America's Best Beach Hotels

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What’s summer without a vacation by the sea? It’s time to check into one of the best beach hotels in America

 

No. 10 Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

Maui, HI

A favored hideout for Hollywood types in search of a Polynesian interlude, the 380-room resort caters to every pleasurable whim. The suites are decorated with tropical accents, facing the Pacific or the dramatic Haleakala volcano. Those who are looking for a little more activity can snorkel, scuba, or take yoga classes for free, in a place where most resorts charge extra

 The Breakers Palm Beach, FL

Photo: Courtesy of The Breakers Palm Beach

No. 9 The Breakers Palm Beach

Palm Beach, FL

Unsurpassed in terms of luxury when oil tycoon Henry Flagler built it in 1896, the Breakers outdid itself in a 1926 renovation modeled after Italian renaissance palaces. Still the 540-room resort, set on 140 beachfront acres, is pure drama, its palm-lined drive leading up to the twin-spired behemoth. The modern day intervenes in breezily tropical rooms, newly redesigned (an ongoing project, in mid-2010) in white and sand tones, and in the private poolside cabanas with flat-screens and concierge service.

Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club, Palm Beach, FL

Photo: Courtesy of Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club

No. 8 Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club

Palm Beach, FL

1926 hotel, renovated in 2007 to the tune of $35 million, with updated Colonial-style interiors (each room has an ultra-jet bathtub) and a Daniel Boulud restaurant. Just opened: the new private beach club, with padded chaise lounges and cocktail service.

Cloister at Sea Island, GA

Photo: Courtesy of Sea Islands Resorts

No. 7 Cloister at Sea Island

Sea Island, GA

Long a favorite of the East Coast Establishment, the 1928 Mediterranean-style mansion is set on 1,000 acres of a barrier island beach. Beach Club Suites, with kitchen, fireplace and balcony have family-friendly location close to three pools, an ice cream parlor, movie theater and children’s center. Be sure to take a 90-minute tour ($100 per person) of the salt marsh onboard the Cloister Belle, a restored antique yacht.

Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club, GA

Photo: Courtesy of Sea Islands Resorts

No. 6 Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club

Sea Island, GA

Genteel lodge with 40 country-style rooms and on-site access to a legendary golf course. A bagpiper roams the grounds every evening. Suites and living rooms are more than 1,000 sq. ft and have water or golf course views, plus 24-hour butler service. Grab a complimentary bicycle for a spin around the property.

Kahala Hotel & Resort, Oahu

Photo: Courtesy of The Kahala Hotel and Resort

No. 5 Kahala Hotel & Resort

Honolulu, HI

This 1964 colossus benefits from having about it a whiff of archaism. It was here, at what was then a Hilton and known as the Kahollywood, that Richard Burton and Liz Taylor hid out from the paparazzi in a private cabana. Opt for an Ocean suite for panoramic views of Diamond Head, then be sure to swim with dolphins in the hotel’s lagoon.

Montage Laguna Beach, CA

Photo: Courtesy of Montage Resort

No. 4 Montage Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach, CA

Montage aims for an experience you might find in Positano, crisp service and the smell of the surf. At the Arts and Crafts–style Montage Resort & Spa, the location is exceptional, on a 30-acre spot on a bluff with a 280-degree view of the Pacific. Of the 250 rooms, the best are the Ocean Surf View rooms, located on the upper floors and offering great views of the Pacific Break.

Halekulani, Oahu

Photo: Courtesy of the Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani

No. 3 Halekulani

Honolulu, HI

Service rules at this recently renovated 5-acre Waikiki Beach beauty, which has existed for nearly a century. The Orchid Suite, the newest of the hotel’s premier rooms, made its debut in 2008. At the open-air dining room at Orchids restaurant, paddle straight for the Hawaiian specialties: pipi kaula beef jerky, marinated ahi tuna poke, lomilomi cured salmon, Waimanalo roast suckling pig, local Kula tomatoes, and Big Island goat cheese. Diamond Head suites on floors nine and higher have the best ocean and volcano views.

Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai, HI

Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Resorts, Hualalai

No. 2 Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Kailua-Kona, HI

“Perfect,” “heaven,” and “the best vacation of my life” are just a few ways guests describe this understatedly gorgeous, isolated resort where all 228 rooms, in low-rise bungalows, have ocean views. It’s popular with Hollywood celebrities for good reason: the grounds border the dramatic volcanic rock coast with seawater and freshwater swimming pools; and an open-air spa teems with tropical vegetation.

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key, FL

Photo: Courtesy of Little Palm Island Resort & Spa

No. 1 Little Palm Island Resort & Spa

Little Torch Key, FL

Florida’s most secluded and romantic retreat: a South Seas-style idyll set along a white-sand beach on a private 6-acre island, accessible only by boat or seaplane. Suites 15 and 16 offer the most privacy. Be sure to visit Looe Key, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, located minutes away from the resort by kayak.