Luxury Florida holidays work best when you pick the right base first and the hotel second. Orlando, Miami Beach, the Gulf Coast, Palm Beach and the Keys each suit a different kind of trip, and the top hotels in one region have little in common with those in the next. This guide covers where to stay, how to combine two regions, when to travel from the UK and what adds to the bill once you land.
Quick answer
Floridaโs luxury bases are the Disney-area and Grande Lakes resorts in Orlando, Miami Beach, the Gulf Coast, Palm Beach and the Keys. Packages with return flights start from ยฃ979pp for 7 nights in an Orlando pool villa, and from ยฃ2,219pp for 10 nights in Miami and Key West, based on two sharing. Every package is ATOL 10713 protected.
- Flight time from London
- 9 to 10 hours direct.
- Entry for UK passports
- ESTA or US visa, passport valid for the whole stay.
- Dry season
- November to April.
- Hurricane season
- 1 June to 30 November.
- Time difference
- 5 hours behind the UK (Eastern Time).
- Currency
- US dollar.
Where are the best places for luxury Florida holidays?
Florida is a long state. Key West sits closer to Havana than to Orlando, so each region below is a separate base with its own airport, not a day trip from the next one.
| Region | Best for | Where the top hotels cluster | Gateway airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando resorts | Families and golfers combining theme parks with a full-service resort | Walt Disney World area (Lake Buena Vista, Bonnet Creek) and Grande Lakes | Orlando International (MCO). |
| Miami Beach and Key Biscayne | Couples, design hotels, beach clubs, restaurants and shopping | South Beach, Mid-Beach, Bal Harbour and Key Biscayne | Miami International (MIA). |
| Gulf Coast | Calm water, sunsets over the sea, slower beach days | Clearwater Beach, Siesta Key near Sarasota, Naples | Tampa (TPA) or Fort Myers (RSW) for Naples. |
| Palm Beach | Old-money resort style, golf and shopping on Worth Avenue | Palm Beach island, led by The Breakers | Palm Beach International (PBI). |
| Florida Keys | Adults, fishing, snorkelling and small island resorts | Islamorada, Little Torch Key and Key West | Miami (MIA), then by road, or Key West (EYW). |
A first Florida trip usually needs Orlando plus one coast. If you have already done the parks, two coastal regions make a better pairing, such as Miami Beach with the Keys, or Clearwater with Naples.
Best 5-star hotels in Orlando
Orlandoโs top hotels are full resorts with their own golf, spa and pools, so a day off from the parks is still a full day.
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
The Four Seasons sits inside the Disney resort area and runs complimentary transport to all four Disney parks. Its family pool has a lazy river and water slides, with a separate adults-only pool for couples and older teenagers. The on-site golf course and spa mean non-park days need no car at all.
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
The Waldorf Astoria has 502 rooms, 171 of them suites, set in the 482-acre Bonnet Creek preserve. A property-wide renovation finished in December 2023 covered every room, the spa and the Bull & Bear steakhouse. Its Rees Jones-designed 18-hole course was restored to a par 72, 7,000-yard layout at the same time.
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
The Ritz-Carlton shares a 500-acre estate with a sister JW Marriott hotel, a few minutesโ drive from SeaWorld. Its Greg Norman-designed 18-hole course and 40,000 sq ft spa suit couples and golfers. Disney-focused families should note it sits outside the Disney transport network.
Families who plan to spend most days at Universal should look at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel instead. It sits on the Universal resort itself, linked to the parks by water taxi and a walking path. For park-by-park strategy and ride-height advice, read our guide to planning Orlando with children.
Luxury Miami or luxury Orlando: which is right for you?
Choose Orlando when the parks are the reason for the trip and you want the resort to take care of transport. Choose Miami when the holiday is about the beach, restaurants, art and nightlife. A hotel in Miami earns its rate from its location on the sand or the bay, not from waterslides.
Miamiโs top hotels split into three styles:
- The Setai, Miami Beach: on Collins Avenue in South Beach, a short walk from the Art Deco Historic District, directly on the beach.
- Faena Hotel Miami Beach: in Mid-Beach, the centrepiece of the Faena District, with its own theatre, spa and beach.
- The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne: across the Rickenbacker Causeway on a quieter island, better for families who want Miami without South Beach crowds.
From any of them, the Wynwood Walls street-art district, the Bal Harbour Shops and a day in Everglades National Park are all reachable by car or private transfer. Miami works as a three- or four-night stay at the start or end of a longer trip, as well as a holiday on its own.
How do you plan a Florida twin-centre holiday?
Florida twin centre holidays make sense because the regions are so different. The split that works depends on what each base is for, and on how you travel between them.
| Pairing | Suggested split | Getting between them |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Beach and Orlando | 3 or 4 nights Miami first, then Orlando for the parks | About 3 hours by car, or a short domestic flight. |
| Orlando and the Gulf Coast | Parks first, then 4 to 7 nights on the beach to recover | Tampa is about 90 minutes from the parks by road. |
| Miami and the Keys | 2 or 3 nights Miami, then the rest split between Islamorada and Key West | The 113-mile Overseas Highway, crossing 42 bridges. |
| New York and Florida | 3 or 4 nights in Manhattan, then Orlando or Miami | Open-jaw flights: into New York, home from Florida, with a domestic flight between. |
Starting in Miami and ending in Orlando puts the busiest days early, while jet lag still wakes you at dawn for park opening. Ending on a beach instead gives you a quiet final few days before the overnight flight home. Our Miami and Key West holiday is already built as a two-base trip with flights. For pairings beyond Florida, including the Caribbean, compare our pick of twin centre holidays.
Is a villa better than a hotel for a luxury Orlando holiday?
A villa is better for groups of six or more, and for families who want a private pool, a kitchen and separate bedrooms for grandparents. A hotel is better for couples and small families who want restaurants, a spa and park transport without driving. Villa communities such as Reunion and ChampionsGate sit south-west of Disney, so every park day starts with a drive. Our Orlando villa holidays use a four-bedroom private-pool villa at Highlands Reserve in Davenport.
Adding the Florida Keys or the Gulf Coast
The Florida Keys
The Keys suit adults who want small hotels and time on the water. Little Palm Island, off Little Torch Key, is adults-only (18 and over) with 30 thatched bungalow suites. There is no road access, so guests arrive by the resortโs boat or by seaplane. Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada is the more practical choice: an oceanfront resort on the Overseas Highway, about halfway between Miami and Key West.
Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo often appears on luxury lists but is a private club. Staying there requires sponsorship by a member, so it cannot be booked like a normal hotel.
The Gulf Coast
The Gulf side faces west, so sunsets are over the sea, and the water is usually calmer than the Atlantic surf of Miami. Siesta Key near Sarasota has fine, almost pure quartz sand. Clearwater Beach is the easiest add-on from Orlando. Naples is the most polished of the three, with galleries and restaurants along Fifth Avenue South and The Ritz-Carlton Naples on the beach.
When is the best time for a luxury Florida holiday?
The best month depends on your base. Mid-winter favours the south: in January, Miami averages highs of 25ยฐC and lows of 16ยฐC. Orlando averages 22ยฐC by day and 10ยฐC at night, cool enough for a jacket after dark. By April, both cities average highs of about 29ยฐC.
Three periods cost more and fill up first: Christmas and New Year, the February half-term week and Easter. Late April and early May are a strong alternative, as UK school terms are back and the summer rain has not yet started.
June to September is hot and wet. Orlando averages 33ยฐC highs in July, and June brings more than four times Novemberโs rainfall. Orlando still works in summer if you plan park time for the morning. For beach time in August, other luxury holiday destinations from the UK have more reliable weather.
How much does a luxury Florida holiday cost from the UK?
The package price depends mostly on three things: your cabin, your dates and your room. Moving from Economy to Business Class is usually the biggest single change to the price. School holidays lift both flight and room rates. A suite or a club-level room at the resorts named here is priced very differently from their entry rooms.
Some costs are paid in Florida rather than in the package price:
- Parking: resort hotels usually charge per night for self-parking or valet, on top of car hire.
- Park tickets: not included unless a package says so. Lightning Lane passes at Disney are an extra charge.
- Tipping: restaurant service is not included in US menu prices, and tips are expected for waiting staff, valets and housekeeping.
How to book a luxury Florida holiday from the UK
Booking flights, hotels and car hire as one package means a single contract and ATOL protection if anything fails. SuperDestinations was established in 2006 and is an IATA member. A consultant can build a multi-region trip around your dates, then price it against our ready-made Florida holidays.
