The new 6,000-square-foot spa at Rancho Santana, The Spa in El Bosque, should be reason enough to book your trip. Complete with treetop treatment cabanas, nature paths, a plunge pool, outdoor rain showers and a stunning breezeway made of local materials, your self-care moment can be blasted into the next stratosphere.
The secluded resort, located on one of the finest stretches of the Emerald Coast, has opportunities for you to stay in larger, villa-like properties. Called The Ocean View Homes, they’re ideal for sharing with family or friends; there are also boutique hotel accommodations at The Inn and casita-style lodging tucked into a lush garden. All are located just steps from the beaches of Playa Santana, which is just one of—count ’em—five beaches available for guest use on the property. Rancho’s pool is also paradise: Appearing to be connected to the sea itself, it has a water fountain at its center and large cabana-style chairs surrounding it so you can listen to the waves crash after you’ve taken a dip.
In Granada, a colonial Spanish city filled with architecture in varying bright yellow, green and blue hues, a New York City restaurateur has opened shop to offer its guests a city-by-the-sea experience. The trendy Tribal Hotel is a design lover’s dream where large palm trees and other plant life, patterns, warm textures and woodwork by local artisans seem to surround you at each turn. The pool? Sickening—with tiles that are noticeably referential to Copacabana Beach in Rio.
The boutique property is also host to many communal spaces and relaxation nooks, and when you finally need some alone time, you can head into the large, light-filled guest rooms and villas. Each sanctuary is unique, but many are filled with crisp white linens juxtaposed by wild geometric patterns, bull horns and pendant lights.