PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The Sonesta is an idyllic, secluded resort on Key Biscayne -- like a souped-up summer camp. Families and couples alike love this place for its oceanfront location and its many high-caliber amenities, which make it almost impossible to want to venture off the property. At press time, the hotel was scheduled to close September 2006 so it could start work on a $300-million redevelopment that will transform the hotel into an ultraluxe, 350-room resort with oversized rooms, full-service spa, revamped pool and beach area, as well as restaurants and entertainment. Currently, however, each of the plush 300 rooms, also recently upgraded, has a private balcony or terrace. There are also 12 one- and two-bedroom suites. Room no. 828 is particularly appealing, with its sweeping views of the ocean, comfortable (to say the least) king bed, and top-floor location. Known for having the best piña coladas in the entire city, the pool and beach bars are popular with locals and vacationers alike. The hotel's Two Dragons restaurant is good, featuring Chinese, Thai, and Japanese food. A fantastic, free, and fully supervised kids' program (ages 3-12) will actually allow parents to have a vacation of their own, perhaps at the resort's 10,000-square-foot spa. Although you may not want to leave the lush grounds, Bill Baggs State Recreation Area and the area's best beaches are nearby and worth the trip. Travelers here are only about 15 minutes from Miami Beach and even closer to the mainland and Coconut Grove. A Sonesta Hotel & Suites is located in Coconut Grove, at 2889 McFarlane Rd. (tel. 305/529-2828), near CocoWalk. With 225 rooms, many of which overlook Biscayne Bay, it is much smaller (and, for now at least, much cheaper) than its sprawling Key Biscayne sister and, thankfully, it brings a much-needed additional option to the hotel-challenged Coconut Grove. Facilities: 4 restaurants; 2 bars; lounge; outdoor heated Olympic-size pool; access to nearby golf; 9 tennis courts; fitness center; full-service spa; 2 waterfront Jacuzzis; watersports equipment/rentals, bike rentals; children's programs; shuttle service to shopping and entertainment; business center; salon; room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; sports court.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's South Florida including Miami and Keys, 6th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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