POSTCARD INN, ST. PETE BEACH. A fun and quirky new hotel has just opened on St. Pete Beach by B.R. Guest Restaurants. On hand for ribbon-cutting were Stephen Hanson, B.R. Guest president, St. Pete Beach Mayor Michael Finnerty, and other area dignitaries and friends. The new Postcard Inn is kind of old Florida meets new. An old two-story Travelodge has been totally refurbished into the PCI, yet retains a 50’s “Florida feel”, but with fully modern amenities: cushy beds, wi-fi, flat screen TVs, etc. This affordable hotel has a definite youthful appeal, with a complete “beachy” theme throughout — surfboards decorate some of the rooms, as well as surf and seagrass wall murals. A 196 room property, and no two rooms are exactly the same. The Cabana rooms have either Adirondack chairs or hammocks in their “front yards”. Guest rooms come with complimentary breakfast, and attached to the hotel is the Wildwood BBQ & Burger Restaurant serving up great casual fare. Also on property is a 70’s beach bar — the Swigwam (now PCI Beach Bar) which after some upgrades and a new menu has maintained it’s funky look. The hotel has a large heated pool, and leads out to a very wide expansion of beautiful beach. Also handy to the pool and beach is the PCI Snack Bar. For a true beach getaway, head to the Postcard Inn where the surf is always up, dude. 6300 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, FL; 727-367-2711; http://www.postcardinn.com. For more information on this site and other travel stories, visit http://www.accentontampabay.com/