Forbes released its 2017 star ratings with Florida landing eight hotels, five spas and two restaurants with the top five-star rating.
Two of those properties are new to the top rating, the Faena Hotel Miami Beach and Palm Beach Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach.
The Faena Hotel opened in the remains of the gutted Saxony Hotel in late 2015.
The Palm Beach Spa is up from its four-star rating in 2016. It now joins the whimsical Eau Spa in the five-star club.
All of the top-rated properties were either in Miami, Naples or Palm Beach county. The state saw many more four-star properties, landing 23 hotels, 16 spas and 13 restaurants on that list. Another accolade handed out is simply called, “recommended,” and the state had another eight hotels and six restaurants achieving that award.
In total, Florida has 44 rated hotels, 21 spas and 26 restaurants achieving recognition in this year’s awards with properties in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach,the Florida Keys, Orlando, Amelia Island, Naples, Sarasota, Tampa and the Panhandle.
New to the four-star ratings this year include two Miami restaurants, Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann and Pao by Paul Qui. Also achieving a four-star rating for thefirst time is the Tierra Santa Healing House in Miami.
New to the recommended rating this year is The Marker Waterfront Resort in the Keys and The Miami Beach Edition hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton brand led the way with 10 hotels listed followed by Four Seasons with three. One of those, the Four Season Resort at Walt Disney World was the only hotel on theme-park property to make the list, although Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort maintained its four-star rating.
Here is the complete list of rated properties by region:
Amelia Island
Four-Star hotels
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Four-Star spas
The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Amelia Island
Gulf Coast
Four-Star hotels
The Pearl Hotel
WaterColor Inn & Resort
Four-Star restaurants
Fish Out of Water
Recommended hotels
The Gasparilla Inn & Club
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa
Recommended restaurants
Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood
Florida Keys
Recommended hotels
Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
The Marker Waterfront Resort (New rating for 2017)
The Reach, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Southernmost Beach Resort
Fort Lauderdale
Four-Star hotels
The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale
Four-Star spas
Waldorf Astoria Spa at Boca Raton Resort & Club
Jacksonville
Four-Star hotels
One Ocean Resort & Spa
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club
Four-Star spas
Spa at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club
Spa One Ocean
Recommended restaurants
Azurea
Miami
Five-Star hotels
Acqualina Resort & Spa
Faena Hotel Miami Beach (New rating for 2017)
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
The Setai, Miami Beach
The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort
Five-Star restaurants
Azul
NAOE
Five-Star spas
Acqualina Spa by ESPA
Remede Spa Bal Harbour
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami
Four-Star hotels
The Betsy – South Beach
The Biltmore
Four Seasons Hotel Miami
Lowes Miami Beach Hotel
The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami
The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami
The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Miami
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach
Trump International Beach Resort
Trump National Doral Miami
Four-Star restaurants
Hakkasan Miami
J&G Grill Miami
Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann (New rating for 2017)
Palme d’Or
Pao by Paul Qui (New rating for 2017)
The Restaurant
Scarpetta Miami Beach
Four-Star spas
The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami
Aquanox Spa
Lapis The Spa at Fountainebleau
The Ritz-Carlton Spa Key Biscayne
The Ritz-Carlton Spa South Beach
The Spa at The Setai
Tierra Santa Healing House (New rating for 2017)
Recommended hotels
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
The Miami Beach Edition (New rating for 2017)
Turnberry Isle Miami
Recommended restaurants
Bourbon Steak, Miami by Michael Mina
Cioppino
Mulino New York
Naples
Five-Star hotels
The Ritz-Carlton Naples
Four-Star hotels
Inn on Fifth and Club Level Suites
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort Naples
Four-Star restaurants
The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton Naples
Four-Star spas
The Ritz-Carlton Spa Naples
Orlando
Four-Star hotels
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes
Villas of Grand Cypress
Four-Star restaurants
Nine18
Victoria and Albert’s
Four-Star spas
Relâche Spa & Salon
The Ritz-Carlton Spa Orlando Grande Lakes
The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
Recommended hotels
Hyatt Regency Orlando
Reunion Resort, A Salamander Resort
Recommended restaurants
Capa
Palm Beach
Five-Star hotels
Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach
Five-Star spas
Eau Spa
Palm Beach Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach (New rating for 2017)
Four-Star hotels
The Breakers Palm Beach
Four-Star restaurants
Café Boulud Palm Beach
Jové Kitchen & Bar
Sarasota
Four-Star hotels
The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
Four-Star spas
The Members Spa Club, The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
Tampa
Recommended hotels
Innisbrook, A Salamander Resort
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