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A man and three children, all wearing swimwear, run and play together on a sandy beach with Sandpearl Resort in the background.

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Best Family Beach Resorts in Florida
Planning a family beach vacation to Florida? From morning splash time to sunset s’mores, Opal Collection offers a variety of beach resorts up and down the coast that take the hassle out of family vacations.
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Aerial view of a winding coastal road bordered by dense forest with autumn foliage, rocky cliffs, and waves crashing against the shoreline below.

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Why Mount Desert Island Was Voted America’s Favorite Island
It wasn’t a tropical escape that scored number one in the “Top 15 Islands in the Continental U.S.” list in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards. It was a lobster-claw-shaped piece of land off the craggy coast of Downeast Maine.
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The view of Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor

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A Coveted Coastal New England Road Trip
The beauty of a multi-day, 220-mile road trip up the craggy coast from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Bar Harbor, Maine isn’t just the plethora of enticing pit stops along the route – from high culture to scenic coves. It’s also the way that Opal properties serve as your easy and convenient overnight waypoints for piecing together one epic coastal cruise.
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A serene beach scene unfolds in Clearwater, Florida, with a long pier extending into calm, blue waters. Sandy dunes with patches of grass grace the foreground. The clear sky holds a whisper of clouds near the horizon, while small structures dot this idyllic attraction on the pier.

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Must-See Clearwater Florida Attractions You Never Knew About
Think you’ve experienced all of Clearwater Beach? This list of hidden gems might make you think again.
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A father and daughter play in the gin-clear waters of Jupiter, Florida.

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6 Best Crystal-Clear Water Beaches in Florida that Rival the Caribbean
You don’t need a passport to frolic in the blue waves identical to what you’d find in everyone’s favorite tropical sea. You just need these favorite Florida beaches.
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A family enters the lobby at Hutchinson Island Beach Resort & Spa.

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10 Experiences to Level Up Your Next Opal Escape
Opal Collection resorts and hotels are more than just luxurious places to lay your head. From private chef-led culinary events to hands-on outdoor adventures you’ll be raving about for years to come, here’s how our collection can craft and connect you to indelible experiences that discerning travelers covet.
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ice cream month

National Ice Cream Month: The Scoop on Our Favorite Flavors

From blueberry basil to guava, Opal destinations boast dozens of unique ice cream flavors within a cone’s throw. Join us on a taste bud–led tour in celebration of July as National Ice Cream Month. Marble Cake [Lake George, NY] Martha’s Dandee Cream near The Sagamore maintains a…

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Hemingway Days

Inside Key West’s Hemingway Days

Each July on the birthday of Key West’s most famed writer, hundreds of white-bearded, cocktail-slinging Ernest Hemingway doppelgangers take to the streets for a mock bull run and then to the stage with song and dance at Sloppy Joe’s Bar. For visitors, there’s great history and enjoyable events everywhere you…

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Latitudes restaurant

Different Latitudes for a Seafood Restaurant

When the Delray Sands Resort on Highland Beach introduced its newest restaurant, Latitudes in 2015, it vowed to take a different approach to a nautically infused menu and decor. Here, there are no salt-encrusted ropes, lobster traps, or weather-worn wooden signs that hang above tables – just pristine white…

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Lake Placid Bar Harbor

This or That: Bar Harbor vs. Lake Placid

For mountains alongside the water, it’s hard to beat Bar Harbor…or Lake Placid. We compare these two Northeast outposts known for their natural spoils and picturesque downtowns. Most Picturesque Hike Bar Harbor: Jordan Pond Loop – 3 miles This moderate route takes hikers along the water’s edge at Acadia National…

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Father's Day 2015

Father’s Day Gift Guide

This year for Dad, don’t settle for anything that comes in a box. Give him one of these six OPAL experiences in our Father’s Day gift guide that will have him raving for years. Night Photography in Acadia [Bar Harbor, ME] Give him a different perspective of Acadia…

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Lake Placid vacation homes

Behind the Front Door of Lake Placid’s Great Camps

In the late 1870s, the son of a railroad tycoon headed off into the dense woods of the Adirondacks – to what is today just a 30-minute drive west of the Lake Placid Lodge – to start an architectural revolution. His name was William West Durant, and his vision was…

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Opal love story contest

Our #OPALlovestorycontest Winner

This spring, we challenged our fans to build a tribute Pinterest board to their love. Ginny Dembek’s nine-year long-distance relationship, Whiteface proposal, and a Lake Placid wedding won us over. Above photo © Tracey Buyce Photography Love Long Distance When starting their careers separated college sweethearts Dan and Ginny Dembek…

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West Street Hotel

After Check-In: Bar Harbor, ME

Don’t let an afternoon check-in put a damper on the start to your vacation. Take advantage of these Bar Harbor evening activities. Whale of a Tale Every Monday through Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. sets out on three-and-a-half-hour catamaran tours of the Gulf of Maine…

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