Planning a family getaway to Tampa? See why Element Tampa Midtown makes a great home base for a weekend of family-friendly activities. This post is sponsored by Element Tampa Midtown. My family and I were hosted for this stay. As always, all opinions and experiences shared here are my own.
There’s something about a quick family getaway that can feel like the perfect reset. You don’t necessarily need a long vacation or a packed itinerary. Sometimes, a weekend somewhere close enough to get to easily is exactly what everyone needs. All you need is a great hotel, good food, a little shopping, and something fun for the kids.
We recently stayed at Element Tampa Midtown, and it ended up being such a convenient home base for our weekend. Located in Midtown Tampa, Element puts you right in the middle of a shopping and dining district. You can spend your time exploring without feeling like you have to drive all over the city. I’m always looking for ways to make family travel feel a little easier so that was a huge plus for me.
Staying at Element Tampa Midtown
The location for Element Tampa Midtown is so perfect. It’s located in a center with shopping, restaurants and even a Whole Foods. One of the the first things I noticed about Element was the space.
When you’re traveling as a family, having room to spread out makes such a difference. Our room gave us plenty of space to relax, get ready, and actually enjoy being there instead of feeling like we were all piled on top of each other.
The rooms at Element are designed with longer stays in mind. They include kitchenettes or full kitchens, along with spacious, modern layouts. It’s the kind of setup that works whether you’re traveling for a weekend or staying a little longer.
And then there’s one of my favorite parts of any hotel stay: breakfast that I don’t have to plan. Element includes complimentary breakfast for hotel guests, with both hot and continental options. As a mom, I will never underestimate the luxury of waking up and not immediately having to figure out what we’re eating for breakfast.
Exploring Midtown Tampa
The Midtown location is filled with shops, restaurants, and spaces to explore, which makes it an easy area to build into a family itinerary. One of the things I loved about this stay was that we could easily mix in a little bit of everything. We spent some time shopping around Midtown at Sephora, Buff City Soap and Ballard Designs. Buff City Soap is easily one of my favorites. I’m obsessed with their scented laundry products.
And naturally, we had to make a stop for ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s was the perfect little treat for the kids. I love that the Midtown Tampa has so many restaurant option to choose from as well. It made the whole stay so easy by not having to go far for meals.
Dinner With a View at Sal Y Mar
Sal Y Mar is located right on the rooftop of the hotel, which makes it such an easy option when you want a nice dinner without getting back in the car. The restaurant offers tapas and cocktails with poolside seating and rooftop views. They even have a weekend brunch.
I love having an elevated dining experience available at the hotel because it gives you that feeling of going out somewhere special without adding another stop to your night.
Let me tell you that my family is a bunch of picky eaters but they absolutely loved dinner at Sal Y Mar. They tend to be hard to impress but Sal Y Mar did not disappoint. Here’s everything that we ordered: meatballs, calamari frito, herb crusted salmon, steak tips, chipotle shrimp mac & cheese, brussel sprouts, kids chicken tenders and a kids cheeseburger. For drinks, we had a traditional Long Island Iced Tea and Sal Y Mar’s Strawberry Fields mocktail.
Our Perfect Tampa Weekend at Element Midtown Tampa
If there’s one thing I’m learning more and more as my kids get older, it’s that we don’t have to fill every single minute of a trip. This was our last trip of the summer and it was such a great way to end it.
We made sure to leave some room in our Tampa itinerary to slow down and enjoy everything that Midtown Tampa had to offer including the rooftop pool at Element Tampa Midtown. After a morning of exploring, shopping, and grabbing ice cream, there was something so nice about coming back to the hotel, putting on our swimsuits, and enjoying some downtime without having to get back in the car.
If I were planning a simple family weekend in Tampa, I’d absolutely recommend creating an itinerary that gives you a mix of exploring and downtime. Start your mornings with breakfast at the hotel, spend some time exploring Midtown Tampa, grab ice cream with the kids, enjoy a nice dinner with a view, and then leave some room in the schedule to do absolutely nothing. If you’re wanting to add a fun activity to your itinerary outside of the hotel, Tampa has so much to offer. From sports games to museums to historical destinations, you honestly can’t go wrong with anything that you choose to do.
For me, the best trips are the ones where everyone gets a little bit of what they need. The kids get to have fun, we get family quality time together, and I get a chance to slow down and actually enjoy my family. That’s exactly what made our weekend at Element Tampa Midtown feel like such an easy little escape. We were able to explore, eat well, spend time together, and still have plenty of opportunities to relax.
So if you’re planning a Tampa getaway with your family, I’d definitely put Element Tampa Midtown on your list as your “home base” for your trip. You might be surprised by how much you can fit into one weekend without making it feel like work.
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