Want to Be on Your Own? Then Check Out Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

We live in the next county up from Indian Rocks beach, and often drive by this area, when we go to our timeshare in Treasure Island.

We drove south on U.S.19 to West Bay Drive, and then went west, to the gulf. Indian Rocks beach was only a couple of lights south of it.

We barely got into Indian Rocks beach, when we found our timeshare. It was Camaron Cove, 2402 N. Gulf Blvd. I have to say that staying in a timeshare is wonderful. We were right in the front of the building, had a huge 2 bedroom/2 bathroom unit, that had views of the beach from every window.

To me the beach is a little disappointing compared to the beaches south of it. It is narrow, and when the tide comes in, there are places where it is difficult to walk. The whole week we were there, the beach wasn't cleaned at all. At Treasure Island the beach gets cleaned every single day. Even on the bitterly cold days, the guy is out on his tractor, and raking the sand.

I walked the beach several time a day, and a couple of times, walked back the road way. Here I found some local businesses, but not that many.

Just below the timeshare was a small strip mall with a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Sandy's has been on the beach for over 33 years. I went in to get a 'to go' menu, but they didn't have any available. I noticed that the breakfasts started at around $7.99. They had a small area on the road side of the building, for smokers to eat outside.

In the same plaza I found the Cafe de Paris bakery. They had amazing pastries, tarts, pies, cakes, rolls, etc. On our last full day I had an amazing fresh fruit tart, a meringue, and Len had 2 rolls. The prices were very reasonable.

A little further south was Kooky Coconut on the beach, at 760 Gulf Blvd. This was a very small cafe, with a counter, and only 2 tables inside. They do Cubans, burgers, salads, Mexican food, ice cream, breakfast, and a variety of drinks. To get an idea of the prices a Cuban is $5.95 for the 6 inch, a burger with chips $4.95.

On the other side of the road, opposite the beach, is Guppy's on the beach. I walked in and picked up 'to go' menus. Lunch entrees ran from $12.50 to $15.95. They do have sandwiches from $6.95 for a burger to $12.95 for a lobster roll. The dinner menu entrees run from $15.95 to $39.50. Guppy's is at 1701 Gulf Blvd.

In the timeshare we had a list of local restaurants, and I phoned a couple, which had gone out of business. To have fast food you will have to drive a couple of miles. Here you will find Subway, McDonalds, and Burger King. In the same area are a Publix, and a Save-a-Lot store, for you to pick up food, etc. I also saw a Walgreens drugstore too.

I didn't find any nightlife in the area.

There were many timeshares, condos, and motels in the area.

If you are wanting a quiet place to stay, with very little going on, then Indian Rocks beach will be perfect for you. I have to say that I missed walking to John's Pass, which is just north of Treasure Island, and walking down to the Tiki bars, along the beach. Treasure Island has to be my favorite place to stay.