Serene Beachfront Hotel Offering High-End Dining

Wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway on the tip of Lake Boca Raton, the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel immerses visitors in a landscape of waves, sand, and sun. Yet perched above the beach on one of the hotel’s private balconies, sipping wine and observing the swimsuit set lounging below, visitors may find the call of the sea struggling against the tug of other notions—not all of them aquatic. From ascending to the penthouse restaurant for a savory meal underscored by live music to hopping in the car for a power-shopping excursion at some of Boca’s chic boutiques, the hotel’s location and upscale amenities confront travelers with an array of recreational possibilities.

Inside the hotel, Ocean View rooms, located on floors 6–10, augment their private patios with 37-inch flat-screen televisions, light, bright colors, and thoughtful touches such as bottled water and Italian citrus-essence personal-care products. Swimmers who don’t head for the beach glide instead through the hotel’s heated waterfront pool, breaking for sips under an umbrella's cool shade at the poolside bar. The hotel's fitness center and sauna help maintain beach physiques, and just steps from the hotel, volleyball on the beach among the quiet rows of sunbathers keeps pulses high without the unpleasantness of an attack dog on rocket skates.

The Boca Raton Bridge Hotel’s duo of restaurants helps replenish the energy spent on sunning and swimming. Casual diners nosh alfresco on surf 'n’ turf classics at WaterColors Restaurant & Bar, where cuban sandwiches ($15) and pan-seared Florida grouper ($29) complement the seaside breezes on the tropically bedecked outdoor patio. Perched atop the Bridge Hotel, Carmen’s pairs panoramic vistas of the ocean and waterways with fresh seasonal cuisine conceived by chef Dudley Rich, who has cooked privately for U.S. presidents. The restaurant's windows stretch from the parquet floor to the ceiling, letting in sweeping seaside views, and a grand piano stands ready for live entertainers to tickle the ivories as diners feast on entrees such as peppercorn-crusted swordfish ($28). Both restaurants boast bars and wine lists featuring top-notch South American wines.

Boca Raton, Florida: Oceanside Adventure Mixed with Culture and Commerce

The sparkling beachfront beckons visitors to stroll from the hotel to the shore to prop up beach chairs and lay out on complimentary towels. Jet-ski rentals get adrenaline pumping at the hotel dock, as duos and trios of friends and family members hop onto entry-level waverunners to cruise along the scenic Intracoastal Waterway and ripple across the wavy Atlantic (fees apply, though the hotel offers a 10% discount on jet-ski rentals at the dock). Others pause at the dock to set up shop for an afternoon of deep-sea fishing, but scuba divers and snorkelers get a more dynamic view of the marine life as they drift over rock and reef outcroppings or dive toward wrecks from an ocean inlet.

About 2 miles away from the Bridge Hotel, Mizner Park bundles upscale boutiques with chain stores and a slew of restaurants that double as the crux of Boca Raton's bar scene after nightfall. An adjacent museum and galleries lure travelers away from the gardenlike retail area for artistic explorations at Mizner's Center for the Arts. Here, crowds also gather under the stars around an outdoor amphitheater for music shows. Other theaters in the area bring the drama to performing arts with renditions of both well-loved classics and new plays.