Arriving at Boca Raton Resort & Club in South Florida is an impressive experience. A long driveway lined with swaying palm trees leads guests past fountains and to the entrance of the opulent resort, which opened in 1926 as the Cloister Inn. The then-100-room inn was modeled after a Spanish castle, with Spanish-Mediterranean, Moorish and Gothic influences, and was built by Addison Mizner.
Just two years after its opening, the Cloister Inn was sold and an expansion added more guest rooms, as well as a golf course and Cabana Club on the beach; the inn became a seasonal private club open January through March. Another sale and $8 million in renovations in the 1930s saw the inn change its name to Boca Raton Hotel & Club, and private railroad cars and yachts brought elite guests such as Herbert Hoover and several members of the DuPont family to the tropical destination. When World War II erupted in the 1940s, the U.S. Army purchased the hotel to house its Air Corps trainees. For four years, it was known as “the most elegant barracks in history.”
Fast-forward to today and the entirety of Boca Raton Resort & Club sits on 356 acres in south Palm Beach County, between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The resort can be considered three properties in one: Boca Raton Resort & Club (including the original Cloister Inn, a 27-story tower and The Bungalows), Boca Beach Club (bound by the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Boca Raton and the Intracoastal Waterway), and Yacht Club at the Boca Raton Resort, an exclusive hotel within the resort that makes its debut this month.
In total, Boca Raton Resort & Club has 1,047 guest rooms, including 187 suites, available in five styles of accommodation found throughout the entire resort. The Cloister, the original part of the resort, underwent a $30 million renovation in 2014 and each of the 361 guest rooms are at least 290 square feet. Two hundred and forty-two guest rooms are within the 27-story tower that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway, with panoramic views of the golf course and Atlantic Ocean. For longer stays, The Bungalows features 120 guest rooms or 60 fully furnished one-bedroom apartments along the resort’s historic golf course.
Over at the Beach Club, which underwent $120 million in renovations completed in 2009, 212 custom-designed guest rooms overlook the Atlantic Ocean and the resort’s half-mile of private beach. The Beach Club is accessible from the main resort by complimentary shuttle bus, or a shuttle boat for an on-the-water transfer.
The Yacht Club at the Boca Raton Resort debuts this month and offers an exclusive stay to its guests. All 112 deluxe guest rooms and suites are waterfront on the Intracoastal Waterway and feature private balconies.
Regardless of which accommodations guests choose at Boca Raton Resort & Club, they can enjoy all of the amenities found throughout. In addition to the half-mile of private beach on the Atlantic Ocean, the resort features seven pools, a Surf School, boating and sailing, and South Florida’s first FlowHouse, a dual-sided FlowRider wave simulator for flow and bodyboarding.
Resort guests can keep fit in the resort’s two state-of-the-art fitness centers, or on the 30 tennis courts, 12 of which are lit for nighttime matches. Two championship, 18-hole golf courses, one of which is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, await guests who want to tee off. Bocce ball and croquet courts are also ready to play. Or, relax instead in the 55,000-square-foot Waldorf Astoria Spa, the design for which was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Spain.
Younger guests can attend Mizner’s Quest Club, a daily supervised kids’ club that features a recreational sports deck, rooftop garden and arcade center. Activities kids may enjoy during their stay include yoga, soccer, rock climbing, stuffed animal making, fishing, kite flying, golf, tennis and more.
For those who like to shop, there are plenty of boutiques within the resort. For clothing, browse the designs at Michelle Farmer Collaborate, Alene Too, Boca Breeze, Mizner’s Resort Shop, The Logo Shop, Waldorf Astoria Spa Boutique, and Egg & Friends, an upscale children’s boutique. Art enthusiasts will enjoy all of the works of art on display throughout the resort, curated by Sponder Gallery. Guests can take a self-guided tour, and private tours are available upon request. All of the works of art on display are available for purchase.
There are 13 restaurants and lounges on site. At the main resort, Palm Court offers an expansive breakfast buffet, while Serendipity (a third location of the famous old-fashioned ice cream and candy shop out of Manhattan) has coffee, fresh-pressed juices and quick bites for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even a $1,000 sundae. Choose from Japanese at Morimoto’s Sushi Bar, Italian at Lucca, panoramic views from the 27th-floor The Blue, light bites and drinks at Bar Luna, or poolside tacos at Shaka Bar & Grill. The menu at Spa Cafe at the Waldorf Astoria Spa features healthy and light fare exclusively for spa guests. Mizner’s Monkey Bar is dedicated to founder Addison Mizner’s fascination with monkeys, and has a stellar cocktail menu. Just across from the main resort, 501 East Kitchen and Bar sits on one of the resort’s golf courses and serves creative takes on American classics for lunch and dinner.
For beachfront dining, the Beach Club is just steps from the Atlantic Ocean and the pools. Get grab-and-go eats and drinks from Snack, enjoy elegant dining at SeaGrille, or try small plates and drinks served at the adjacent Ocean Bar.
Of note, the resort and its restaurants and amenities are available exclusively to guests and members.
Browse through the photo gallery above for a look inside Boca Raton Resort & Club, including guest rooms, restaurants, shopping, activities, the beach and more.
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