Manasota Beach Club

Old Florida Resort

Manasota Beach Club
Englewood
manasotabeachclub.com

With a clubhouse dating to about 1915 and some of its 12 cottages built in the 1920s, this 25-acre gulf-to-bay property near Sarasota offers an authentic slice of old Florida. The cottages -- several built by prominent Sarasota architects in the 1970s -- range from one bedroom to five, and only some have air conditioning. It's managed by Sydney Buffum Crampton, whose parents, Robert and Sydney, bought the property in 1960. Amenities include nature trails, tennis courts, a swimming pool, kayaking, sailing, croquet and nearby golf and boat rentals. The resort's kitchen and dining room are open from Thanksgiving through April and offer various meal plans. Rates range from $295 to $485 per night for two people in season and $250 a night or up to $2,000 a week in the summer. "Lots of families come here and have for many generations," Crampton says. "They're surprised there's still a place like this."

Water Color Inn

Small Resort

Water Color Inn
Santa Rosa Beach
watercolorinn.com

Recognized as one of the top 10 resorts in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine last year, the beach-themed inn opened in 2002 and is the first residential/resort community developed by St. Joe Co., the largest private landowner in Florida. "We're the only AAA four-diamond hotel in northwest Florida," says Stacy Hamilton, director of resort marketing and sales. The inn includes 60 Gulf-front rooms, almost 150 privately owned vacation rental homes, a recreational complex, restaurants and a spa. Part of its charm is the 499-acre resort's activities on Western Lake, where guests can canoe, kayak and fish. Prices for a standard room range from $370 to $495 a night in season and $250 to $395 a night in winter. Vacation rentals for one to six bedrooms run $280 to $1,555 a night in season and $230 to $1,030 a night in winter.

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.

Oak Harbor Lodging & RV Park

Offbeat Resort

Oak Harbor Lodging & RV Park
Haines City
oakharbor-rv.com

Situated on pristine 1,000-acre Lake Lowery near U.S. Highway 27, Oak Harbor offers an upscale rustic experience in its six cabins and 125 RV sites. The one-bedroom cabins come with central air and heat, full baths, full kitchens and screened porches overlooking the lake. "It's got a nice, secluded feeling when you're out here," says general manager Gregg Anderson, whose parents, Jack and Nell, opened the property in 1970. The resort serves as a base for $525-a-day seaplane fishing excursions with Ron Bull Adventures, which helps visitors catch largemouth bass, speckled perch and blue gill. Cabin rentals start at $90 a night, $490 a week or $1,250 a month. RV site prices start at $25 a day, $150 a week and $400 a month.

St. Regis Resort & Residences

Planned Resort

St. Regis Resort & Residences
Miami

Set to open in 2009-10, the St. Regis will bring "five-star-plus" service. Three 27-story towers will house 36 condo-hotel suites and 268 residences, each with European-style kitchens and "smart" technology.

"The most amazing thing about this property is the location," between the Bal Harbour shops and the ocean, says Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, president of Related Cervera Realty Services, which represents the property. "When you're in Miami, you're in Paris and San Tropez at the same time."

Other Favorites

Safety Harbor Resort and Spa
Safety Harbor
safetyharborresort.com

Memorable feature: The resort is recognized for its history as well as its reputation in folklore as a source of water with healing powers, says Kathy Gaye, vice president of marketing. It's the site of the famous Espiritu Santo Springs, which Hernando de Soto called "the fountain of youth." All 189 rooms have been renovated since last year, and its 50,000-sq.-ft. spa and fitness center has added 12 multiservice rooms.

Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Amelia Island
ritzcarlton.com

Memorable feature: A 27,500 sq.-ft. spa that opened in December with a signature treatment called "Heaven in a Hammock." The oceanfront resort has also undergone extensive renovations and added a fine dining restaurant. "We have almost reinvented ourselves," says public relations director Farley Kerns.

Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa
Fort Myers
sanibel-resort.com

Memorable feature: The views. Almost all accommodations overlook the water. More notably, most of the resort's 45,000 square feet of meeting space provides natural light through windows that look out over the 80-plus acres of protected land. Charley's Cabana Bar, a round lounge, offers the resort's best sunset view, says Paul Dugan, national sales manager.

Sonesta Hotel & Suites Coconut Grove
Miami
sonesta.com/coconutgrove

Memorable feature: Its location in Miami's oldest neighborhood along Biscayne Bay. The 215 rooms are on floors nine through 22, and each comes with a view of the blue water, green islands and white sails of the boats below, says Vice President and general manager George Cozonis. The resort's restaurant, Panorama, offers not only views from the eighth floor but also classic and contemporary Peruvian dishes.