40 Best Hotels in Florida: Escape to the Sunshine State

The Breakers boast as they say, “unapologetic luxury, seaside glamour and world-class service.” That’s a tough lineup to live up to, but considering their nearly 100-year legacy — and feedback from trivago users — it’s clear they’re doing more than just a few things right.

Keeping with the times, The Breakers has embraced green initiatives to implement ecologically-friendly practices, such as improving energy efficiency, water conservation and waste reduction, to help ensure an enjoyable, healthy environment for generations to come. (That’s all to say you can feel free to slip into that poolside coma, guilt-free.)

But not everyone can just lay back and relax on vacation (though there is the spa for those so inclined). Some of us like to keep moving. For that, The Breakers offers golf, tennis, and fitness facilities that include indoor exercise bikes, personal training, and a variety of classes from body sculpting to yoga.

At the end of a stay, it’s easy to see why The Breakers is the top five-star pick for Florida travel.

Golfing and Florida are inextricably linked, so why not combine the two passions in your hotel? Villas of Grand Cypress tops the list of four-star hotels in Florida and we have to imagine that their golf academy had something to do with it. Besides lessons and clinics, you can sign up for a club fitting, or if you’re brand new to the sport, get a new student assessment. When you’re ready to head out to the links yourself, you can sign up for a tee time at the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed course complete with 45 holes.

Who doesn’t want to go to Key West? Even the most cynical human being on the planet, the most avid, rugged traveler who scoffs at tourist destinations in favor of the so-called “authentic” would enjoy themselves immensely in Key West. Couple it with a stay at the Marquesa Hotel, a trivago Award three-star favorite, well, then you’re likely to be converted into a repeat visitor.

The hotel rests right in central Old Town Key West with all the accoutrements of history that entail. On the property, you’re surrounded by a lush garden capped off by a shimmering swimming pool. But a stay wouldn’t be complete without dining at the award-winning Cafe Marquesa, a favorite among tourists and locals alike. Dive into some fresh, local seafood for a dining experience you won’t soon forget.

Imagine the quiet rumble of the sea splashing against the shore with an endless breeze brushing against your face and through your ear. That’s precisely what you’re signing up for at the Black Dolphin Inn tucked away in Florida’s peaceful enclave of New Smyrna Beach. Your longing for a place uniquely connected to its natural surroundings with views to match is satiated here. Best of all, you can enjoy it all knowing that they’re doing their part to protect the sensitive ecology around them.