Day 100 - January 9, 2013: The Vinoy Resort and a move to Palmetto/Bradenton. 

This morning we toured the Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, which was a short walk north of the St. Petersburg Pier. This Five Diamond hotel has a rich history starting with its construction in the 20s, bringing many from the northeast here to live and vacation in the winter. The Vinoy remained a key part of the local economy through the 30s and the depression, until in WW II it faltered and was leased to the US War Department for two years. Subsequently, it ceased operation and went through a number of restart attempts in the 70s and 80s, and it fell to an absolute low with the interior looted by vagrants living in the building. In the early 90s, it reopened after an extensive total restoration and was further restored with a grand opening in 2000. It is now both an important historical landmark and a magnificent premiere hotel.

Vinoy Resort

Original fountains and courtyards

Walk to the bay with its own marina

The architecture is Mediterranean Revival and combines Greek and Spanish styles with the flavor and atmosphere of Florida. The restoration was meticulous including retaining the pecky cypress ceilings and duplicating the ornate paintings on the dining hall walls. There is a display of Chihuly glass in the lobby and 10 ft-long Chihuly chandelier in the ballroom.

Original Pecky Cypress ceiling beams

Dining hall and bar

Chuhuly glass

Chuhuly chandelier

We retrieved the dock lines after lunch and, in full sunshine and 80 degrees, eagerly moved down through Tampa Bay to a mooring ball outside the Bradenton Yacht Club. Here we met and had dinner with Grand Haven friends and graduated loopers, Jerry and Linda, who winter on Anna Maria Island.