st. regis longboat key, florida

the ideal day at st. regis longboat key

breakfast: I love that breakfast goes until 11 - nothing is a buzzkill more on vacation than having to get out of bed by 9 in order to eat! Breakfast is served at the Riva restaurant, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The pastel mid-century modern decor is very aesthetically pleasing and everything we tried was tasty. The servers were attentive and friendly; it's a full table-service meal, no buffet. If you book through me breakfast is included, or if you have Marriott Platinum or higher status and choose breakfast as your "welcome amenity" and you receive a $50 credit per guest.

morning: After breakfast, head out to the pool to grab a chaise. It seems the chairs next to the lazy river were a hot commodity; there were 30-40 rooms occupied the day we arrived, and almost every chaise by the lazy river was taken. There were plenty of seats available by the pool, but I do wonder if the full 168 room capacity would feel crowded. They do rent out cabanas for an additional cost; they don't look any better than the standard chaises, but maybe once capacity is higher, it might be the best way to secure a lazy river seat without arriving early.

When you arrive, the pool staff will escort you with complimentary cold water bottles, and chat a bit while they set up your towels: one designed to attach over the padded chaise, and another to dry yourself off. If you are staying with children, they'll get a little gift on their first day: a cute St. Regis branded bucket full of some sand and water toys. I loved this little touch! They let us take one home to our daughter :) The lazy river was absolutely the highlight for us. At first glance I thought it looked a bit small, but once you were on it, it took longer to go around than expected. (About 8 minutes.) There are no requirements to have a tube, and we walked and swam through it as well which was nice.

afternoon: The servers from Aura come to your chaises to take your order and can be requested via a handy button. (But honestly I miss the chair flags from my childhood - they were still working on the tech kinks on the buttons back in week 2.) You can also call the pool staff for more towels and waters with a separate button. We ordered poke bowls and tacos from Aura for lunch which were quite tasty. The poolside dining setup was top notch - each plate came in a large tray, so you could set it on your chaise without worrying about it tipping over. I was also impressed that the pool staff came over with fresh cold water immediately after our food arrived, which was a great touch! I'm usually disappointed when I order beautiful tropical cocktails, but I loved mine.

After lunch, take a dip in the ocean. Granted we were there at the end of summer, but the water was shockingly warm! They have chaises on the beach with attendants as well, but we felt very safe leaving our belongings at our pool chairs and just traipsing out. The ocean was incredibly close to the pool, so it was easier to pick the non-sandy pool chairs, and just pop back and forth. It would be nice to set up on the beach as well another day! I was surprised we only saw one or two people sitting out there either day; I thought it would've been a hot spot especially for families. I imagine once more rooms open, the overflow will result in more people sitting on the beach. There's a long pier and we enjoyed strolling to the end and watching the waves crash into it. Don't miss the refreshing foot-washing mist machine to blast off the sand before you step back into the pool area - a lovely touch!

During the heat of the day, head back to the room for a shower and a nap, or to the spa for a treatment. I was disappointed the spa facilities such as the "vitality pool" were not open to hotel guests, only those getting treatments. (Another reason I prefer smaller properties that tend to make the spa a part of the amenities.)

evening: You have a few options for cocktail hour, but I think the best choice depends on the season. Around six, I thought it was too hot to sit outside clothed. We planned to have a drink at the Monkey Bar, but the late day sun was streaming into our eyes and it was a little stifling, so we ended up taking our drinks to go and doing a few laps of the lazy river. I was very surprised that the pool staff and Aura servers are done at 6pm. (Pool closes at "dusk".) That said, we didn't mind sourcing our own towels, so it was fun to have the whole pool area to ourselves! An alternate would've been having drinks in the air conditioned St. Regis bar which opens at 4pm. (Food served until 10, drinks until midnight.)

For sunset, either enjoy in your room if you have one with a view, or head to Oshen. (The concept graphics they're using on the website shows large ceiling fans, but there weren't any, so we thought it would be too hot.) Once the sun set and it cooled down a bit, we head there for dinner there instead. We were really looking forward to it when we heard the food was "Japanese Peruvian", but we were disappointed in the food.There was minimal selection, and a handful of the sushi dishes tasted fishy. Even though I'd never think my taste would be impacted by visuals, after dusk all properties in the area are required to use only orange light to not disorient nesting turtles. So great it's a law! But not great for eating sushi - it made it all look a similar shade of yellow/gray, so it's  possible the quality was better than I felt in the moment and my taste was skewed by the lights/appearance. 

So, learn from my mistakes and enjoy your second cocktail and an app or two at Oshen, then head to Riva Italian or CW Prime for dinner. CW is a fancy steak and seafood restaurant. End the day back on your balcony with a drink from the "honor bar" (aka the mini bar - but they do have the weighted auto-charges, so I guess it's an honor bar in catchy name only - double check your bill!)

Read on for more details on deciding between the St. Regis and the other high end Marriott property in Sarasota, the Ritz, and about the value for booking this property with points.