Review of Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa 4*

Great location right on the beach, great staff. The rest was disappointing. They like all the other supposedly 5 Star hotels nickel and dime you to death. I know they think well, if you stay at a five star you'll pay for everything! It would be much better if they just charged more for the room and include everything like the all inclusive resorts do. I would prefer to stay at a Hampton Inn than here again. They have the same great bedding and even include breakfast. This Hilton property has dated rooms that are wearing out. The slider to the balcony is extremely hard to open, the adjoining room I got for my son and his family had a bathroom sliding door that when you closed it the bottom guide moves with the door. If his wife and kids weren't in the room, he would have been trapped in the bathroom for hours until the room attendant came in to turn down the bed. The resort fee is a joke. They give you paddle boards and kayaks for free along with a lounge chair at the pool based on availability but if you are at the beach, a chair is $18 and an umbrella is even more. With tax it comes to $52+ and you are in the third row behind the cabanas! Of course if you want the full set up, 2 lounge chairs, umbrella, cabana, and big day bed. Then for $200 + 7% tax, you can be in the front row. Third row doesn't sound bad but you need to realize this is public beach and the hotel is not allowed to place chairs or cabanas closer than about 30 feet from the water. Add the third row to that and you are better than 100 feet from the water. You certainly can't watch your family from there and if you are older it is a tough walk on soft sand that you sink into with every step. Oh, did I mention it is the same price if you are a hotel guest, a Hilton Honors member or the public. Just a bad situation when you look at the online pictures of the beach with all the cabanas set out on an empty beach! Would we go back? Probably not if we could find something else that was a better value for the money this cost.