PART 1. What do Clearwater Beach & Papaya Have in Common? Take a tropical fruit, Papaya and a tropical place, Clearwater Beach and it's easy see what would prompt them to name a street here - Papaya Street. I'd like to share with you why I think that Clearwater Beach's Papaya Street is one Sweet Tropical Waterfront Destination. 

You see Clearwater Beach doesn't lack in places to eat, sleep, shop or just relax...and Papaya street won't disappoint. Check out this interesting waterfront beach destination!  Clearwater Beach Waterfront offers beaches to Intercoastal Waterways and in just 3 short blocks Papaya Street has it all!  

When Colleen Kulikowski issued her recent FRUIT CHALLENGE,asking other realtors to report on interesting streets in their community that use Fruit Names. We decided to feature Papaya Street on North Clearwater Beach and also share a little more about our community. 

On a personal note, I could use your help &  feedback. I've been writing for Active Rain and Localism for a while and have earned almost 27,000 points, however my writings have never earned a coveted featured article designation, if you like what you read please don't forget to rate it on a scale of 1-5. Lets see if Papaya brings the sweet taste of a feature for me (lol) - regardless, I hope you enjoy my Insights from Clearwater Beach - it's just a great place to live the Florida Lifestyle! 

(picture by TeleAtlas)

 As you enter Clearwater Beach and navigate the "infamous" Clearwater Beach Roundabout. Continue North on the main drag, Mandalay Avenue, and you will immediately see the Clearwater Beach Hilton Hotel on your left.

   The Hilton is a 3 diamond, Clearwater, Florida Oceanfront resort with 416 guest rooms most of which have balconies with great beach view. The Hilton is located next to the popular Pier 60 - home of Clearwater Beach Celebrations at Sunset - visit Jack Haydon's earlier article to learn more about the fun to be had nightly at Pier 60. We highly recommend it.

 The Hilton has a great poolside bar if you're looking for a place  to just relax and enjoy the tranquility of the beach.

The resort takes up a whole city block itself.   

 Continue north and you'll quickly find your tropical destination, Papaya Street, it's just 1 block north on Mandalay Ave and is the first street you come to. Papaya Street is an east west street on Clearwater Beach.

Don't let Papaya Street's small size deceive you, it's got several hot spots to check out.

If you go as far West as you can on Papaya Street you will be at the sands of Clearwater Beach, and you'll see why this beach was voted "Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico".

Now if you look East just 2 blocks east and you'll find that Papaya Street dead ends at Clearwater Beach's waterfront intercoastal at East Shore.

Hot spots along Papaya Street in Clearwater Beach, Florida  

At the intersection of Papaya and Mandalay Ave heading west (towards the beach) you'll find:The Surf Style Shop  and The Mandalay Beach Club, home to some of the finest condos on Clearwater Beach. The Surf Styleshop immediately on the corner of Papaya and Mandalay Ave is a popular Clearwater Beach store for anything you need to enjoy the beach for the day or a great place to get a souvenir T-shirt to remember your visit to Clearwater Beach's sugar white sand.  

The Mandalay Beach Club - where Papaya ends at the Gulf of Mexico!

Go

As you look down Papaya Street to the East and you'll see Bob Heilman's Beachcomer and Bobby's Bistro & Wine Bar. Bob Heilman's Beachcomer Restaurant - been popular with locals and tourists alike since 1948. You'll find a unique Florida casual, elagant dining experience here. We highly recommend it.

  At the intersection of Papaya and Poinsettia you'll see the Blue Wave Motel- the kind of quaint accommodations that Clearwater Beach has always been known for. Properties like this are getting harder to find because of the effect of property taxes on commercial real estate.  It's located on the east side of Poinsettia.

The west side of the street is home to the parking lot for Bob Heilman's Beachcomer and Bobby's Bistro and Wine Bar. 

You should make time to relax and enjoy their piano player or large  selections of fine wines.

As I was visiting the 3rd Street that intersects Papaya Street, East Shore Drive I got a pleasant surprise. Papaya dead-ends at the Clearwater Beach intercoastal waterway. When I went to take some photos I caught a wedding in action - an actual Wedding on the Water- this is one of the unique services available in our popular marriage and honeymoon destination. Looking for a unique wedding - this floating chapel might just fit the bill for you....

So what do you think of our sweet tropical destination: Papaya Street in Clearwater Beach, Florida? In 3 small blocks we have some of life's finest luxuries:

• the finest Clearwater Beach condos,
• a family friendly vacation resort,
• fabulous Florida food and traditions,
• great beach shopping,
• world renown beaches with refreshing water and our famous sugar white sand,
• lovely one-fo-a-kind weddings or vow renewals,
• wide selection of fine wines,
• and waterviews.

 All this makes Papaya Street ~ a sweet treat!

If you would like to live on Clearwater Beach just blocks from Papaya are a wide selection of Clearwater beach condos and a little over 1 mile north are highly sought after single family beach homes. Jack & I would love to show you our special beach community - if we have this much in 3 blocks, imagine what you'll find in our 5 miles of beach living here on Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Search over 2700 Waterfront Beach Homes and Condos at http://www.SearchClearwaterProperties.com 

Cyndee & Jack Haydon, Your Clearwater Beach Realtors - specializing in the Bluest Backyards in Tampa Bay.

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