An instant feeling of calm washes over me as I stand on the soft sands of St. Pete Beach. The sun pools into the horizon, the orb turning the color of molten lava behind a thin layer of clouds. Shorebirds with legs as delicate as toothpicks run back and forth where calm waves lap the sugar-fine shoreline. Overhead, a line of pelicans in formation flies effortlessly over us all.
When you stay along the beaches of Florida’s glorious Gulf Coast, catching the sun as it sinks over the Gulf of Mexico is a nightly ritual at any hotel, watering hole or restaurant with a sea view. And when you spend the night at one of Florida’s best Gulf Coast beach resorts, you’re positioned to catch the serene, golden mornings here, too. Read on for some of the best Gulf Coast beach resorts in Florida where you can bask in the state’s nature, swim in clear waters, and perhaps indulge in a wellness treatment or some flopping-fresh seafood.