Romantic Destination in Florida

Hi everyone,

We would like to plan a romantic vacation in Florida, but haven%26#39;t decided where yet. Appreciate your suggestions for the best romantic area in Florida which is not too far from Fort Lauderdale(since we have to stop in Fort Lauderdale first) and has top class resorts!! Thanks for your help:)

Romantic Destination in Florida

I think theer could be so many possibel definitions of what would be romantic- but if your budget allowed it , I think one contender would be Little Palm Island on the way to Key West- accessible only by boat - but more of a casual elegance kind of place:

http://www.littlepalmisland.com/

I recall that Al and Tipper Gore went there after the election stress.

Here in Ft. lauderdale , some people really rave about a small place -Pillars of New River Sound- secluded and very service minded- but not a full service resort- only serves continental breakfast and has a personal chef on call a few nights, but folks do seem to love it for honeymoons etc:

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34227-d224813-鈥?/a>

Again , right in Key West there are a number of really nice resorts and B%26amp;B%26#39;s - The Gardens being often mentioned - but the beaches in Key West are not very nice - rocky etc- so you would pretty much be limited to a nice pool etc if that matters to you..Once again it is not a mega resort , just a small very upcale hotel.

Club Meds do not often sound romantic, but their most upscale one - Columbus Isle - in the Bahamas is very popular with honeymooners and several notches above the normal Club Med. Ft. Lauderdale is where charter planes going there leave from- and they have spectacular white sand, turquoise water beach and really fine French cuisine- you might investigate that.

Romantic Destination in Florida

Thanks for your help. Little Palm Island is awesome, but over priced and over our budget. We are looking for a nice beach and don%26#39;t care if we have to drive for a couple of hours from F Lauderdale airport. So appreciate if you could suggest a romantic hotel, reasonably priced, 4+ star, with a nice beach...Many thanks, Sally

If you don%26#39;t mind staying on Fort Lauderdale beach you could try the Atlantic, Hilton, Ritz Carlton.

In Palm Beach you may try the Breakers.

In Miami you may try the Fountainebleau, Mandarin Oriental, Eden Roc, De Soleil, Raleigh, Victor, Delano, Ritz Carlton... etc.

You didn%26#39;t happen to mention if you have at least approximate dates, but I wanted to mention that at Presidents Day, Easter vacation and of course in the summer , many places here may not be particularly romantic as they are overrun with family vacationers- often grandparents who have gathered the clan... I know some folks who booked local fairly luxurious resorts like Lago Mar or Harbor Beach Marriott at Christmas have complained of that- the dates would also make a big difference in affordability of certain properties.

We went years ago to a ';romantic getaway'; in the Keys at Christmas and lasted one night after unattended children kept running throughout the dining room bumping into our table for two repeatedly- since that time the place ( formerly Indies Inn, now called Hawkes Cay , I believe) has changed hands and reinvented itself into a family resort anyway.

We actually are going only for two nights April 18-20th. That is a long weekend too, but we%26#39;re trying to find a quiet, semi-luxurious resort with a nice beach, still appreicate any other suggestions:)

Hi Sally:

Being from Boston I can say you do not have to put much thought into finding a place. The beaches in Lauderdale are always romantic in the day and especially evening.

Also, Lulutoo is a great Destination expert. Follow her advice and you will have a great time.

thanks for your help. honestly, i%26#39;d rather not stay in Fort Lauderdale, although my flight stops there. We prefer somewhere close. Little Palm Island is too expensive for us. Appreicate any suggestions of a place to stay with a great sunny beach in April (not rocky like the keys)?

There are two hotels directly on the beach in the northern end of Palm Beach County that have gorgeous beaches- the Ritz Carlton is in Manalapan and the much less expensive Holiday Inn is in Highland Beach- but it is one of the nicer Holiday Inns I have ever been in and their restaurant ( independently owned) has great seafood and a marvelous Sunday Brunch that I drive up for sometimes- either would be about an hour north.

I know SoBe mentioned a few places around Miami to our south- and I am really not nearly as familiar with that area as he is- so you might investigate his leads.

I don%26#39;t think the spots on Singer Island in Palm Beach or on Jupiter Island there are particularly nice , but it has been a while since I have ventured there- so you might look for reviews of places there just in case something nice is teher I don%26#39;t know of/

I think it is also the case that the beaches at the more northern end of the Keys like Islamorada and Key largo are not rocky and might work- I checked on one I remember called Casa Morada and found mixed reviews of the facilities though- I know it has been popular as a wedding setting. and I think has gourmet restaurant on site. And, unfortunately, the Cheeca Lodge , a well known spot in the Keys favored by the Bush family for years (I attended a lovely wedding on the beach there) had a fairly substantial fire just the other night and the buildings are at this moment uninhabitable- so that I guess has to be eliminated.

I really don%26#39;t feel ';expert'; on places out of our immediate area, but it sounds like Palm Beach, Jupiter , Miami and the Upper Keys ( Key Largo, Islamorada) are where you could look- Naples is only about 2 hrs away travelling west then north - there are lovely hotels there , but not so much in the way of beaches I%26#39;d say- and of course Sanibel Island, in the same direction which has no giant resorts , but a beautiful beach and lots of smaller inns etc.

Definitely stay away from Key West if beaches are really important.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

I decided to take a look at Singer Island ( off Palm Beach ) and came up with well reviewed luxury hotel:

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1079181-d87490鈥?/a>

The weird thing is that there is a second hotel listed at exactly the same address on some sites ( like Expedia) that is called'; Canopy Pines'; and described as having a much smaller number of rooms and a ';young , funky vibe.';

I don%26#39;t understand the discrepancy- and the reviews seem recent for both - a mystery to me - maybe some posterss on the Palm Beach Forum could fill you in on what it%26#39;s about..

I know any posters from Boston really deserve a getaway.. my sister lives in Chelmsford- and so I know about the winter you are having- yikes!

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