Don CeSar Hotel Better than I thought

Well, I decided to write a quick review on the Don CeSar Hotel on St Pete Beach.  I read a bunch of reviews online and it seemed that people had very mixed reviews on the property, the staff, and the location.  Well, I can tell you with the utmost confidence, the Don CeSar is great.  My wife and I took a break from work about a month ago (yes I know, this is the first chance I got to sit down and write this) and although we have been there many times for lunch or to use the beach, we had never stayed.  I was a bit reserved since I had read that the rooms were tiny, the bathrooms were so small that you could not fit in the room and had to walk in sideways, and that the staff was obnoxious.  The answer to all of the above is no.  Although we had a bit of a negative start (I had identified during the booking that I was coming with one of my dogs and that I needed to get in the room asap, they claim that there was nothing marked on my reservation regarding my dog even though I called back the morning of and made sure they were aware of that), they made it right and gave us a complimentary upgrade to a beach facing room.

The rooms were beautiful.  The colors and furniture were that of what I would expect in a nice hotel on Cape Cod, whites, calming colors and everything was or appeared new.  The bed was very comfortable and had ample pillows.  The staff was friendly and courteous, we had no issues with anyone of the staff or external workers their upgrading the carpeting which were very friendly as well.

The beach at the Don CeSar is always great.  They take great care of the beach, racking any seaweed that washes ashore and ensures that the sand is nice and clean.  Their policy on pets is great.  No limit to the number of pets, and only one $25 charge for the entire stay.  No papers of health needed but you will need a kennel to keep your pet in.  The pet is not allowed on the beach but that is a State restriction so no problem here.

The only complaint I had was when we ate out by the pool.  It seems that the wait staff gets overwhelmed when there are alot of people eating at once and they seem to take breaks when they shouldn’t and ordering can take a bit of time.  Once you get your order in, the food comes out pretty quick, and then you need to wait for the check.  Some of the wait staff are much better than others.  I highly recommend you find one you like, and try to stay in his/her seating area, you will be glad you did.

All in All, I and my wife, highly recommend staying at the Don.  They have internet rates that are much lower than booking over the phone with the hotel, so check it out, you will be glad you did!

Rain, Rain Go Away, Come back another Day

Living in the Tampa Bay area has its advantages.  First off, the weather is typically great, except when it is rainy season, which is not right now.  We had some major drought as of late and then came the rain.  Ok, so the first day was great, rain all you want, then the second day, again, just keep coming, then the third day, getting a bit tired of this now, then the fourth day…when is this crap gonna stop.  Well, it finally stopped, at least temporarily, enough for me to spend some time in the pool or on the beach enjoying some sunshine.  I love Tampa, for many things, even the rain and Lightning displays.  But after 5 days in a row, enough is enough.

Keep the sun shinning, and only rain at night…is what I say!

Fourth of July Seemed a Bit Dull this year 2009

I use to be a huge Fourth of July Fan, especially being from Boston, and the rules here in Tampa always seemed a bit odd, Legal to sell, but not legal to fire off.  Whatever!  In either event, the past few years the fireworks around me have been over the top, except for this year.  For some reason, and maybe because the economy is a bit sluggish, people just either did not want to spend the money on fireworks, or maybe they just did not feel patriotic, not sure.  Whatever the case, it was somewhat of a more quiet year for me and my wife and 3 dogs ( the dogs hate fireworks) so we enjoyed the day.

Although it was a great day, I did, in an odd way, miss the ridiculous amounts of fireworks going off around me in my neighborhood.  Well, I always have next year to look forward to!

Tampa Beaches Are Awesome

I don’t usually have time for myself, let alone time for the beach, but I must say, I absolutely love the beaches in the Tampa Bay Area.  My wife and I have extremely busy schedules, we both are in the the Tampa Real Estate business, along with a number of consulting gigs I have in addition to that, probably because I don’t like to sit still.  Although the Tampa Real Estate Market is extremely busy for us currently, a need to get away, even for an afternoon, is necessary.

I grew up near the water, and some of my past jobs/careers have taken me to land locked states, getting back to the water was an absolute must for me.  And I must say, the beaches here are amazing.  In fact, the number 2 beach in the country is right here in Florida (Sarasota).  The beaches that I like to frequent as often as possible are in St Pete and Treasure Island.  Basically the same beach, just separated by a few miles on the same shoreline, but the waves in Treasure Island appear to be much larger.

If you want a nice quiet beach, white sand, gorgeous emerald water, water temp, during this time of year, sitting at about 88 degrees F, then take the day off, gather up your family, and enjoy some family time at the beach.  After all, the beaches are free, and alot of fun, along with being relaxing, and you Family will thank you!

Fantastic Sams Ain’t So Fantastic!

Ok, so I have calmed down now since this afternoon but this story still needs to be told.  Let me give you some background first.  I have been going to Fantastic Sams in Brandon Florida for some 3 years now.  I am pretty picky about who cuts my hair but I found someone that is very good and knows exactly how I like my hair cut so I basically stick with her…she will remain nameless here.  In either event, I called this morning to find out if she was in and how the wait was.  When I called, she answered the phone, said there was no one there, and I was good to go.  I told her that I would be there in 20 minutes.  Ok, so it turned out to be more like 30-45 minutes but that is not the point.  In either event, when I got there, the place was packed.  So I ask how long the wait is, she tells me 45 minutes….what?  I asked her if she had put my name in when I called and she told me No, but they do not allow you to call in and put your name in.  I can’t fault her there, so I said fine and that I would be back in 45 minutes, but I was not Happy.

So I go off and run a couple of errands, exchange some shoes, and now I am coming back to Fantastic Sams.  I gave her 50 minutes instead.  I walk in and she is still cutting hair.  Ok, that’s ok, so I go to the front and the Manager approaches me and says, “Didn’t you already check in”, I explained that I had and I asked how long until I am in.  She says “45 minutes”.  WTF.  Now I am getting a bit upset since I was told 45 minutes some 50 minutes ago.  So the Manger tells me “I guess they are taking longer than expected, you wouldn’t want her to rush your haircut would you.  She will be here 12-5pm tomorrow as well”, in which I explain “I will NOT!”  Then the woman that cuts my hair comes over and says that some of the people ahead of me had already been taken care of and it will take another 20 minutes.  I am a bit upset at this point and really debated whether I was going to stay since I was on a very tight schedule, which I had told her I was at the beginning, so I decided to stay the 20 minutes longer.  And then it happened.  As I turned to sit down, the Manager, says to the person that cuts my hair, “Take your time on those clients”.  Oh no you didn’t!

Since I am not 100% positive of what that comment meant, I asked the girl that cuts my hair to get clarification for the next time I come in so that if it is what I think she said, I will have a bit of a sit down with her regarding the comment…it ain’t gonna be pretty!

The reason I tell this story is a prime example of customer service failing in America.  Here I am, someone that has been going to the same place for the past 3 years, every month without fail, I go back here to the same girl.  When you have such a loyal customer base, you don’t talk trash to them, and you bend a bit to ensure they come back and they tell all their friends.  You certainly don’t piss them off.  When the place closes down because people stop coming and they are all let go, I will be the guy that will go up to the manager and all the employees and tell them that you pissed everyone off and thats why you don’t work here anymore.  Treat your customers like gold, and they will treat you the same.  I am in a customer based business as well and if I pissed off everyone I speak to, I would be out of business, real fast!

FranklySpeakingTV taking Tampa By Storm

I run a very successful Real Estate Team with my wife Carla (@cmasse on Twitter, and I am @rmasse10).  We have 3 Assistants, and currently 1 other Buyers agent with another coming online shortly.  My current Buyers Agent, Frank Nunez is a great guy.  We talked about doing something different in this market and something that would help Frank get out of his shell.  That is where FranklySpeakingTV came from (yes, I came up with the name, but it fit him well).  This was going to be an online show talking about whatever is going on in and around the Tampa Bay Area.  The first show was comical, it lasted about 30 minutes, and after 30 seconds, Frank ran out of things to say and just went kinda “deer in the headlights” on me.  I thought it was hilarious, he did not think so, so much.

Anyway, to make a long story short, Frank has come out of his shell, so much that I can’t get him to stop the show.  He loves to do it so much now, that he wants to have it daily and he has quite the following as well.  Frank talks about Tampa Real Estate, Tampa Local Events, movies, beaches, and answers questions on the fly from viewers from online.  The show runs a good hour and you can catch him at least every Thursday at 6pm eastern time.  If you want to be filled with information and be entertained at the same time, check him out at FranklySpeakingTV.  Just let him know Rob sent ya!

Superbowl XLIII was a Hell of a Game

Well, let me tell you that last nights Superbowl was a hell of a game.  Not because the Steelers won, but because the Cardinals gave them a run for their money in the second half.  I was originally going with Will Ferrell’s prediction of 2 – 0 Steelers won in second overtime, but the first few minutes of the game smashed that prediction.  So I had to settle back into reality and assume it was going to be a normal game but probably leaning on the side of the Steelers since they were the favorite in the match-up.  I really didn’t think that the Cardinals could at all even play a decent game…after all, they had never won a Superbowl.

The second half came after Bruce Springsteen took the stage for 12 minutes (I am not going to comment about the performance) and I just figured that the Steelers would walk all over them.  What I believe happened is called “over confidence”.  The Steelers assuming that the game was won, just did not play as hard.  That gave the Card’s an opportunity to sneak back into the game.  They did and the game boiled down to the last few seconds, but the Steelers prevailed non the less, but the Cardinals gave them a run for their money.

All in all, the game was entertaining.  I didn’t really care who won since the Patriots were not in it.  I picked the Steelers to win, but near the end, a part of me wanted the Cardinals to take it.  Either way, I spent some great time with family and friends, eat great food, and all was well.  I was kind of surprised with all the local commercials that appeared, there was not one regarding the Tampa Real Estate market.  Oh well, there is always next year.

Where the Heck is the Good Seafood?

Ok, so I moved here from the Boston area thinking that the seafood will be good here…I mean after all, we are on the same coast, on the water, it has to be good…wrong!  I have searched high and low for good seafood restaurants in and around Tampa Bay and its surrounding area.  What I am looking for is not glamour, or pretty pictures on the walls, or a waiter that is going to refill my water glass every 2 minutes.  I want hole in the wall, paper table cloth, get your hands dirty, good seafood.  I could go to almost any hole in the wall, even non seafood restaurants in the Boston area and could get excellent seafood.  I could even go to the grocery store and buy clam chowder that would make your taste buds jump for joy.  But I have a hell of a time finding anything here.  But I did find a few that at least requires mentioning.

Taste of Boston (Tampa)- I know I mentioned it before, but it is the closest to boston fried clams I can find.  The owner is from up north and they claim they have ipswich clams, the even showed me the bucket that said ipswich on it.  The size seemed wrong and the taste was a bit off…maybe they mixed some Jersey clams in there or something…I don’t know, but what I do know is that I will be back.

The Island Bar and Grill (Apollo Beach) - Went there about 4 times and each time was worse than the time before.  Food was OK, service was beyond repair.  I mean how long does it take to bring out a bowl of chowder?  It shouldn’t take 45 minutes, should it.  Even made to order is faster than that.  And to top things off, it wasn’t crowded.  But wait, before you say no to the Island, I went back again because they claim it is under new management.  So I went back for the “All you can eat” Crab Legs.  I must say, I was very impressed.  The crab legs were nice and hot, they were unlimited (I had 12 plates) and the waitress was excellent and fast.  Much improved…bravo!  I will be back again!

Sunset Grill (Ruskin/Little Harbor) – They have cut way back on their buffets on the weekends.  They use to have an all you can eat seafood buffet on Saturday nights, that’s gone.  But there are 2 reasons why I bring them up.  First off, they are on the beach so after a lunch, dinner or drink, take a walk on the beach…great!  Second, their grouper is very good.  I usually get it fried but they will prepare it whatever way you want.

Monsta Lobsta (Tampa) or whatever they call themselves.  I had heard and read great things about this place so I had to have a Maine Lobster…so where else, this place.  Well, their hay-days were over.  I guess they use to have some beautiful locations, now they have some little hole in the wall, bars on the windows joint.  This is OK, I don’t usually mind…but the price has to reflect the surroundings…it did not.  They were over priced, their chowder, which should have been good, was some of the worst I have had in a long time.  Their fried clams were OK, but the Taste of Boston clams are much better.  I wanted a 2 pound lobster and all they had was chicken lobsters.  To top things off, they had no AC and it was like 95 outside so you do the math.  The staff there are kinda smart guys, as I asked what was going on with the AC and they said “Don’t know…you tell me!”  One of the guys that worked there was OK and told me a few things about their food.  He sounded like he was from Boston, so we got along well enough.  It was a very expensive meal for chicken lobster.

Crab Shack (Any Location) Not good.  It was probably very good at one time, but to have to wait 45 minutes, with no one in the restaurant, then wait another 30 minutes for drinks, then another hour for your food that comes out cold and tasteless…forget it, save your money.  The ambiance is that of your typical New England Seafood place with crap on the ceiling and walls, so I felt like it was going to be good…Not!

So here are a few, I guess I just have to keep looking.  Someday I will find what I am looking for, but for now, I guess I will only have bits and pieces from multiple locations…and the search goes on!

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Testing out the New Ping.fm service…lets see what happens

Best Device ever Made…Roomba Vacuum

This is just another Random Ramblings…it has nothing to do with Tampa and has everything to do with how clean my home is.  OK, so here is the deal.  I have 3 dogs, all shed in some way shape or form.  I had the original Roomba and about 5 iterations of it.  It just could not keep up with the dogs.  I had the thing go out every night (the Scheduler) and would clean some 30% of my home where the dogs were most of the time.  It worked great up until about 6 months in, then it died.  OK, got another by the good people at iRobot and then the second died, got a third, and fourth and fifth.  They all died, but they were all free from iRobot (great customer service and they stand behind replacing their product).

So after the fifth, then the rechargeable battery died and it was difficult finding another so I held off.  In the mean time, my house started to get dirty.  So one day I was walking through Costco and came across the 5th generation Roomba and I bought it.  The new one was more sophisticated, could tell me when the brushes needed cleaning, had bigger dirt bin, better suction, and better on board software.  My home is clean again, and my Roomba is working great.  I have it still go out every night at 2am and it cleans that same 30% but it seems to pick up a whole lot more than the prior versions.

If you are like me and like gadgets, would prefer someone else to do the vacuuming and don’t mind spending about 3-5 minutes to empty and clean out the thing every day (if you have pets, but if no then once a week woud be good), take a look at the roomba, you’ll be happy you did!