Sunfinder Vacations

Directly on the Intracoastal Waterway and featuring a 127-slip marina, the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six draws yacht owners, business travelers, convention participants, and cruise-ship passengers stopping en route to/from nearby Port Everglades.

This 16-acre oceanfront resort attracts families, couples, and cruise-ship passengers departing or arriving at Port Everglades 1.5 miles away. Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa is large enough to be both tranquil and lively. Tranquility is exemplified by a floral-flavored marble lobby washed by gentle waterfall sounds. Liveliness takes the form of all-day family activities and myriad water sports.

A soaring 60-foot atrium of solar-paneled glass and steel washes the lobby in a natural light blending indoors and out. Two rows of 24-foot palm trees span the length of the lobby and tower above a reflecting pool with splashing waterfalls framed by two oversized, geometric art pieces. Business travelers and leisure guests relax on the outdoor sundeck overlooking the ocean.

The Bahia Mar Beach Resort & Yachting Center is set along the Intracoastal Waterway, overlooking the 330-slip Bahia Mar Yachting Center—home to prestigious names in the yachting world. Guests include the yachting crowd, as well as corporate travelers and vacationers.

What to expect: Located in the green, golf-oriented community of Weston, this lush, 23-acre Florida resort is a destination for vacationers seeking to shop at Sawgrass Mills, one of Florida's largest malls, or craving some spa pampering.

Amenity highlights: Bordered by a rock-garden waterfall, a sundeck furnished with thickly padded lounge chairs offers relaxation and sunbathing opportunities. The Red Door Lifestyle Spa, Elizabeth Arden, offers 30 treatment rooms as well as Pilates, yoga, and movement classes. Hyatt guests can also stroll in the Zen garden, dine in the spa café, or schedule salon services. A sauna, steam room, and fitness and weight room are all available.

Insider tip: Two white swans, Anthony and Cleopatra, lord over the small, dense "rainforest" that lies just outside the resort's main building, which contains a koi pond, and is bordered by a wood deck.

What to expect: This Havana-chic hotel welcomes guests with bold colors and contemporary decor. The lobby, illuminated by warm globes of light, leads to a natural-gas-fed pit that shoots up flames. The hotel’s design concept incorporates the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, to harmonize with the surrounding environment. Businesspeople, yachting enthusiasts, and discriminating leisure travelers appreciate the luxurious atmosphere.

Amenity highlights: The hotel’s 33-slip marina provides a lavish showcase of yachts for guests to stroll among and daydream or window shop. Overlooking the marina and the Intracoastal Waterway is a new edition of restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow’s China Grill family, with upscale fusion cuisine. A heated outdoor pool with an adjoining restaurant and bar offers poolside service. Wireless Internet access is complimentary in public areas.

Set on a stretch of white-sand beach, this Mediterranean-style resort hotel features a red roof, arched doorways, Spanish-tile floors, and ceiling fans. Located within Greater Fort Lauderdale, the hotel offers both ocean breezes and close proximity to South Florida attractions.

Between the beach and Route A1A, this beachfront resort has a casual atmosphere that draws families and vacationing travelers. The hotel has a five-story main building (with front desk, main restaurant, and cocktail lounge), a five-story beachfront building, and a two-story building. A small lobby in the main building has tropical-style decor and a seating area that looks out on Route A1A.

The hotel’s centerpiece is a 12-story atrium lobby decorated in coral and blue and filled with lush foliage. This soaring space offers plenty of comfortable seating and a brook populated by a family of friendly ducks. The hotel is popular with families holding reunions, business travelers, and folks in town for a few days’ exploration before or after a cruise. Convention-goers enjoy close proximity to the convention center, six blocks away.

Rising 11 stories above the Atlantic Ocean, this Marriott is adjacent to the Hollywood Boardwalk and the white-sand beach. The lobby is handsomely appointed with a wood-beam ceiling, tile floors, colonial Jamaica–style furnishings, and rich woods. Exquisite porcelain pots accent the hallways.

A local landmark, the Ramada occupies an impressive 1926 building along the southern end of Hollywood Beach. The hotel overlooks the Hollywood Boardwalk, which stretches 2.5 miles along the ocean past restaurants and shops. Guests are primarily beachgoers who like to combine a little shopping with their sun-and-sea activities.

The hotel is surrounded by condominium towers built in the 1950s and '60s along a peaceful stretch of oceanfront known as the Galt Ocean Mile. The hotel reflects this era, offering a marble lobby with plush seating and lots of mirrors. Families vacation here, and cruise-ship passengers arrive for a pre- or post-cruise beachside stay.

Owned and operated by the Seminole Indian tribe, this l2-story rock-and-roll themed hotel and casino sits on 87 acres in Hollywood, Florida. A 50-foot guitar stands in the center of a giant fountain in front of the hotel. Authentic rock memorabilia is showcased throughout the hotel and great video moments in rock music are featured on hundreds of flat-screen TVs in the lobby lounge.

The lobby at The Atlantic Resort & Spa, a Luxury Collection Hotel showcases marble columns, blue hanging lights, and minimalist styling; floor-to-ceiling windows provide a bird’s-eye view of the ocean and beach scene. The outdoor patio overlooking the beach is a favorite day’s-end gathering place for the hotel’s guests, who are mostly leisure travelers.