The Pearl Hotel, Rosemary Beach

Character and identity

Anchoring the trendy planned town of Rosemary Beach at the end of Scenic Highway 30A, The Pearl is a 55-room boutique property that opened in 2013 as the area's first hotel. The West Indies-inspired architecture, with black and white-striped awnings, a clock tower and turrets, gives way to contemporary coastal interiors. A wooden bridge leads to a private strip of Gulf-front sand with chairs and oversized umbrellas, and two adults-only sloping pools sit on tiered decks. Havana Beach Bar & Grill handles the serious cooking and piano-bar evenings (look for the 1938 Sinatra mug shot above the bar), and rooms come stocked with Pearl Bliss toiletries from a local shop.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The appeal here is really about location: a jewel-box hotel embedded in the most charming stretch of 30A, with a private beach, two adults-only pools and Havana Beach handling dinner and drinks. Book a Gulf-view room for the balcony, come as a couple or with older kids, and aim for shoulder season (late spring or September) when rates ease and the beach stays warm.