The Boca Raton began in 1926 as Addison Mizner's Cloister Inn, a Mediterranean Revival fantasy of pink stucco, courtyards and arcades, and a century later it is a sprawling resort of five distinct hotels across some 200 waterfront acres on Lake Boca and the ocean, about forty minutes north of Fort Lauderdale. Guests choose their base: the historic Cloister, with 294 rooms, for Mizner's architecture; the 27-storey Tower for views over the lake and Intracoastal; the adults-only, 112-suite Yacht Club, with butler service, for a quieter luxury stay; the 58 two-bedroom Bungalows, with full kitchens and their own pool, for longer visits; and the 210-room Beach Club for the sand. Everything is shared, and there is a lot of it: half a mile of private beach, eight pools including the Harborside Pool Club, a 450-foot lazy river, more than fifteen restaurants and bars, golf, tennis and pickleball, a marina with boating and water sports, and Spa Palmera, a 50,000-square-foot spa inspired by Spain's Alhambra, with Forbes Five-Star recognition. Resort transport links the lakeside campus with the Beach Club across the Intracoastal. The resort is a membership club as well as a hotel, so some facilities favour members at peak times, and the scale means a stay can feel like a small city. For a splurge week, a multigenerational holiday or a romantic Yacht Club escape, it is the grandest resort within an easy drive of Fort Lauderdale.
Mizner's original buildings are the soul of the place, with cloistered walkways, antique-filled lobbies and garden courtyards that feel nothing like the beach towers to the south. The later additions supply the modern resort amenities, and the Beach Club gives the sand-and-pool experience without leaving the property. Since MSD Partners and Northview acquired the resort in 2019, a $200 million reimagination has remade much of it: Rockwell Group designed Sadelle's, Major Food Group's breakfast and lunch room beside the Cloister lobby, and the lakefront Palm Court cocktail lounge; the Beach Club reopened with Marisol, an indoor-outdoor Mediterranean restaurant, and Onda on the sand; and Flybridge, the fine-dining room for Yacht Club guests, looks over the Atlantic.
The resort now promotes four Forbes Five-Star ratings, for the Beach Club, the Yacht Club, Spa Palmera and Flybridge.
Booking craft
Choose the hotel by trip type rather than price alone; the Yacht Club suits couples, the Beach Club suits families who want the ocean, the Cloister suits history lovers. Reserve spa treatments and popular restaurants when you book. Families should base their days at the four-acre Harborside Pool Club, with three pools, water slides, the 450-foot floating river, cabanas with butler service and the Banyan Bunch kids club, while the 32-slip marina handles boating outings.
Practicals
501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton; about forty minutes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport and closer to Boca's Brightline station; resort fees apply. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is a short drive up the barrier island.
Why stay here
- ✓Half a mile of private beach
- ✓Eight pools and a lazy river
- ✓Spa Palmera, Forbes Five-Star
- ✓Five hotels including adults-only Yacht Club
- ✓Historic Mizner Cloister
- ✓Golf, tennis and pickleball
- ✓Marina and water sports
- ✓More than fifteen restaurants and bars
Good questions
Which of the five hotels should I choose?+
The Yacht Club for adults-only luxury, the Beach Club for families who want the ocean, the Cloister for Mizner's historic architecture, the Tower for lake views and the Bungalows for long stays.
How far is it from Fort Lauderdale?+
About forty minutes north by car, in Boca Raton. Boca Raton's Brightline station also makes the train a practical option from Fort Lauderdale or Miami.
Is the beach private?+
Yes. The resort has about half a mile of private beach at its Beach Club across the Intracoastal from the main campus. The Beach Club has its own three pools, Onda on the sand, and water activities from surfing to pedal kayaks.
