Location: South Florida
Designers: Rockwell Group
Visual Identity: King & Partners
On Offer: Originally designed by architect Addison Mizner—often credited with establishing the style of South Florida’s mansions and villas with arched windows, spiraling marble columns, and flowing indoor-outdoor floor plans—the Boca Raton is ready for another run thanks to a $200-million-dollar makeover and a dream team of collaborators. Located on 200-waterfront acres, the aging relic has been reimagined into a sprawling complex encompassing five hotels, two golf courses, four Major Food Group restaurants, and a massive Alhambra-inspired spa designed by Colin Cowie.
The options to stay include the renovated 1920’s Spanish Colonial gem, Cloister; all-suite and adults-only Yacht Club overlooking Lake Boca; midcentury-style Bungalows; oceanfront Beach Club; and Tower, a landmark building coming off a $45-million refresh, whose exterior’s strawberry-lemonade hue connects the property’s past with the present.
Standout Features: “We wanted to provide a fresh point of view while also animating the hotel’s original vision by Addison Mizner nearly 100 years later,” says Shawn Sullivan, partner and studio leader at Rockwell Group. “Each space has its own essence, but subtle, connecting threads tie back to Mizner’s Mediterranean Revival design style.” The firm’s approach is on display at the cluster of Major Food Group restaurants. The white tablecloth Flamingo Grill flaunts flora-and-fauna motifs, a vintage Murano glass chandelier, and hand-painted tile mural of the chophouse’s namesake bird. The theatrical setting is the backdrop for a decadent menu highlighted by prime rib with au jus, dijon mustard and horseradish cream, and banana splits flambéed tableside by servers clad in pink jackets.
In Cloister, the Palm Court lobby bar has been returned to its former grandeur with soaring windows, a spillover terrace showcasing coastal views, and live Bossa Nova jazz bands at night. “We stripped away remnants of previous renovations to re-center the Palm Court as the heart of the property,” Sullivan says. “Embracing Mizner’s design ideals, our goal was to create an indoor-outdoor lounge that restores the original courtyard experience.”
New York favorite Sadelle’s has set up shop in the former garden room, where the delicatessen’s beloved brunch hits—bagel towers, sliced-to-order salmon and sturgeon, matzo ball soup—are turned out in a tropical-accented space with lofty beamed ceilings. Coming this spring: Principessa Ristorante, an Italian trattoria that brings Lake Como to Boca with a sage green pergola, vintage-inspired cast-iron furnishings, Valence-style umbrellas, and a statement tapestry by artist Tamsen Hall that puts a playful spin on classic Roman paintings, the result of a partnership with Saatchi Art.
