Cymbals are hit three times. I was honored to play cymbals the evening we visited, and it was a fun and significant ceremony. Suddenly, magically, the day of the rain clouds opened just enough to show us the setting sun.
you don’t need to leave the bar as you can order some items from the downstairs restaurant (which we did)
On our last day, the tropical storm was arriving. We still spent some time just enjoying hotel amenities and taking some pictures. The Grab and Go breakfast offered in the lobby is a perfect option to quickly kicks the morning.
Unfortunately, we had to leave early to avoid the storm directly hitting us. We took a longer ride crossing Florida west to East through Orlando and taking i95 down to Miami. It was pretty interesting to see huge waves from the storm when we drove over the bridge from St Petersburg to Tampa and then to see dark purple clouds in our rare mirror while driving over a sunny road.
Do I need to say again that even that we got rain and storm trying to interfere with our plans, Fenway took care of getting us to a relaxation mixed with adventure mood?
