Suites for the Sweet Story by El Don • Photography courtesy of Hyatt Regency Bonaventure

Fort Lauderdale is the new romantic getaway.

Close your eyes and take a mental journey to a warm, golden beach. Take a deep, refreshing breath of sweet ocean air and dig your toes into the sand. Now picture your lush tropical paradise…but with spa treatments and shopping! That, amigas, is the new Fort Lauderdale.

Immortalized in the 1960 film Where the Boys Are starring Connie Francis and George Hamilton, then later the famed destination for Spring Break and birthplace of the very urbane “wet T-shirt contest,” greater Fort Lauderdale is now spiffed up and hailed as the Venice of the U.S. Here is where stylish luxury blends easily with cool and casual—call it “upscale beach chic.”

It would be difficult to find a city with greater contrasts. World-class opera, symphony orchestras and art are only moments away from private alcove waterfront retreats. But from there, you only need venture a few miles in any direction to encounter nature in the raw and wild. Twenty-three miles of pristine beaches stretch along a coast dotted with cozy enclaves of homes, some connected by Fort Lauderdale’s meandering Riverwalk. The palm-lined strand features charming oceanfront cafes that will grill your “fresh catch of the day” to your specifications, should you try your hand at catching your own dinner deep sea fishing or on one of the nearby piers....

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Thanks go to our gracious host, Arlette Arrechavala of Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications, Coral Gables, FL and the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa, 250 Racquet Club Road, Weston, FL, 33326, 800-233-1234, www.bonaventure.hyatt.com. And to Jessica Taylor, Media Relations Director for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visit www.sunny.org. Also see the site of The Spirit of Fort Lauderdale for all your sailing needs at www.tropicalsailing.com.