The Coral Resort

The location near amenities was the one good part of our week at Coral Resort. The room was visibly dirty when we arrived, with food bits, plastic utensils, and dirt on the floor. The floors didn’t look like they’d been mopped in ages, and there was a lot of sand under the unsanitary area rug. We bought cleaning supplies and spent time cleaning the filthy floors ourselves. The full-size bed was small and so soft it seemed suitable for one person at most. The bedding was clean, but the blankets had cigarette burns and the pillows were flat and worn. We definitely won’t return.

The location is convenient, but I’d tell people not to stay here unless they want to be disappointed. We checked in around 5:30 PM on Aug. 7th for a child-free long weekend and our wedding. That first evening, the shower head fell off and hit me, so we couldn’t shower. We called the number in the welcome email and asked for another room, but there wasn’t one. They offered a room where we could shower briefly, then we’d have to go back to ours for the night, with maintenance coming the next morning. We asked for a refund so we could stay at a hotel down the road, but got no refund, just a $30 credit for the inconvenience. The bathroom had no garbage can except the one in there, which smelled of urine, so we tied a garbage bag to the closet door handle all weekend. The advertised private balcony was a rusty shared metal ledge overlooking the bay and directly into another rental. There was only room to stand, with no seating. The shower head and light were fixed the next day, but there was no hot water. Less than an hour before our Uber arrived for the license and ceremony, we managed to take a cold or lukewarm shower. Management said they couldn’t refund us and would tell the HOA about the water. Someone came to check that day, but there was still no hot water when we returned, and we had none for the entire stay. The Wi-Fi didn’t work, and we came back several times to find our door wide open. The room might have been okay if we’d had hot water, and we could have overlooked the other misrepresentations and hassles. There was no sofa as advertised, just a small wicker table, two folding chairs, two dirty wicker chairs to sit in, and a Murphy bed with a very firm mattress. The pool water was warmer than the shower. The air conditioner worked for a while, then shut off and showed a code. My husband got it running again, but it had no filter and was full of mold. After checkout, all we’d heard was an apology for the inconvenience and that they’d talk to their team. I offered to pay for the first night, but the owner or manager wouldn’t even give a partial refund. It felt like they cared about the money more than guests, especially when they couldn’t provide hot water. We wasted time complaining and should have booked somewhere decent and dealt with this after getting home. Lesson learned. It was a far from relaxing weekend.

These apartments are right on the water, spotless, and close to the trolley. They’re clearly older, but the beachy decor feels sunny, especially coming from the grey Northeast. There’s lots of space and free laundry too. I love them!

The grounds are neat and clean, management is around to answer questions and suggest things to do, and the free washers and dryers are handy. I’ve stayed at three different units over three years, and enjoyed each visit. The units are individually owned but managed by Coral Resort. They’re fine, though old and in need of some upkeep. The location is great for Clearwater Beach downtown and beach access. Once parked, you can walk to everything: the beach is two blocks away, and the downtown strip stretches a good distance. The heated pool is especially nice for rinsing off the ocean feel after a hot beach day.