There’s nothing like arriving to a hotel after a four-hour drive and being greeted luxuriously at check-in by a butler pushing a rambling Champagne cart. “If I must,” I tell the butler, as he fills up my dainty coupe glass with bubbly. Champagne and revelry are integrally weaved into the new St. Regis Longboat Key, from the nightly Champagne sabering ritual that’s distinctive to the St. Regis brand, to pool butlers who will wade into the water in their uniforms to personally deliver a glass to guests. And there’s much reason for celebration: The new hotel is the largest development on quiet Longboat Key in 50 years, and—spoiler alert—a stay here is so good you’ll gather every penny or Marriott point you can scrounge up to return again.
Longboat Key is a barrier island that’s located west of Sarasota and Bradenton, and a smidge less than four hours from Boca Raton. It’s one of those special Florida locales where sunsets are marked nightly, and the private stretch of powdery-soft beach that fronts the 18-acre resort feels like it’s all yours. The hotel makes good use of its U-shaped perch, with guest rooms and glassy social spaces that offer the feeling that you could jump into the Gulf at any time. We stayed in a one-bedroom suite with a stretching waterfront balcony, and it felt more like a glamorous private residence—yet it wasn’t too pretentious, as our dog was welcomed like family.
St. Regis is renowned for its surprise-and-delight butler service, and this property over-delivers with special touches like a bathing suit service where they’ll rinse and dry your bathing suit, and spa attendants will even warm up your spa sandals after a pampering treatment. (It’s a perk you never knew you needed until you slide your feet into what are normally cold sandals.) A standout of the property is the spa, where once again, water takes center stage. While you’ll want to take advantage of amenities such as a cold plunge, snow shower and heated Finnish sauna, the co-ed outdoor vitality pool with individual hydrotherapy pods steals the spa show. Picture lounging in bubbling, warm water with reach-out-and-touch-it views of the Gulf from the glass-enclosed pool. The spa has a rare partnership with luxury skin care brand La Mer, and your face will thank you after treatments like the Genaissance de la Mer. The 90-minute facial with a steep price tag borders on a stimulating massage workout for your face, yet it’s relaxing enough to lull you to sleep. All of that massaging and manipulating left my skin lifted and glowing.
During the day, you’ll be planted on a lounger or in a private cabana with butler service that flanks a collection of pools fit for families or strictly adults, and a winding lazy river framed by lush plantings. As I don’t have children, I normally won’t deviate from adults-only serenity, but I thoroughly enjoyed taking numerous spins around the winding river on a float. There’s even a hidden grotto with a hot tub, where you can push a button to have someone bring you a glass of Dom Perignon. (A glass is $99, so push at your own risk.)
One of the most unique features of the property is the Under the Sea Lagoon, a man-made lagoon and reef where colorful fish and rays big and small glide by glass windows. You can choose from different interactive sea life experiences, and I had the opportunity to snorkel the lagoon and, under guidance from the resort’s resident marine experts, feed the stingrays. You’ll learn much about the local marine life, and the trainers make you feel comfortable while hand-feeding the rays (with a protective glove on), which race over to gobble up the food.
After attending the evening Champagne sabering, you’ll have numerous dining options to choose from. The elevated CW Prime is the place for steaks cooked in the Josper grill, resulting in the perfect char, and indulgent sides like a potato pave, crispy fine layers of potatoes topped with black truffle. At coastal Italian gem Riva, handmade pastas and fresh fish specials are the way to go. Our most memorable dining experience was at Oshen, an al fresco Nikkei restaurant that hovers above the sand and Gulf waters and mingles Peruvian and Japanese flavors. The trick is to snag a reservation before sunset for a coveted front-row seat to the impressive light show at the golden hour.
While there was zero reason for us to leave the property during the weekend stay, the St. Regis is minutes from the shopping and dining of St. Armands Circle and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. I don’t know about you, but I’m staying where the Champagne flows and the butlers cater to every whim.
IF YOU GO
ST. REGIS LONGBOAT KEY
1601 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key
941/231-1000
marriott.com/en-us/hotels/srqls-the-stregis-longboat-keyresort
This story is from the May/June 2025 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
