Florida, beyond the theme parks: The best Florida holidays to take outside of Orlando

Miami: where beach life meets high-octane glamour

Miami holidays are the antidote to the idea that a beach break has to be quiet. Here, the shoreline sets the tone, but it is far from the full story. South Beach remains iconic, framed by candy-coloured lifeguard huts, elegant Art Deco curves and a stretch of sand so bright it feels almost unreal. Yet Miami’s real luxury lies in its ability to shift pace effortlessly, with sunrise walks along the boardwalk giving way to long lunches at design-led cafés and late afternoons drifting between poolside calm and the ocean beyond. Then, of course, comes the neon-streaked nightlife for which the city is known, including colourful Latin influences and everything from low-key local watering holes to some of the country’s glitziest clubs.

When you’re not in the surf, Miami rewards curiosity. The Design District is a glossy playground of fashion, architecture and galleries, while Little Havana brings Cuban heritage to life through coffee, music and lively conversation. It’s this contrast, beachy ease with a cultural heartbeat, that makes Miami holidays feel so complete.

For travellers who value ease as much as indulgence, package holidays to Miami come into their own. They allow you to match the right neighbourhood with the right hotel, layer in private transfers, secure the most sought-after tables and arrive knowing everything has been thoughtfully arranged from the moment you touch down.

Where to stay: The Setai, Miami Beach
A polished, serene sanctuary in the heart of Miami Beach, The Setai is loved for its calm, resort-like feel and unbeatable beachfront address, ideal when you want the best of the city and the sand.

Palm Beach: timeless polish and impeccable sands

Palm Beach is where Florida leans classic. This slender barrier island has long been a retreat for America’s high-society and tastemakers, and that legacy shows in the details: Mediterranean Revival architecture, manicured gardens glimpsed through wrought-iron gates and beaches that feel preserved rather than simply popular. The shoreline is wide and immaculate, framed by palms and landmark estates, with an air of privacy that luxury travellers instinctively recognise.

Beyond the sand, Palm Beach offers a lifestyle that rewards curiosity. Cultural highlights such as the Flagler Museum reveal the island’s gilded past, while Worth Avenue blends international fashion with hidden lanes and courtyard cafés that feel more Riviera than resort town. Golfers are spoilt for choice in the surrounding area, too, with pristine courses shaped by ocean breezes, while yachting, polo and world-class spas add layers to the experience. Palm Beach doesn’t trade in trends; it offers something rarer, a sense of permanence, polish and privilege without ever feeling predictable.

Palm Beach also happens to sit in a part of the state that’s a dream for golfers, where ocean breezes, manicured fairways and year-round sunshine make an early tee time feel like the best kind of ritual.

Where to stay: The Breakers Palm Beach
A Palm Beach legend with grand architecture, a private stretch of beach and an impressive lineup of dining, The Breakers captures the destination’s prestigious, indulgent spirit beautifully.

Anna Maria Island: barefoot luxury on the Gulf Coast

On Florida’s Gulf Coast, Anna Maria Island offers a different definition of luxury, one that’s less about being seen and more about truly switching off. It’s low-rise and quietly characterful, shaped by pastel beach houses, weathered piers and family-run seafood spots that give the island an easy, lived-in charm. The Gulf of Mexico does the rest, delivering calm, clear waters that catch the light beautifully as the sun sinks towards the horizon.

Time spent on Anna Maria Island has a gentle, unforced quality. You might wander between beaches at your own pace, cycle along palm-lined streets or linger on a dock watching pelicans skim the surface. As the day softens, dolphins often appear in the shallows and sunset becomes a shared moment. It’s an atmosphere that encourages presence rather than plans.

Anna Maria Island is ideal for couples and families who want Florida holidays outside Orlando that slow the tempo completely, while still keeping comfort, privacy and a sense of quality firmly front and centre.

Where to stay: Waterline Villas & Marina, Autograph Collection
A stylish waterfront base inspired by coastal living, with spacious villa-style suites and scenic marina views, elevated enough to feel special, relaxed enough to feel like the real Anna Maria.

Sarasota and Longboat Key: culture and coast in quiet conversation

Sarasota and Longboat Key work best when experienced together, offering two distinct moods along the same stretch of the Gulf Coast. Sarasota is the region’s cultural anchor, a city shaped as much by creativity as by coastline. There’s an ease to the city’s confidence, chic without being showy. Its reputation for galleries, performing arts and great dining gives it a sense of substance that goes beyond the beach, appealing to travellers who like their sunshine paired with stimulation.

Just offshore, Longboat Key offers a deliberate shift in tone. Linked by causeway but distinctly removed, the island feels quieter and more contained, designed around the pleasures of resort-style living. Here, the focus narrows to pale sand, calm water and the luxury of having everything you need within easy reach. It’s less about choice and more about release, a place where days are shaped by sea air, spa time and long, uninterrupted hours outdoors. If golf is part of your perfect Florida itinerary, Longboat Key is particularly well-suited, offering championship fairways alongside a polished resort atmosphere where you can tee off in the morning and still be back by the pool before lunch. What more could you ask for?

Where to stay: The Resort at Longboat Key Club
This is the area’s classic five-star beach-and-play address, perfectly positioned to enjoy the best of both worlds. Set directly on Longboat Key’s shoreline, it offers a private stretch of sand, a full-service spa, tennis gardens and exceptional golf, while Sarasota’s cultural highlights remain just minutes away.

The Florida Keys: laid-back luxury at the end of the road

Florida Keys holidays have a special kind of romance. The islands trail away from the mainland like a string of pearls, and with every mile, life gets a little slower. The Keys are made for boat days, bare feet, fresh seafood and sunsets that feel like an event in themselves.

Key Largo and Islamorada are perfect if you want reef adventures, fishing and a more secluded, ocean-facing feel. Key West brings pastel streets, literary history (Hemingway lived and wrote here during the 1930s) and a famously celebratory golden hour, best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand and nowhere else to be.

Where to stay: Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
An ultra-luxe, adult-only private island retreat reached by boat or seaplane, offering true castaway glamour with oceanfront bungalow suites.

Golf holidays in Florida: fairways worth travelling for

One of the advantages of choosing Florida holidays outside Orlando is how effortlessly golf weaves into a beach-led itinerary. Florida is a year-round golfing destination, and many of its most celebrated courses sit just moments from the coast, allowing your days to move easily between fairways and shoreline. In Palm Beach and across South Florida holidays, manicured greens and prestigious clubs sit alongside the Atlantic, while the Gulf Coast offers a softer, more resort-focused experience, where early tee times give way to long, sunlit afternoons by the sea.

This balance is part of what makes Florida such a compelling choice for luxury travellers. Golf doesn’t dominate the day unless you want it to; instead, it enhances it. Tee off in the morning, return to the beach or spa by lunchtime, then let the evening drift towards sunset dinners and waterfront drinks. For those planning package holidays to Miami or exploring the Gulf Coast, it’s easy to add one or two standout rounds without disrupting the relaxed, beachy rhythm of the trip.

Further along the coast, destinations like Naples and Boca Raton slip naturally into this picture. Naples, on the southern Gulf Coast, is manicured and immaculately maintained, with wide beaches, elevated dining and a concentration of world-class golf courses just inland. It’s a destination that suits travellers who appreciate discretion and quality, where mornings on the course transition seamlessly into afternoons on Vanderbilt Beach.

Where to stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Set directly on the sand, this five-star icon blends classic elegance with oceanfront styling, making it an ideal base for combining beach time with some of the region’s finest golf.

On the Atlantic side, Boca Raton offers a natural extension to Palm Beach and Miami holidays. Positioned between the two, it delivers a more resort-forward take on South Florida, pairing golden beaches with championship courses and an easy, sun-drenched lifestyle. It works particularly well as part of a multi-stop itinerary, adding variety without feeling disconnected from the coast-led story.

On the Atlantic side, Boca Raton offers a natural extension to Palm Beach and Miami holidays. Positioned between the two, it delivers a more resort-forward take on South Florida, pairing golden beaches with championship courses and an easy, sun-drenched lifestyle. It works particularly well as part of a multi-stop itinerary, adding variety without feeling disconnected from the coast-led story.

Where to stay: The Boca Raton Beach Club
An oceanfront retreat with access to the wider resort’s pools, dining and leisure facilities, offering a relaxed yet upscale base for beach days, golf mornings and everything in between.

For golfers looking to shape an entire escape around exceptional courses, or simply to elevate a beach holiday with a few memorable rounds, our guide to the top 5 Florida golf courses you just have to tee off on is the perfect place to start.

Florida, reimagined

Choosing Florida for reasons that extend beyond the theme parks is about reclaiming the Sunshine State for grown-up travellers. It’s swapping queues for coastlines, schedules for sea views, and the rush of rides for the slow pleasure of great food, beautiful hotels and time spent outdoors.

Whether your ideal escape is Miami’s oceanfront glamour, Palm Beach’s timeless polish, the gentle Gulf Coast pace of Anna Maria Island and Sarasota, or the castaway luxury of Florida Keys holidays, these Florida holidays outside Orlando prove there’s far more to love, and far more to luxuriate in, than theme parks alone.

If you’re ready to plan your own Florida escape, our travel specialists are here to help. Call us on 0203 816 0985, visit us in our Shenfield store, or enquire online and let us create a tailor-made itinerary that brings together the coast, the courses and the five-star experiences that matter most to you.