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Favorite Luxury Resorts
Resort R&R
From offbeat to old-timey, Florida resorts cover the spectrum. Some are well-known; others are off the beaten path.
Big Resort
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando
shinglecreekresort.com
With 1,500 rooms and 445,000 square feet of convention space, the recently opened Rosen Shingle Creek is Harris Rosen's first Orlando resort -- and seventh Orlando hotel. The resort, which opened in September a mile away from the Orange County Convention Center, is named after a body of water that serves as the headwaters for the Florida Everglades and is located behind the hotel, where walking trails through forest land offer an alternative to the hustle and bustle of tourist shops along neighboring International Drive. "People don't expect to find something so natural so close to the meetings and convention area," says Leslie Menichini, director of sales and marketing. The resort has its own golf course and golf academy. It's located next door to the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Rooms range from $165
to $375 a night depending on the season.
 Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa |
Newly Renovated Resort
Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa
Ponte Vedra Beach
sawgrassmarriott.com
New owners Redquartz Boundary Ltd. of Ireland have put $16 million into renovating the 20-year-old resort's 324 rooms, lobby and pool area and $40 million into upgrades and the new TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse and the PGA Tour's The Players Stadium golf course. The big draw this year is to play on the course before the pros get to see the renovations in May, says Chris Bracken, marketing director. The resort's 508 units include 160 two-bedroom villas. Other amenities: 56,000 square feet of meeting space, which is also scheduled for renovation, and a spa and fitness center rated No. 1 among all Marriotts for service. Standard rooms range from $279 a night in season to $179 in the summer.
