The historic pink hotels that grace beaches in Florida and the Caribbean harken back to the palazzos built by wealthy Italian families in the 19th century. When pink crossed over to the New World it was embraced by builders of the 1920s and beyond. Bermuda is a destination that is all about pink; there are pink sand beaches, pink mopeds, pink Bermuda shorts and pink buildings. Here, the pink Fairmont Southampton stands out among the green landscape of Southampton Parish.

Photo: Fairmont Southampton
The Buccaneer. St. Croix

The oceanfront bluff that is now home to the pink-hued Buccaneer resort has been a favorite site since a Knight of Malta built his home there in 1653. A Danish governor later took up residence, and converted the estate’s French great house into a sugar mill. After a stint as a cotton plantation and cattle ranch, the Armstrong family converted the grounds to an 11-room hotel in 1947. For the past 70 years the family has overseen the evolution of the resort, a member of the Historic Hotels of America. Photo: The Buccaneer
The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki, Oahu

The Waikiki Beach hotel known as the “Pink Palace of the Pacific” is said to owe its color scheme to Kimo and Sarah Wilder, who returned to Oahu in the 1920s after living in Portugal. Drawing inspiration from the old country, they painted their island home bright pink with blue shutters. The builders of the Royal Hawaiian hotel took notice, and asked permission to duplicate the color scheme. The hotel has since become one of Honolulu’s most iconic landmarks. Photo: Royal Hawaiian
The Reefs Resorts & Club, Bermuda

This salmon-hued resort mirrors the colors of the pink sand beach it overlooks. Constructed on the ruins of a 1680’s farmhouse, the property first opened in 1947 as a cabana style beach club. In the decades that followed, the Dodwell family, native Bermudians continued to expand and upgrade the resort, which now includes over 60 rooms set on a limestone cliff, each with ocean views and private access to a secluded beach. Photo: The Reefs
Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, Florida

Famed architect Addison Mizner channeled Spanish, Mediterranean and Moorish influences when he embellished the 100-room Cloister Inn with hidden gardens, orate columns, mosaics and fountains throughout. A series of ongoing expansions has since transformed the resort into a 356-acre property with 1047 rooms in multiple buildings. Boca Raton is known as the pink city and the landmark of the pink tower of the resort seems to reign over the landscape. Photo: Boca Raton Resort
Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda

When the Fairmont hotel group set out to build a luxury retreat on Bermuda’s highest hill, there was no question as to what color to paint it’s walls. Since opening in 1972, the Fairmont Southampton has remained one of the island’s premier addresses. It is surrounded with lush tropicals, tall coconut palms and the 18- hole champion Turtle Hill Golf Club, and the private beach club set on pink sands is just a one-minute jitney ride away. Photo: Fairmont Southampton
Cobblers Cove, Barbados

This intimate resort began life as the weekend beach retreat on Godings Bay for one of Barbados’ wealthy sugarcane families. The great house, first known as Camelot was renamed Cobblers Cove by new owners who enjoyed watching cobbler birds dive for fish in the bay. In the 1980s the home was transformed into a luxury boutique hotel with a reputation for fine food and wines, and just 40 oceanfront rooms. Photo: Cobblers Cove
Lowes Don CeSar Hotel, St. Petersburg, Florida

With its cotton-candy-colored towers rising high above St. Petersburg Beach, the Don CeSar is a property with a storied past that includes unrequited love, fame, misfortune and rebirth. An instant favorite with Jazz Age celebrities when it opened in 1928, the hotel has hosted the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Al Capone and Franklin Roosevelt. Its luxurious interior was turned “government green” when converted to an Army hospital during World War II. The hotel reopened in 1973 and has undergone a series of multi- million dollar restorations. Photo: Don Cesar

Iconic Pink Beach Resorts
Published on: 3/21/17 By Debbie Snow

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