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A holiday-themed cocktail part of Opal's seasonal cocktail program.

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Top Holiday Cocktails To Ring in 2026
These holiday cocktails – part of Opal’s specialty holiday cocktail program – aren’t just complex symphonies of flavor, they’re liquid works of art. And we’ve got the recipes for you to recreate during your own holiday festivities.
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A Florida-themed Christmas ornament on a tree.

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5 Game-Changing Benefits of Taking Your Holidays on Vacation
If the stress of your holiday hustle has been weighing you down (especially if you’re the one hosting the festivities), this may be an article you want to read. Because a holiday week getaway may just be the best gift you can give yourself.
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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 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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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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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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A woman and a child playfully pose at the beach, holding hands. Both wear sunglasses and casual summer clothes. The woman bends down to kiss the childs nose, and gentle waves touch their feet under a clear blue sky.

The Opal Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Instead of picking out flowers or sending a quick card to Mom this year, why not find her a present that recaps your last vacation together? We’ve curated a Mother’s Day gift guide for unique treasures made to remind Mom of the allure of the Eastern coastline. Combing the Beach [Bar…

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opal weddings

The Opal Northeast Weddings Guide

From fall ceremonies below crimson fall trees to waterfront receptions along the Atlantic, we have five Northeast OPAL Collection wedding locations you must check out for your big day. A Wedding for the Ages On the doorstep of Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, find the Harborside…

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