Sarasota is rich in natural and cultural experiences
If you're hopping over to Sarasota anytime soon, and you've already had the pleasure of touring the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Ca d'Zan, the winter residence of John and Mable Ringling, and the Mote Aquarium, we recommend a downtown art stroll.
Concentrate on historic Palm Avenue and begin at the intersection with Cocoanut Avenue, where the Butterfly Lady sculpture strikes a pose. Then wend your way down Palm with stops at galleries like Coco Palm, Gallery 53, Art to Walk On and the Dabbert Gallery.
Stop for Margherita pizza at Cafe Epicure at the corner of Palm and Main Street.
If you make it all the way to Highway 41, you can take a tour of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, home to thousands of orchids and bromeliads and one of the best gift shops around.
At that point, you will have covered more ground than the Depression-era frogs did during the segment of the Sarasota Pageant known as the International Frog Olympics. That name was a reach, since all the competing frogs were native Floridians.
The boutique hotel, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, offers a full-service cafe-style restaurant and bar, one hot and one cold swimming pool, and centers for fitness and business. It's clean as can be and although more costly than a Holiday Inn, it cost less than the Ritz-Carlton/Sarasota, which we could see from our room.
We slept beneath a photographic mural of beach-ball-sized blueberries. Murals like that one provided a creative alternative to framed art and are an integral part of the nature-inspired design at Hotel Indigo, says hotel manager Leslie Power.
Tiny potted bromeliads circle the front desk and tables in the first-floor cafe, inspired by patterns and colors in nature.
In the guest rooms, the duvet and bed skirt are reversible. The blue nautilus-shell monogram on the pillows is the hotel's Indigo symbol. Night tables are wood painted white, and in the bathroom, thick white towels have been rolled and Aveda bath amenities adorn the counter. Huge glassed-in showers come with a trendy teak bench and more Aveda.
The artsy, friendly Indigo has already had its share of notable guests, from politicians to performers and musical and film stars, Power said, although she wouldn't name names.
She says the Indigo was designed for all travelers, including business travelers.
"Our staff is in tune with guests' needs," she said. "We're style without attitude."
And what about the Waldorf-Astoria scheduled to be built right across the street?
"We're excited," she said. "It'll create more awareness for the city and we provide a terrific alternative."
But no Olympic frogs.
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