The Don CeSar Hotel: A Pink Palace

Driving up the ramp and onto the grounds of the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Petersburg, your eyes quickly zero in on its color – a striking pink cotton-candy hue.  Aptly nicknamed the Pink Palace, the Spanish-style property, which is nearing a hundred years old, is regarded as a grand fixture along Florida’s Gulf Coast. However, it has recently adapted to fit the changing times.

A Storied History

Opened in 1928, The Don CeSar was the vision of Thomas J. Rowe, a real estate broker from Virginia, who came to St. Petersburg enticed by financial prospects and seeking a vital re-boot on his health and life.

The hotel’s name is contrived from Rowe’s favorite operas, one of which was “Maritana”, adapted from the French play, “Don Cesar de Bazan.” The project’s construction became bigger and bigger with Its “built-on sand” foundation and its morphing size and budget.

Even when the Crash of 1929 came about the hotel survived, although it had to go into receivership. Still, tycoons and celebs such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, came to stay. While The Don CeSar Hotel was able to keep its doors open during the Great Depression, Rowe was unable to see its future. In 1940, he died of a heart attack in the hotel lobby and his estranged wife Mary inherited the hotel. Not being business savvy, the hotel soon changed hands.

In 1942, the U.S. Army purchased it and turned it into a sub-base hospital, then into a convalescent home. Following World War II, The Don Cesar was recommissioned as a VA headquarters until being vacated in 1969. By then the dilapidated building risked the possibility of being torn down until 1971 when a “Save the Don” campaign, led by local June Hurley-Young, stepped in.

A year later, saved from demolition and under new ownership, a $3.5 million restoration project began with the hotel officially re-opening in 1973 and receiving National Historic Landmark Status the following year.

Renovations for a New Era

For the 21^st century, The Don CeSar will still be grand but also modern. Begun in 2018, the hotel is undergoing a three-phase, full-property renovation with its third and final phase to be completed in late 2020.

The project started with reinvigorating the hotel’s Don Lobby Bar, which was repositioned to the rear of the lobby to open up the space and better capture guests’ attention. Other refurbishments have extended to the hotel’s high-end boutiques, to Maritana, its coastal Mediterranean restaurant, and Uncle Andy’s Ice Cream Parlor, a nostalgic grab-and-go eatery with locally-made, small-batch frozen treats.

Located a full half-mile from the main resort complex, the Beach House Suites, a 70-room, all-suite beachside wing, underwent a redesign of its Sand Dollar Pool Bar and outdoor gathering spaces which include the main pavilion and lounge.

Now, the project’s last phase is the redesign of its 277 guestrooms, scheduled for completion around Thanksgiving, plus upgrades to the Sea Porch Café and The Beachcomber Bar & Grill. The guestrooms will feature beach-inspired furnishings and upgraded layouts; a whimsical flamingo graphic will hover above the whitewashed headboards.

Worth noting are the property’s two deluxe heated pools, The Rowe Bar, a semi-outdoor spot with Gulf-front setting, Spa Oceana, an 11,000-square-foot full-service facility with rooftop terrace and fitness center and the Kids Camp. And of course, there’s a 22,000 square-foot space for meetings and special occasions.

Don CeSar Details and More

The Don CeSar is a half-hour drive from Tampa International Airport and 25 minutes from St. Petersburg – Clearwater International Airport.  While in St. Petersburg make sure to venture out to the Edge District where Bodega, a small Latin eatery, is known for freshly made, flavor of the day fruit juices and their Pollo Asado, a coconut marinated grilled chicken breast paired with rice, beans and maduros.

On the cultural side, don’t miss a visit to the renowned Salvador Dalí Museum in downtown St. Petersburg where you’ll find an exhausting collection of the mustachio-ed surrealist painter’s works. Outside, the museum’s Avant-Garden is comprised of local plants and flowers and its artistic decor relates directly to the artist. The Wish Tree for example encourages you to write a wish upon your admission wristband then wrap it around a hanging ribbon.