Taking it easy in Florida

While some of us like our holidays brimming with action and adrenalin, many simply want to crash out and recharge the proverbial batteries. Here's a guide to Florida with just that aim in mind: it's low on energy and high on relaxation.

Exclusivity and vintage style at Palm Beach

Palm Beach is the perfect spot for pampering. Treat yourself at Donald Trump's super-exclusive Mar-a-Lago spa and crash out on the city's snow-white beach for the ultimate stress-free day. Where to eat? Dine at the iconic Breakers hotel to round off a visit in vintage style.

Palm beach is a 50 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale.

Pamper yourself at Delray Beach

The admirable Delray Beach is a more grounded seaside area, but is just as handsome as its northern neighbour. Eat lunch in a bistro on Atlantic Avenue, then journey to Boca Raton's leafy, pink-coloured Resort & Club and its swish Spa Palazzo, where a Caviar Facial, complete with ritual bath, is the signature treatment.

Delray Beach is a 30 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale.

Boat rides and BBQs in Greater Fort Lauderdale

Greater Fort Lauderdale, nicknamed the Venice of America, has over 300 miles of navigable waterways, and is lined with numerous fresh-fish eateries. Evenings should be spent taking a dinner cruise up New River on the Jungle Queen riverboat, with tasty BBQ food and a spectacular watery sunset among the attractions.

Discover more about Greater Fort Lauderdale

Gaze over the Gulf at Fort Myers

Soak in the sun at Fort Myers Beach, a stretch of coastline with an abundance of fun attractions. Boasting a splendid sandy, wide and flat beachfront, Fort Myers Beach is a great spot to kick back at one of the many restaurants along the shoreline, while taking a sobering look over the Gulf of Mexico. Not far south is Lovers Key - the perfect spot for a romantic stroll in the sun.

Discover more about The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

Visit the Florida Keys

Drive through South Florida's sprawling swamps to reach Key Largo, the biggest and first of the Florida Keys. If driving sounds like too much hard work, take a glass-bottom boat tour above the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park's wrecks and vivid sealife, instead. A visit to Key Largo would be incomplete without a sunset snorkel cruise.

Marathon, marinas and meditation at Florida Keys

The Keys are traversed using the spectacular 'Overseas Highway'. Zoom along this scenic engineering marvel all the way to Marathon, from where sunset Ananda yoga cruises depart, using comfy catamarans, each evening. Other must-do activities include fishing for tuna, stretching out on Sombrero Beach and ambling around the community's charming Marina.

Go west from Florida Keys

The final Key is the famous Key West, the USA's southernmost point. After you've sampled one of the many beaches, take a sunset cruise or head even further west, riding a ferry to the Dry Tortugas, an island chain 70 miles away. There you'll find more pristine beaches, plus mangroves and the never-completed, distinctly eerie Fort Jefferson.

The Florida Keys are a one hour drive from Miami.

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