Opal Destination Gems | Blog Archives

A group of baby turtles crawling on sandy beach. Some are grouped together while others are scattered, all making their way towards the top of the image, possibly heading for the ocean. Sand grains are visible around them.

Visiting During Turtle Nesting Season? Here’s What to Know

Throughout the spring and summer, thousands of sea turtles enact a 100-million-year-old ritual, crawling onto the beaches at night to lay clutches of eggs. Here’s how you can play a part in clearing the way for their survival.

A person with a backpack hugs a tan dog on a rocky hilltop, overlooking a vast landscape with a river winding through dense green forests under a colorful sunset sky.

Meet Finn, West Street Hotel’s Mascot Dog!

The West Street Hotel has a beloved mascot, an English lab by the name of Finn! His best trick? Wooing and befriending every guest. Here are some of Finn’s favorite things, from treats to toys and activities he woofs very much.

The Hotel Today: Part 2

Simultaneously, while Belleview Inn’s restoration was being done, master Florida artist Christopher Still was conducting his own elaborate history project to create these commissioned works for the hotel.

A large, elegant resort-style hotel with green roofs and white exterior sits behind a serene pool. Palm trees flank the building, and lounge chairs are arranged around the pool area under a partly cloudy sky.

The Hotel Today: Part 1

While the hotel is obviously not the same as it was when it was first built in 1897, there are so many preserved portions and unique nods to the past scattered throughout. You just need to know where to look.

A grand hotel with multiple gables and white facade stands behind a pool area. The pool is oval-shaped with a smaller circular pool in the center. Palm trees and lounge chairs surround the pool, and the sky is partly cloudy.

The Project

Before the crumbling Hotel Belleview could be renovated and reborn as Belleview Inn, she needed to be moved to her new foundation. So how do you move a 1,750-ton structure the distance of roughly the length of a football field?

Memories of the original belleview inn illustrated with vintage postcards, old photos and memorabilia

#MyBelleviewMemory

If these walls could talk, they’d whisper stories about past presidents wandering these halls, weddings taking place generation after generation within the ballrooms, special anniversary dinners, and more. But alas, walls cannot talk. Luckily, these longtime locals can.