Best 5-Star Hotels in Florida

This 54-storey tower situated in downtown Miami comes offers sweeping views of the Biscayne Bay and Miami River. It features London transplant Zuma for a fine Japanese dining. On the 16th-floor pool deck is chocked with amenities consisting of the Exhale Spa and two angular infinity pools. The 411 suites and rooms each has a private balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows, honey-coloured wood furniture and sumptuous bedding.

The 5-star hotel is an excellent choice for a luxury holiday in Miami. Guest rooms and suites offer modern interiors designed in the Hollywood Regency style and feature floor-to-ceiling windows presenting beautiful views across the city or Miami River. The hotel’s 15th floor is the place to bask in the sunshine, splash in the pool or enjoy a sociable cocktail or two. The hotel’s signature restaurant serves a truly international menu with a backdrop of panoramic Miami views. Hotel guests can also take full advantage of the state-of-the-art fitness centre or indulge in superb spa services at Icon Brickell Spa. The hotel’s convenient location means guests can easily access many of the local Miami attractions too.

The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami a luxurious, five-star resort located in the upscale Bal Harbour neighbourhood. The hotel offers 95 spacious guest rooms and suites, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces that provide stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway.

Guests can enjoy exclusive amenities, including an oceanfront swimming pool, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and a 10,000-square-foot spa that offers a range of treatments. The resort’s dining options include the Artisan Beach House, which serves globally inspired cuisine with a focus on local ingredients. For more casual dining, guests can enjoy the Pool & Beach Bar, offering light fare and tropical drinks.

The hotel also features luxurious cabanas for a more private beach experience, complete with personalized service. Additionally, the property is pet-friendly, providing special amenities for four-legged guests.

The Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Surfside, Miami, is a luxury beachfront retreat that combines the elegance of its 1930s origins with modern sophistication. The property offers a range of accommodations, including oceanfront rooms, suites, bungalows, and private residences, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies offering breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The hotel boasts three swimming pools, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and a wellness spa offering bespoke treatments.

One of the standout features is the dining experience, with options including Le Sirenuse Miami, an outpost of the Michelin-starred restaurant from the Amalfi Coast, offering Italian cuisine in a refined setting. The Champagne Bar provides a glamorous spot for pre-dinner drinks, and the Churchill Bar pays homage to the hotel’s history with its vintage-inspired décor.

For those seeking relaxation, the Surf Club Spa offers a range of treatments that blend modern techniques with traditional therapies. The hotel also provides direct access to a pristine beach, where guests can enjoy watersports or simply unwind in the Florida sun.

Additionally, the hotel features unique historical elements, such as the Peacock Alley, a gathering space that recalls the golden age of Miami, and the legendary ballroom, which has hosted many notable events since the hotel’s opening.

The Breakers Palm Beach has everything you need to enjoy a relaxing stay by the sea. The hotel offers bright and modern guestrooms and suites overlooking the ocean, including the Imperial Suite and the Royal Poinciana Suite. There are ten distinct dining venues where guests can savour local and international flavours, including the Seafood Bar and Echo Restaurant with the Dragonfly Lounge. Guests can also opt to dine in the Beach Club Restaurant which sits on the hotel’s private beachfront. There are also four seafront swimming pools, including the infinity-style South Pool, and an indoor-outdoor spa where guests can enjoy a range of wellness facilities and treatments. The hotel is home to a 6,000ftsq Ocean Fitness Centre offering daily classes as well as world-class racketeering facilities including twelve tennis, two pickleball and two padel courts. For golf lovers, there are 36 holes of golf including the championship Rees Jones course at Breakers West. There are also thirteen signature boutiques where guests can shop and browse until their heart’s content.

Offering villa living within a hotel complex, each of the 37 residences here has at least three bedrooms and a pool. The resort provides guests with a full-service spa, an 18-hole Greg Norman Signature Golf Course, 11 restaurants and bars, tennis courts, children’s activities, babysitting services, water sports and fishing in the neighbouring Grande Lakes. Covering 500 acres, the venue has been inspired by its natural surroundings and provides on-site eco-tours. And for those wanting some adult-only time, there’s a child-free pool area. It’s a relatively new addition to the Orlando hotel scene (and the Ritz-Carlton portfolio), having opened its doors in 2018.

Standing tall on the city’s horizon, the JW Marriott is just across from the Ritz-Carlton. A lazy river and family-oriented pool with plenty of sunloungers contrast three peaceful hydrotherapy pools found in the full-service spa (but even this caters to kids with a menu of children’s treatments). There’s a whole retail avenue inside, including shops, a Starbucks and a healthy cafe. Large bedrooms have Revive bedding in soothing colour schemes, coffee makers, iHome docking stations, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries and 65 inch TVs. Farm to table cuisine is served in the many on-site eateries, ranging from fine dining to a sushi bar and poolside grill.

A brand renowned for its culinary offer, this Four Seasons holds up its reputation. Ravello serves fine Mediterranean cuisine alongside fine vintages – as well as hosting a bi-weekly Disney character breakfast. Stay here and you can enjoy the early entry theme park privilege otherwise reserved for Disney’s own on-site hotels. You’ll be transferred via private coach service from this gated community to the four parks. The architecture is reminiscent of Spain, while interior decor echoes contemporary Italian style. Two infinity pools enable families and adults to enjoy some sun-time separately – the child-friendly one has waterslides and a lazy river.

If you’d like to stay as close to Disney as possible – but not in one of their themed hotels – this is the place to book. Part of the Bonnet Creek complex, it’s a short drive from the theme parks, yet a beautifully calm oasis to escape the tourist bustle. Featuring local artwork, a Rees Jones-designed golf course, fancy boutiques and a glamorous cocktail bar, it’s deeply refined. However, kids are warmly welcomed too, kept occupied with their own programme of activities and dedicated pool – allowing the adults to enjoy some freshly baked croissants, in-room Nespresso coffee, beauty treatments or even a poolside Prosecco Popsicle.

Offering a contemporary take on the classic yacht club lifestyle, this oceanfront property by Four Seasons opened its doors in 2022. The 22-storey building on Fort Lauderdale beach is the work of Miami-based architect Kobi Karp, with interior touches by the London-based Tara Bernerd and Partners and Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. It features 189 guest rooms and suites, a spa, multiple pool terrace, The Honey Fitz cafe and lounge (named after John F. Kennedy’s presidential yacht) and Evelyn’s restaurant (in homage to local luminary Evelyn Fortune Lilly Bartlett), serving eastern Mediterranean discovery menus and Levant-inspired cocktails.

The oceanfront location of this Ritz-Carlton property sets the tone for a more relaxed vibe than is found in some of the brand’s more formal city-centre hotels. Twelve storeys in height with a curved shape and furnished balconies attached to every bedroom, it looks and feels much like a cruise liner. This theme continues inside, with a ship-like lobby offering boutique shops, a pool table, a spa and a salon The sunbathing/ pool area overlooks the sea, while on the seventh floor, there’s a stunning infinity pool Guests staying here have access to the Grande Oaks Golf Course and can eat in the Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits or the poolside cafe.

The post-modern architecture of this hotel is evocative of the area’s yacht culture. Inside, the design has been led by A++. Choice is a big deal with this brand – guests can select preferences for their pillows, bath products (namely Refinery, Shanghai Tang or Temple Spa) and their minibar treats, as well as having the option of seven different in-room dining options. Suites come with one, two or three bedrooms and beautiful marble bathrooms. And there are three eateries: Cornucopia Gourmet Market, the Spinnaker Pool Grill and Japanese-Korean fusion cuisine at Takato. Included in your daily stay are the use of two beach chairs and an umbrella, a two-hour bike rental and a discount in the spa.