AAA Four-Diamond Resort with Four Pools and a Massive Spa

The Bonaventure Resort & Spa sprawls across 23 meticulously landscaped acres in southeastern Florida. As you stroll the resort grounds, you’ll pass groves of palm trees, waterfalls that empty into lagoons, and ponds filled with koi fish and the occasional swan. Towering palms and a thatched-roof tiki bar surround the resort’s main outdoor pool, where a one-story waterfall spills over a stony ledge and trickles into the pool.

Your $25 dining credit is valid for food and drinks at the poolside Cabana Bar and Café as well as the casual Banyan Restaurant, which serves up dishes such as shrimp pesto ($18) and new york strip steak ($25). At the end of the day, you’ll retire to a modern guest room equipped with a 32-inch flat-screen TV and iHome docking station.

Be sure to check out the 48,000-square-foot spa, where you can meditate in the zen garden, attend a fitness class, or retreat to the steam room. Pampering services include massages ($75+), facials ($75+), and moisturizing manicures ($25). Less than 1 mile from the resort, you can tee off on one of the two PGA championship golf courses at Bonaventure Country Club.

Weston, Florida: Wealthy Suburb near Miami and Everglades National Park

The affluent community of Weston—ranked 1 of the top 100 best places to live by Money magazine in 2008—is part of the greater Miami Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area. Though Weston neighbors the swampy marshes and grassy plains of the Everglades, you’ll have to travel about 50 miles south to enter the national park itself. It’s worth a visit just to see some of the animals that live in this protected wildlife habitat, including sea turtles, west indian manatees, American crocodiles, and endangered Florida panthers. You can go hiking along boardwalk paths or cruise through lagoons on an airboat for an even closer view.

The beaches of Fort Lauderdale lie 20 miles to the east of the resort. Here you can stake out a sunbathing spot along 7 miles of sandy beachfront near shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafés. Visit the grounds of the historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens to see five distinct ecosystems in one place. Mangrove wetlands, maritime forest, and the Atlantic Ocean shoreline are all within walking distance of one another.

About 35 miles southeast of the resort, you’ll find Miami’s legendary South Beach—home to Lummus Park, which Frommer's calls Miami's "best beach for people-watching." Though the bleached sand and curving palms are gorgeous, they're almost overshadowed by the chiseled beach-goers dotting the sand. From here, a wood-slat boardwalk runs all the way up to North Beach, attracting joggers and roller bladers.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.