Blog articles from Sarasota

Book Now
 
 
Back
 
 
Back
 
A Top 25 Best Hotel Portfolio in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, 2025
A holiday-themed cocktail part of Opal's seasonal cocktail program.

FEATURED

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.
Read more
A Florida-themed Christmas ornament on a tree.

FEATURED

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.
Read more
Aerial view of a winding coastal road bordered by dense forest with autumn foliage, rocky cliffs, and waves crashing against the shoreline below.

FEATURED

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.
Read more
The view of Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor

FEATURED

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

FEATURED

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.
Read more
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.

FEATURED

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.
Read more
A father and daughter play in the gin-clear waters of Jupiter, Florida.

FEATURED

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.
Read more
A family enters the lobby at Hutchinson Island Beach Resort & Spa.

FEATURED

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.
Read more

Whether you're planning where to go next or what to do on an already‑booked vacation, discover the travel destinations with Opal

florida ghosts

Ghost Stories and the Haunted History of Florida

A chill is rarely in the air in Florida – except when learning about some of the spookiest ghost stories found along its coasts. Voodoo Doll [Key West] While his tale was inspiration for the 1988 horror film Child’s Play, in reality, there’s no ghost story, just a curse.

Read more
OPAL Collection Weddings

The Opal Seaside Florida Weddings Guide

White-sand beach weddings are a part of every Opal hotel experience. They also, however, offer some experiences brides won’t find anywhere else in Florida. Stress-Free Zone Along the Gulf of Mexico in Naples, Edgewater Beach Hotel helps you find some inner-Zen before the ceremony in its Serenity Suite. Overlooking the…

Read more
Sarasota Florida Tour

Lay of the Land: Sarasota, FL

Sarasota, Florida is known equally as “Florida’s Cultural Coast,” a hotbed for high end fashion, and the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. Learn why.

Read more

Sign up for news & updates from the Opal Collection