The historic pink hotels that grace beaches in Florida, the Caribbean, and Hawaii 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.
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 into an 11-room hotel in 1947. For the past 70 years, the family has overseen the evolution of the resort, maintaining some of the original buildings and a stone sugar mill used for candlelight dining. This pink gem is the Caribbean’s oldest running resort and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.
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 rosy hue in this distinctive Spanish-Moorish architecture has remained since the early days. Once a favored residence for Hawaiian kings the white sand beach backed by a coconut grove is a wedding venue today. The hotel has since become one of Honolulu’s most iconic landmarks.
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 1680s 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. The spa sits above with views of the sea for ultimate relaxation. For active types, there are kayaks and paddleboards ready for a session on the water and snorkeling gear nearby to explore the reef just offshore.
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, ornate 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. Today, there are five distinct variations of stays including the Yacht Club, Tower, Beach Club, Bungalows, and Cloister. The property caters to a variety of tastes, activities, and guests. A championship golf course sits on the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, Spa Palmera is a 50,000-square-foot facility with 44 treatment rooms, and there are beachside and harborside pools and a lazy river for the younger set. Boca Raton is known as the pink city and the landmark of the pink tower of the resort once reigned over the landscape. After a major renovation in 2022, the hotel returned to its original color of coastal white.
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 its walls. Since opening in 1972, the Fairmont Southampton has remained one of the island’s premier addresses. It is surrounded by lush tropicals, tall coconut palms, and the 18-hole champion Turtle Hill Golf Club. The Willow Stream Spa offers locally inspired treatments, and the private beach club with bar and restaurant set on pink sands is just a one-minute jitney ride away. As of 2019, the resort has been closed for renovation.
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 the Camelot Restaurant earning a reputation for fine food and wines. The resort blends British elegance with Caribbean charm and each of the 40 oceanfront suites has a private balcony or terrace overlooking the tropical gardens and the sea.
The Don CeSar, 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 into an Army hospital during World War II. The hotel reopened in 1973 and has undergone a series of multi-million-dollar restorations. Today the resort boasts beach-inspired décor with a nod to seaside Art Deco featuring whimsical motifs of coastal birds immersed in coastal blush tones.
