Glorious Summer Retreats

Biltmore Hotel: Coral Gables, Florida

Who should go?  Chic-seekers. And lovers of architecture and design. We like to go with the flow of romance and leave the kids at home. The price tag for the glamour starts at $159 at this time of year.

What star might we see today? There’s a buzz around the halls of this elegant hotel, part Mediterranean-inspired villa, part playground for faces you might just recognize. There’s little pretense, but you can see how today’s stars can feel just as glamorous as yesterday’s. (Bing Crosby and Judy Garland used to frequent.) The big bonus is that we feel right in the swing of Biltmore life too.

Comfortable with a white-and-creaminterior, our guest room looks out to the pool (other options are views of the golf course and the manicured landscape of Coral Gables). You’ll definitely want to take a dip in the largest hotel pool in the country. We plunge into a bit of privacy, splurging for the cabana shrouded by leafy palms, hibiscus, and bougainvillea for an extra $150 a day.

So far the stay has been sheer elegance. The zen continues on the Biltmore’s 18-hole golf course, designed by Donald Ross. After that, we rejuvenate in the Chardonnay or eucalyptus baths at the Biltmore spa. We prolong that Chardonnay mood over dinner in the swank Palme d’Or Restaurant, an upper-crust coat-and-tie affair you’ll talk about long after the last morsel.

At Sunday brunch, we make more memories by visiting each of the eight food stations to the beat of a finger-snapping jazz ensemble. There may be stars all around us―but, honestly, we’re so busy feeling like stars ourselves that we totally forget to look.

The Biltmore: 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134; www.biltmorehotel.com or (305) 445-1926.