By Sade Awe, Creative Director, The Bridal Circle

I will be the first to admit up front: I love to travel, and I love to stay at beautiful, fancy hotels. In fact, the fancier the better. I seek out hotels that feel like the heavens part when I walk through the doors to my suite. From the first moment, I want to be wowed, I want extraordinary, I want LUXURY. Why go for anything ordinary when you can have magic wherever you step? I want to be impressed so that I can shout it from the rooftops that this place is a MUST stay, to encourage bridal couples to consider the resort for their destination wedding or honeymoon, or inspire other travelers to add the hotel to their bucket list… Okay, I’m sure you get the point.

Recently, I was delighted to stay at the luxuriously appointed Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach. Prior to arriving at Acqualina, I spent three solid weeks traveling from one country to another and back again, and then heading straight into a wedding industry conference. {the always inspiring engage!12 luxury wedding summit}.

From the moment I walked through the lobby doors at Acqualina the staff welcomed me with genuine smiles and warm, personalized greetings. From that moment on, the personal attention to detail was beyond impeccable! They escorted me to my sensational suite and as soon as the doors swung open, it happened. I felt the heavens part. My own private sanctuary awaited within those doors, and almost immediately, a sense of peace and tranquility permeated my travel weary bones. The view of the sparkling blue ocean from the living room was the healing balm my soul desperately needed and standing on the balcony truly transported me out of my stress. What more could a girl ask for?

Over the course of my stay, there was nothing that was not thought of or taken care of graciously and elegantly. From their award-winning spa to their delicious restaurants, the resort exceeded my expectations. Acqualina’s food and beverage is not to be missed, from daily breakfast and lunch at Piazetta to dinner at Il Mulino New York every night. I enjoyed every minute of my mini holiday and before the end of the first night I was planning my return trip…

There are 98 hotel rooms en totale, either on the ocean or the intracoastal, 44 are which are posh suites that take your breath away…. and, just this past August, they added a Deluxe three-bedroom oceanfront suite to the collection.

For pampering, the Acqualina Spa by ESPA is AH-MAZING! I could not get enough of it, and certainly, make sure you ask for massage therapist Dekendra James. The spa has won all kinds of international travel awards, including: Spa Finder Readers’ Choice Awards Top Ten Best Spas in the World both for Accommodations and Interior Design 2010, Allure Magazine’s ‘Best Day Spa in Miami’ 2009, Spa Finder Reader’s Choice Awards Top Ten Spa Professional Randy Felstead 2009, One of Conde Nast Traveller’s Top Spas in The Americas and Caribbean 2008, Winner of Six Spa Finder Readers’ Choice Awards 2008, and 4 Star Spa by Mobil Travel Guide.

The resort is a fabulous location for a destination wedding! The beach is perfect for a private wedding ceremony right on the ocean and there are spectacular spaces all over the property for cocktail receptions, dinner dances and after parties.

For a couple getting married, you have to know they think of everything, including children. It’s one of the first luxury hotels that has a dedicated program for children. Acqualina has a Fodor’s Choice Gold Award as one of the Best Hotels for Kids and Families in the United States, Acqualina has now made it’s children’s marine biology inspired program, AcquaMarine available to hotel guests on a complimentary basis.

In keeping with this family resort’s water theme, Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach has created a unique, engaging, children’s program designed especially for children ages 5 to 12 years old. The program is led by certified professionals and is offered exclusively to guests, residents and Beach Club members of our family luxury resort in Florida. Kids get to take part in various beach and aqua adventures while learning about various water-related subjects. Relay races, games, swimming, arts & crafts, eco-explorations, obstacle courses, building projects, trivia challenges, and scavenger hunts are all part of the many exciting children’s activities offered by this exceptional program. I have plans to bring my kids back…

Hotel management is impeccable and award-winning, starting at the top with General Manager Sase Gjorsovski who was just voted hottest GM in the world! While at the resort I had the opportunity to meet with the Vice President Deborah Yaeger Fleming, and have lunch with other dedicated hotel staff members Janelle Barroso, Stephanie Pacay, and Kerry Harter.

Now, having experienced the resort on every level, I know why Acqualina is a favorite amongst brides.  Trust me if you stayed here you would be planning your wedding here too.  For the first time in my travel career did I stay at a hotel for three days and didn’t want to leave the resort. Every morning I woke up, Skyped with the children and then took a long leisurely walk on the beach.  I NEVER do that… I reflected and managed to reconnect with me – thank you Acqualina for everything!