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What You Most Definitely Don't Want to Find at Your Hotel

Where: 501 5th Ave Ne [map], St. Petersburg, FL, United States, 33701

This is pretty. What two boys did to the hotel pool is not.

Not too long ago, we listed 10 grossest things we've found during our hotel adventures but we think the folks staying at the five-star Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, Fla. have something that can top the list.

According to this local news report, two boys scaled a security fence and did the unmentionable in the hotel's pool. (Hint: it involves #2.) The report is vom-inducing and not worth repeating here but it is as every bit gross as you would think. Seriously, we're not sure monkeys at the zoo would do this sort of thing. Spaulding would definitely not be safe here.

Fortunately, the two kids were arrested and have been charged with commercial burglary. The hotel also went out of its way to refund guests for their stays as they were not able to use the pool while it was drained and sterilized. We can only pray this sort of thing never happens to you.

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Good Rate :: The Pier Hotel

Where: 253 2nd Avenue North [map], St. Petersburg, fl, United States, 33701

[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The rates we found were valid on September 5, 2006 and are subject to change.]

Now that American kids are all back in school, the Florida beaches are emptying out. This is a fine time to enjoy the warm surf of St. Petersburg and score a deal on a hotel room.

Outside of Miami, it's getting harder these days to find a bit of "old Florida," but The Pier Hotel in St. Petersburg delivers. The hotel was built in 1921 and has that gilded age vibe that's been met with a wrecking ball in most areas. They give you an exterior that looks like it definitely wasn't thrown up in two weeks and an interior full of craftsmen touches. The claw foot tubs remain in the baths, but the place was renovated in 2001, with wi-fi now in place even. Being from an age when isolation wasn't a selling point, it's easy to walk to restaurants and attractions.

Best of all, the rates are a steal this time of year, especially if you shop around. For the 3-night weekend of 9/15 to 9/19, we found a rate of $71-$84 per night at Travelocity for a double, or $84-$97 for a deluxe king. (Spring for the latter if you want a bath that's not sized for 1920s demands.)

These rates come with plenty of extras too: free breakfast, a nightly cocktail hour, parking, local calls, and Internet access. Feel like a baron (or baroness) without emptying out the vault.

Related Stories:
· Pier Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]