Coastal Vote: a Beach-Lover's Guide to Florida's Gulf Coast

The artwork and photography adorning the rooms of this St Pete beach hotel pay homage to surfing and sun-worshipping – perfect for anyone who’s chosen the Florida Gulf Coast for their winter vacation. What’s more, Postcard Inn on the Beach claims the largest swimming pool in all of St Pete. As if that wasn’t fancy enough, there’s also a garland-strung beach bar serving up fish sandwiches, a watersports hut on the sand and boat tours to tick off local marine life.

The Shell Key Preserve, at the mouth of Tampa Bay, includes the 200-acre (80ha) barrier island known as Shell Key. The sanctuary, which became a preserve in the year 2000, attracts cormorants, pelicans, osprey and other seabird species that rely on the small barrier island to nest or winter, while other migrating birds pass through at different times of year. It’s a popular fishing and boating area and is accessible by the Shell Key Shuttle.

While some spas pay only lip service to men’s treatments, Shore Rejuvenation has an extensive menu specially curated for gents. Options include organic marine eye treatments, gentleman’s express facials and waxing of all kinds. Plus, you can book the 40-minute detoxification session in the sauna. Naturally, there are treatments for the ladies too, including all manner of massages and facials.

The south shore of Sanibel is best known for having white sandy beaches and languorous coconut palms. That’s part of the experience at the 49-room Island Inn which is spread over 10 acres (4ha) on the Gulf of Mexico. For anyone who’s leaving the cold behind, the heated swimming pool is kept at a toasty 86F (30C) thanks to advanced geothermal technology. There’s a cool-water pool as well, if you want to create a circuit.

When did you last enjoy a sit-down dinner on vacation before hitting the dancefloor until midnight? While oysters, prawns and shrimp dominate the menu, it’s a mix of jazz, Motown and R&B that steals the live-music show at Traditions on the Beach, a Sanibel nightlife landmark. Grab yourself a French Kiss (vodka, lime juice, ginger and club soda), treat yourself to the chocolate lava dessert (with a hefty dollop of bourbon-vanilla ice cream), but make sure you aren’t too full to throw some shapes.

What winter traveler could resist a hotel that serves cocktails named Heatwave (rum, coconut water, pineapple juice and jalapeños) and Liquid Sunshine (more rum, with fruit juices and a dash of grenadine)? The 125-suite Edgewater Beach Hotel has long wooed guests to Naples with its oceanside address on the sands. Food in the Coast Restaurant (shrimp ravioli, grilled grouper and lobster risotto) is equally enticing.

When in Naples, it would be rude not to feast on Italian fare, and at Bar Tulia – with a sister restaurant on Fifth Avenue in New York – that means comfort food. From the raw menu, there’s beef carpaccio and halibut crudo. For pizzas, there’s chicken with gorgonzola, apples, pine nuts and chives. There are some sharing dishes, but you’ll definitely want to keep the tiramisu all to yourself: made up of sugared ladyfingers, espresso-whipped mascarpone and a dusting of cocoa.

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, on a barrier island on the southwest coast, is home to one of the most pristine stretches of beach in Florida. Swimming, paddleboarding, hiking, fishing, snorkeling and kayaking are popular activities – as is watching for wildlife. Among the resident species are bald eagles, ospreys, loggerhead turtles, rare West Indian manatees and the endangered gopher tortoise. There are boardwalks, observation decks, grills and picnic areas, so arrive ready to make a day of it.