Acqualina Resort and Spa on the Beach

We visited in April with our 4 children, ages 11, 11, 6, and 4, primarily b/c it is often rated as a prime family destination. We had a two-bedroom oceanfront suite. It was very finely finished. The staff were well trained and the facility is not pretentious (despite the ~10 Rolls Royces located in the drive at any given time). From a location standpoint, it is acceptable. The beach access is very good. It's a little bit of a hike to the best restaurants compared to other locations. The morning buffett, which was comp'ed thanks to booking through AH, was excellent. The cafe on the beach was very good as well. On the downside, they are building the Acqualina Mansions (a high rise development) next door. Construction is loud enough to be distracting at the pool and occurs on the weekends. I couldn't recommend that anyone stay at this hotel until construction is complete. Also, the kid's club is oversold. I wouldn't recommend it for children over 6 or so, and they won't take kids under 5. The pools are a major disappointment from a kids perspective. Rather than building one large pool, they built three pools...two small and one medium size. They do have some basketball hoops and a mini soccer field that were fun for our kids. Ultimately, I think it's worth seeing. However, I would recommend The Breakers if I had to pick just one for a first time visitor. And on my next trip, I plan to try out the The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort...which is more centrally located. In my opinion, anyone unfamiliar with the area should definitely review the St. Regis before booking at Acqualina.

Completely agree with this members comments. We recently experience a phenomenol 4 day/night stay at this resort. We were upgraded to a deluxe oceanfront 1 bedroom suite on the 17th floor similarly finished to the 2 bedroom. Service was effusive and impeccable with little details like recalling my preferred unique tea being stocked in the kitchen and served at breakfast with no mention on my part; a tube of toothpaste left discretely on the bath counter next to our nearly depleted one. All staff remembered and called us by our names at the bars, beach, spa and restaurants - without prompting. The beach area is very clean and the staff does its best to keep it private, even tho it is technically public. It is a family friendly resort but the resort has areas specifically focused towards children and families and others specifically for adults only. Food at all the restaurants was very good with the kitchen staff amiable to modifying dishes if necessary. Excellent bar and wine list! The AH benefits - particulary the daily spa credit -is an excellent incentive to visit this exquisite place.

We stayed at the Acqualina for a month in a two-bedroom oceanfront suite, and had every opportunity to find flaws. There are very few. This is a superb resort and makes you feel like you have a luxury beachfront home with an attentive and caring staff. The layout and furnishings of our unit were wonderful. The decor is very "Tom Pheasant" (the "beige and white" designer with a Baker Furniture line), with lots of architectural details like raised wall panels and large crown mouldings, and art that is not "hotel art." Marble floors throughout, and a deluxe and spacious kitchen (Wolf stove, Viking frig, Asko dishwasher, Espresso machine) with dining table opposite a bay window. The large oceanfront terrace with Brown Jordan patio furtniture completes the layout. The luxurious experience of having your own beach resort home is completed with full maid service (including turndown and kitchen clean-up, which means never having to wash any dishes) and all the resort amenities -- four pools, large fitness facility and excellent spa. The only flaw is with the valet parking (which is required, as self-parking is not permitted). Twice the valet forgot to deliver groceries, meaning we had to call to ask where they were. (Once they were in trunk in the car parked in the garage, despite requesting delivery when the car arrived and was turned over to the valet. Not so good for the frozen food.) The staff was very apologetic, including delivering a basket of pastries to apologies. Still... But that is a minor complaint compared to the lavish praise we have for this resort.