A little run down, but it's nice that there's a private beach with food and drink service. There's also a club and bar that's rather happening at night with some sketchy folks. The suite was very large, with 2 queen beds accommodating us with a small kitchen with pots and pans, dish washer, dishes, and a mini fridge. Didn't like that the floor was all tile... very gritty from all the sand!
Review Source:This is a booty shaking good time. It's a very casual, show up in your swim suit kind of place. Â (we did no stay at the resort...so I cannot comment on anything other than the day and nightlife) Â THey have DJs going, bikini contests, mixed ages groups, dancing, and plenty of bars. Â This is more of a party scene. Â They have their own little beach and rentals, but the main party is on the deck. Â
We did order food here. Â The sliders were pretty blah and the french fries are terrible, but the fish tacos were INCREDIBLE!!! They are spicy and full of flavor. Â They are a must.
The service was pretty snappy and friendly. Â You do have to valet here if you are not staying at the hotel. Â It's only $10 and for the day doesn't seem so bad when you pay for beach parking anways.
Review is for happy hour at the bar outside.
My bf and I really  happy hour here!! I forgot what the hours were but it was probably something like 4-7 or 4-6. The day we went it was beautiful outside. The sun was shining, they have live music all night and you're right next to the ocean. What more could you ask for in a happy hour?!?! Drinks were reasonably priced. Wells weren't half-ff, it was regular priced but you get a double. Beers were cheap. I tried the fish and chips. Pretty standard taste-wise. But the portions were actually big! Enough for two people for sure.
I'd give this place a 3 for their dinner buffet but a 5 for its NYE party.
They have a great selection for the dinner buffet. Â A lot of good fish and meat options. Â I wasn't feeling any of it, so I just went for sushi. Â I am not a fan of their sushi. Â The Philadelphia roll was fine (you really can't screw up a Philadelphia roll), but the other three options were spicy and not good. Â If I was reviewing the buffet on just the sushi I'd give it a 1. However, my fiance who ate a larger variety of food, loved it. Â He ate his heart out and thought it was fantastic. Â I would like to try this place again when I'm hungrier to try more food. Â Their seaweed salad was good and they had baked brie, which I love. Â My friends were devouring crab legs and thought they were delicious.
When I first purchased the package of the NYE dinner and party, I didn't realize we would be eating with people just there for dinner. Â That meant I was tripping over kids and trying to cover up in front of old people. Â It was obvious that a lot of people there were not going to be partying at New Years and in a tight dress I felt out of place until it got later. Â I do suggest getting the dinner if you're doing NYE here for the simple fact that you get a table for the entire night. Â This gives you a good home base for you to find your friends as it gets wilder. Â
There was dancing outside and at the Wave. Â Honestly, since it was open bar this is where my memory gets hazy. Â It was packed and there were tons of people dancing. Â I'm giving the partying a 5, because this definitely felt like the place to be on NYE. Â
They had free valet parking. Â I was told originally by my friend that it was $10 for valet parking. Â I'm not sure if it was just for this night or if we went to a different valet, but this is something I would look into next time I go back.
Had the breakfast buffet on a Saturday morning, food was not fresh- pancakes and waffles were hard on the edges, and fruit was not great. WORST PART- we went up to get our food and a waiter sat someone at our table!! Theres no communication between the hostess and waiters. Â
The view is good, service and food= over priced for what you get. Â My pancakes at McDonalds were better the following day.
Loved Shepherd's from the great live music, awesome views and the best fish tacos we've ever eaten!!!! Just flew home two days ago and am already jones-ing for their specially seasoned fish tacos...yum! Our waitress, Kate, tended to our every need....even before we needed them! See y'all next year!
Review Source:Where do I start?! Â I stayed here earlier in the year and had the time of my life. Â I met a few random locals at the tiki bar that resulted in a week of insanity. Â The hotel is decent, though very loud if you intend to sleep -- but really, you're on vacation. Â Make up for it at the beach while nursing your hangover... Â After you take-in the breakfast buffet, of course. Â Speaking of the beach, there's not much of it here. Â We walked a few buildings down and found a spot near the pink Hyatt. Â Plenty of space there. Â Dinner was top notch in the restaurant; though, it's very pricey. Approx. $25/person for the buffet, but I suppose that's semi-reasonable for all-you-can-eat crab legs. Â Overall, the staff was exceptionally nice. Â Parking on-site is available, but it's 100% valet. Â Next time, I'll take a cab from the airport because I don't recall driving at all during my trip, other than to and from the airport. Â I like this place. Â It's one of a kind.
Review Source:This review is for the Labor Day Old School Hip Hop concert...
After being invited to come to Shepherds for about two weeks "it's gonna be so much fun, I'm going to buy all the drinks all you have tok do is come" so we finally made our mind up and decided to take the ride to Clearwater.
After a nice ride we find Shepards find parking and start walking...pay our $15 cover and walk in the place was spacious i saw a resturant i think it was at least two nice size bars with plenty bar teanders which is always a good thing. i order a long beach like always and vikki had a cherry bomb which she loved. We found our party in front of the stage and they were like ten drinks and five shots ahead of us so we had some catching up to do. So the dj is vibbin and playing all the old school hits and we all having a good time then they played bobby brown and i had to break out some 80'smoves on they ass!!!!!!! FWD thru the night the men of the night hit the stage KID N PLAY!!!! It was a blast from the past they did all there hits and obviously did there world famous dance and the crowd went CRAZY!!!!! Next up was C&C and the muisc factory and they showed off too the crowd was live goin right with the perfomers!!! All around good night and i wanna give a shout out to my boy Brett he told me about this plcae when i first moved to tampa so thanks bruh!!!!!
Shepards is all about perception. I perceived them to be a resort and they perceived me to be a 21 year old meathead who enjoys throwing away money on shitty service and watching dudes smash each others faces in at the bar. We were both wrong. I was with a very large group for a wedding and it appears the only thing the management did right was lock us in for a two night minimum and make us pre-pay, right for them anyway. The management team also makes poor employment decisions because just about everyone you run into there, from the valet to the bartender, is rude and disconnected. Security is overbearing, forceful and far to present to let anyone have a relaxing time. It seems as though a lot of the guards failed the police test but certainly not the asshole test. The issues aren't just connected to the employees either. The fact that you can not have your food and drinks charged to your room without a major hassle is the main reason this not a resort. The buffet is probably ok if you are a person who enjoys buffets, I am not. I did however order breakfast off the menu one morning and it was very good. Again, the service was a little rough in the dining room. I asked for butter twice from two different servers and got creamer twice, but that's understandable as they both end in -er. Finally, I am brought to the building and facilities. My room was very nice. Everything was functional and the Moen faucets were a nice touch. It was almost as if the person who built the hotel was not the person who runs the bar and maybe that's true. The older rooms were a completely different story though. They were stuffy and a little moldy plus they had a small flooding issue during a rainstorm. The main parts of the hotel were also in pretty bad repair. The ceilings were leaking and a ceiling tile fell on us in the Sunset Lounge. After about 15 minutes a maintenance person showed up and put a trash can under the gaping whole in the drop ceiling, that should fix the problem. After an entire weekend there I went from angry on day one to having laughing fits on day three. Like I said, it's all about perception. If you don't see an issue with a room covered in flat screen TVs while holes in the ceiling pour water into buckets  and you can even find the humor in it then this place might be for you. The comedy of errors that is Shepards is hard to swallow and unless I want to be in another episode of "Trailer Trash Jersey Shore Wannabes" I will not be going back.
Review Source:I mistakenly left my organizer/wallet on my table when eating at Shepard's yesterday (6/24/12). I realized the mistake early this morning and called Shepard's. I was told that no one turned in anything resembling my organizer.
I called back a few hours later to try and determine who bussed my table and what management was on duty and was told that my organizer had indeed been found and was in the "safe". I asked about the contents of the wallet and discovered that everything was present except for a $100 bill that I had just gotten the night before. I have witnesses to the $100 bill being in the organizer.
I went today to retrieve the organizer and met with the assistant manager, who told me it was not their responsibility to keep track of guests belongings and would not investigate the issue whatsoever. She would not approach the server, would not ask who turned the organizer in, would not ask who stored it in the safe and essentially told me it was not her problem.
This is customer service at it's worst... I have no recourse at this establishment to even try to get my money back. I am incensed that they won't even conduct an investigation for me.
I came to Shepards for a Memorial Day Weekend party and I was impressed. The last time I was here was as a kid - now that I'm older I can appreciate the place for its waterfront party atmosphere. The place had a huge crowd and plenty good-looking people mingling, while some DJs spun the latest hits. 93.3 hosted this party and as usual it drew crowds beyond the typical Clearwater Beach and holiday crowds. Make sure you get there early to find some good parking.
The drinks were made well - packed a punch and although the waitress had a bit of an attitude, we did feel a little bad for her with so many party animals around. The drinks had plenty of alcohol, although they were average to expensive in pricing. I would probably pre-game before heading to Shepards. I saw at least 4 people pass out from drinking during our visit. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express next door which is perfect walking distance from Shepards.
Catching the sunset from here was awesome and the mini-beach made for some great photo opportunities as well. The nightclub called The Wave seemed pretty cool as well, although we only sutck around for short time. I will certainly be back for future partying.
So I've been here three times and have spent a hefty sum, but really get no love out of this place. IMO, the club is too conservative, especially for one that charges a cover, has no dress code and is 18+. Â It's just a weird place overall. Â You have young military guys and bachelorette parties mixing with all of the retirees and tourists and weird locals, to be quite frank. Â This place is more concerned with keeping shoes off the faux white leather couches than with whether local guests are going to return. Â This place should really loosen up and take care of the customer better.
Review Source:Why 5 stars? Â Because Shephard's was the home to the most fun 3 weekends of my life.
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The summer of 2010 was good to me. Â My friends and I crashed the holiday parties at Shephard's on the Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends. Â The place was an absolute mad house.
I cannot recommend the following enough: If you want to partake in these festivities, reserve a hotel room far in advance. Â The cheaper rooms fill up quickly, and it's in everyone's best interest that no one is driving home after a long day at Shep's. Â Not only that, but you don't want to miss out on being able to party late into the night.
I don't know what more you could ask for from Shephard's. Â It's located on the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. Â It's the only place in Clearwater Beach that you can posses an open container. Â When beer was invented, it was intended to be consumed on the beach, walking distance from your bed of the evening. Â Good thing I was able to keep the beach body in tact by pounding only Mich Ultra's during these events. Â Drinking Mich Ultra is like drinking a protein shake and going for a jog, right?
The food is great - the chicken tender basket is by far that best you will ever eat. Â I'm not sure how the inside buffet is for a family dinner on the beach, but for replenishment of food after hours of beer in the sun, it's the best thing ever.
Most people call Disney World the happiest place on Earth, I give that title to Shephard's.
I came back  for the lunch buffet today and it was close to awful!
Dried-up, nasty looking hotdogs and hamburger patties, cold tater-tots, dried-up mashed potatos, pizza that honestly looked like cracker-crust with dried tomato paste spread on, even the clam chowder was tasteless. Â There were a few other offerings on the buffet that were just as sorry looking!
No Key Lime pie on the dessert bar, which by the way has been cut by half- just cheap looking cake.
This place used to be good - I don't know what's going on here, but I won't be back for a very long time- if ever.
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I wouldn't say the buffet was amazing. It was just okay. They have different types of dishes, sushi and seafood but I wasn't satisfied. For over 20 bucks I could have gotten something else that would be more satisfying. If you go crazy over the clams and seafood maybe that would be worth it.
The mixed drinks from the bar was good though and our server was pretty nice and funny.
This resorts  buffet was loaded with just about everything you could want on a buffet. We went on a Saturday night the service was great and the atmosphere was good we did not have a reservation but got seated right away. The staff was very helpful and  polite. On the bar its self was ham, roast  beef, several choices of chicken, 2 different fish dishes, fired shrimp and boiled shrimp and CRAB LEGS yep and they were not too bad either after I finally found the melted butter. There was the usual variety of veggies and salads and fresh fruits, dessert bar was not to shabby either. Now for what I tasted the chicken with cherry sauce awful, the fish dish (not sure what the name was)  was good and the brussel sprouts were great (not everybody knows how to cook a sprouts) the crab legs and fried shrimp was the best. I also had the green beans, cole slaw, oriental salad, all was below average. Loved the rolls they were fresh and homemade. For dessert I tasted the chocolate cake and the red velvet cake you can tell they were frozen.
To sum up; the buffet was huge and plentiful but the food was 1/2 and 1/2 .... meaning half of the food on the buffet was good and the other half was not. I guess it is still a good deal for the price $25 PP. I would go back again its just now the best buffet I been to.
The staff of this Hotel is extremely arrogant. My room was not ready on time they told me they would call me, they never did. They seem happy to have transient business ,rather than repeat customers. My reservations at the the buffet were not honored as well. It was a  very  poor experience. I will not return to this establishment!
Review Source:Overall, we had a very poor experience at the Shepard's Resort. Â We booked this room through a travel site which did not warn about the family unfriendliness. Â I'm not sure if I'd call this a resort or hotel. Â Instead, I'd call it a place to crash after the party when one is too drunk to realize that he or she is sleeping in a subpar room. Â However, my wife and I were completely sober both nights, so we were not impressed. Â The rooms were very mediocre, the bathroom was not clean, and the beds were terrible, gaving me a backache. Â It is a not a place you go to sleep and relax. Â Come here if you like to enjoy the nightlife, which is very active and popular, but do not come if you want a quality hotel room. Â Just as a warning, loud music penetrated the walls until 12:30pm. Â We had a child, and we felt trapped in our room after 9pm due to the partying, not to mention the smell of alchohol and smoke which permeated the place.
There were some redeeming qualities. One was the waterfront restaurant, which had an excellent buffet with crab legs, prime rib, and a variety of other tasty dishes. Â I'll give the resort one star for that. Â I'll give it one more star for the location and amenities,which included wi-fi, a fridge, and a microwave in each room. Â I guess complimentary valet parking is ok, but I hate feeling the pressure of tipping every time I want to use my car. Â Â I cannot give any more stars, because by my standards, in order to get three stars as a resort hotel, the bare minimum is a comfortable bed and clean bathroom. Â This establishment had neither.
Staff has no idea what cover is and when. Â They misinformed us then tried to extract a $10 cover after we were in with bracelets on and bartenders had served us twice and we had dinner there. Â The manager Ray has no respect for his customers, was rude, condescending and seemed as confused as us about their policy but insisted he was treating us as Mr. Shepard wished. Â I'm 5'8" and 150# 41 years old and conservatively dressed but as I write this a huge bouncer is waiting for me to finish my drink to be escorted out of the empty club. Â I've never been treated so poorly and it looks like this is the practice from seeing John L.'s review of a similar experience. Â This place is for transients and has 0 concern for repeat business.
I really wanted to 1 star this place after that treatment but the tiki bar is nice and the bartenders and waiters who served us over the past week would get 4 or more so a second star is deserved.
This review is for their tiki bar only, as we didn't stay at the hotel, or eat here.
I'm not sure if life can get any better than live music and delicious frozen drinks on a nice day. We had a wonderful time just sitting outside, pursuing their fairly large drink menu, and soaking up the scene.
The clientele is definitely an interesting mix - older ladies who never got the memo that tanning in the sun all day will give you cancer, middle agers, dancing like drunk fools on the dance floor, and douche bag-y looking dudes, talking about (what is a more vulgar term for the word cat), in the middle of the day, quite loudly. An entertaining mix, but I like this place all the same.
I can't wait til I can be back, soaking up the sun and enjoying a Pina Colada. Drinks were actually moderately priced as well, which was a surprise.
After being at the outdoor bar for about an hour and purchasing several cocktails, a bartender asked to see my wristband. I didn't have one & was told I had to go pay a $10 cover if I wanted to stay. I said I had been there for at least an hour and was told that the cover had to be paid. I would have stayed all night & spent another forty, fifty bucks but they treated me poorly so I went elsewhere.
Review Source:We went here for dinner...not knowing it was buffet only. Â Big mistake!! Â Firstly, I have to say that I hate buffets. Â If it were just my husband and I, we would have run for the hills but since we were with others, we stayed. Â If you like over cooked and tasteless food, then you'll like this place. Â I didn't really like anything that I tried except for the ice cream...which they didn't make. Â The clams and mussels were chewy, the lobster bisque was just terrible, the sushi was super weak, the fried shrimp were ok, the mashed potatoes were pretty good (not hard to mess those up) even the rolls were bad. Â Not impressed, especially for $25 a head! Â The view from the deck was great though and their tiki bar area was cool too. Â Skip the restaurant, you're not missing much!
Review Source:We always like to stop at Shepards for several reasons. The Sunday morning buffet is terrific. It's one of the better buffets in Clearwater, if not the best. It is pricey, but well worth it.
The outdoor Tiki bar always makes me feel good. It's very scenic during the daytime as you look out over the Gulf of Mexico. There is a relaxed Key West vibe. We had a really nice waitress who always engaged us in conversation, which I truly appreciate, and the live music is always solid.
It's important to note that if you eat during the daytime, you'll receive free valet parking. Make sure to tip the valet ;-)
The outdoor menu is limited in scope and is just ... okay. But when all is said and done, it's the atmosphere and sense of relaxation that always wins out.
Stayed here for one night. Â For the price we paid was ok. Â Basically paying for location location location...
The adjacent nightclub music can get a bit loud and if you're looking to sleep request a room on the higher floors.
The gym is horrible. Â It is a room with one treadmill, one bike, one eliptical and a weight machine. Â No towels or water. Â No way to change the channel on the TV but a full bathroom. I guess if you're on vacation don't plan on exercising!
The Tiki bar is the only reason for the 3rd star. Great view, nice live entertainment, good food and cold drinks. Get the shrimp tacos they are delicious!
The pool is slightly on the smaller side for such a sized resort but was well kept. I suppose the beach is right there so it doesn't matter. Â Although it was crowded you can lay out on the beach without walking far at all.
The rooms are super upgraded which is awsome..kitchen with granite countertops! better than my own condo...if you plan to stay for a few days it's perfect to save money and feel like you're cooking in style.
The bathroom was decent but the shower door stuck a little so hope that isn't a trend.
Overall great location just wish it cost a little less.
The Tiki bar at Shepards Beach Resort is right on the water. Â It is the perfect place to relax and unwind on a lazy afternoon/evening in Clearwater Beach. Â Also a great place to catch the sunset! Â Live music lends the atmosphere a fun, Jimmy Buffet-inspired vibe. Â Only drawback was the fratty cluster of Phillies fans (I guess the Phillies have spring training in the area), but they didn't really bother us. Â The band kindly honored our request for a few country tunes though they largely played pop, classic rock, and acoustic covers. Â Happy hour beer prices are a huge reason why I'm giving Shepards a 5 star review! Â Huge 20 oz drafts of Yuengling for only $2.50. Â My wallet was even happier than I was! What a great experience. Â Can't wait to go back on our next trip to the area!
Review Source:This place is a decent place to fuck around and have some bullshit-inspired fun. Â It's relatively cheap and has its own little private beach. Â I think those were the best parts about it, because they allow you to bring your own alcohol to the beach and fuck around and be a complete jackass as much as you'd like. Â
I also thought the breakfast buffet was really good, even though I lost at credit card roulette and had to pay for the entire table (like 12 dudes). Â Such is the life of a gambler! Â
But yeah, they have little kitchenette rooms that are no frills but practical. Â There is an outdoor tiki bar with typical BS coverbands playing bullshit like Nickleback and Fuel and shit like that. Â There is a club at night, which they wanted to charge $15 cover for on a Thursday night, which is some BS. Â I'm not paying cover to go to a "club" that's part of my hotel. Â We did get wristbands that got us free cover for the weekend, which is about par. Â The "club" is actually kind of fun. Â It's Top 40 bullshit dance music but with a random mix of all types fucking around dancing/grinding/looking to hook up and some types just sitting back and laughing and looking at "those crazy kids these days". Â
Do be warned, as two of my friends learned, the standard fee for pissing on the walls/floors for the conference room is $25/piss infraction, with one of those involving a speaker as well.
Shephard's is an interesting place. Â The mix of clientele varies quite wildly. Â Let's take a look at what we encountered on a weekend in Feb:
Small-town girls having a bachelorette weekend? Â Check. Â
Wrinkled retirees who sun? Â Check. Â
Enthusiastic baby boomers drunk at 4pm? Â Check. Â
Folks who decided to drag race (while smoking, to boot) by the bar in their electric scooters? Â Check. Â
Young, regular folks like my husband and I? Â Nowhere to be found. Â
Hilarious patrons aside, the Resort was perfectly acceptable. Â The suites by the pool were large, the live music at the Tiki bar was good, and the breakfast buffet filled us up each morning and was well-priced. Â 4:00-7:00 on weekdays is Happy Hour at the Tiki bar. Â Sunshine, live music and a happy hour - you don't need much else in FL.
Note: The "fitness center" isn't much more than an old treadmill and weight machine. Â Plan to hit the pavement if you're looking to work out.
My best friend and I booked our stay at Shepard's Beach Resort four months in advance, so we were surprised when the room we were given was not what we had requested.
We had originally booked a two bed room- however we were given one bed in a room in which the door had to be coerced open. When we called down to reception we were told that it was their only room.
The next morning we requested compensation for our inconvenience- the manager on duty was very gracious and offered us an upgraded room in the newly remodeled section of the hotel.
There were a few small issues with the hotel: I've seen garden sprinklers with more water pressure than the shower, the dinner menu in the restaurant consisted of only lobster and steak, and the nightclub was packed to the point of it being difficult to breathe.
However, the majority of the experiences at this resort are positive. There's a great house band, the view is amazing, the staff is attentive, the location is prime... there's even a bar across the street that has exceptionally cheap drinks. Â
I would recommend this hotel to anyone, and I will definitely be staying there again.
The tiki bar has a great outdoor music venue, and the inside bar can be a fantastic time if  you want it to be.  They had on stage some of the most talented musicians I had ever heard.  They were very versatile, playing all kinds of music from rock, to dance, to hip hop, to oldies.  The dance floor is packed with enthusiastic tourists just having the time of their life.  I also love the bar area, they have all kinds of microbrewery beers on draft, and a full liquor bar with somewhat reasonable prices.  It's an excellent way to spend a night in Clearwater Beach.
Review Source:Ahh many a lost memory at Shephards. Good place to hang out as long as its not Spring Break. Then its just a little too crowded. I tend to stray from the nightclub part but the bechbar and indoor lounge are fun. Drinks are reasonable but id stick to beer as the bartenders are usually as drunk as the patrons and dont always make the best mixed drinks. Billy, one of the owners, is usually patrolling and is always cool enough to stop and chat. Stay next door for the cheap room rates and throw the doorman at Shephards 20 for a guest wristband to gain access to all the bars,club for cheap. Or the valet guys always know whats going on too.
Review Source:Shepards has been notorious for years for their beach club, The Wave, as well as their Tiki Bar on the holidays. Hey, guess what? It's also a hotel too!
Pretty standard as far as hotel beach resorts go -clean rooms, fairly large (2 queen beds and a couch/sitting area). A restaurant downstairs that serves lunch and dinner buffets (but it wasn't that good, didn't even soak up my alcohol!) and of course the shop where you can buy way overpriced flip-flops if you forgot yours.
Now for the Tiki Bar: large, actually two bars plus a stage area. Overlooks the bay and boats can anchor up here and enjoy the small beach front or walk up and have a tiki-drink. I can't say anything special about the drinks- they weren't specially strong and even for the holiday there was no "special" drink (like how about a "memorial mai tai"?)
Although there were a good many people there you could still walk around, dance if the notion grabbed you and *bonus* they had misters so it didn't feel too hot (not good for my lobster-lookin' body right now though!).
I have no idea about the nightclub as I have never been but I have heard many a stories about this place.
Great party hotel, where you can catch some rays, some drinks and some late nights dancing.