JW Marriott Tampa Water Street

JW Marriott Tampa Water Street is the upscale base for a Florida Aquarium visit and a downtown Tampa weekend. It sits at 510 Water Street in the walkable Water Street district on the Tampa Riverwalk, and The Florida Aquarium, in the Channel District beside Sparkman Wharf, is a short walk or water-taxi hop away. The hotel delivers resort features in a city tower: a sixth-floor pool deck with two pools, private cabanas and views over the bay; Spa by JW with ten treatment suites, a lounge and a boutique; and a strong food and drink lineup — Driftlight Steakhouse and Driftlight Lounge, a four-story lobby bar, Turntable for grab-and-go and the JW Market cafe, the SiX rooftop bar on the pool level, and Beacon, a 27th-floor lounge with the best skyline views in town. Rooms are modern with city or water views. The Riverwalk links the hotel with the Tampa Museum of Art, the Straz Center and the waterfront parks, and the Pirate Water Taxi stops along the river. Drawbacks: it is a large, event-heavy hotel, so hockey nights at the arena and conventions bring crowds, and parking and resort pricing are city-level. Fit: couples, families who want a pool day between attractions, and Tampa Bay aquarium trips that pair The Florida Aquarium with Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

For aquarium travelers, the location solves the Tampa puzzle: you can walk to The Florida Aquarium for an early entry, return for a pool afternoon, and stroll to Sparkman Wharf for dinner by the channel. Clearwater Marine Aquarium is about forty minutes west by car, so a two-night stay covers both. At The Florida Aquarium, the coral reef gallery and the shark and ray exhibits are the highlights, and the water-taxi stops along the Riverwalk make the hop easy in summer heat.