PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

No relation to British author Charles Dickens, this Dickens House once belonged to Henry and Sadie Dickens, early St. Pete settlers. Purchased in 1995 by mural artist Ed Caldwell, a graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, the Dickens House was restored to its original Craftsman-style architecture. The charming inn has five guest rooms: The Cracker Suite has a custom-made bent-willow bed, while the Orange Blossom Room, the smallest but cutest in the house, has a Jenny Lind bed and a tiny bathroom with a whirlpool. My personal fave, however, is the second-floor Cottage Suite, which resembles a Victorian-age beach cottage with white wicker, sea-grass carpet, roll-up awnings, and nightstands displaying shells. The Dickens Room has a two-person shower and a four-poster cherry canopy bed -- tres romantic. All rooms have Egyptian cotton linens. Complimentary breakfasts are served on the veranda, while afternoon wine, soft drinks, and snacks are served in the Arts and Crafts-style living room.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Florida 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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