Opal Gems Archives - Opal Collection

The Running of the Bulls with during the Hemingway Days event.

The Top 2025 Key West Festivals You Won’t Want to Miss

Here's a look at the conch-blowing contests, Hemingway lookalikes, and mind-blowing masquerades to frame a 2024 Key West vacation around. Read More

A rendering of the circus-inpsired lobby at Cirque St. Armands Beachside in Lido Key, Florida.

Cirque St. Armands: A New Sarasota Hotel with a Circus-Sophisticated Spin

Sure, it has the classic hallmarks of an Opal: signature hospitality, the best in food and beverage, and a prime location just steps from the beach. But when you see what’s in store for the collection’s newest reimagined Lido Beach hotel, you just can’t deny, there is something oh-so singular about this property that masterly blends sophistication, spectacular, and surprising. Read More

An aerial view of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockport, Maine.

7 Questions You Didn’t Know You Had About the Rockland Breakwater

The Rockland Breakwater is more than just a scenic path extending into Penobscot Bay, Maine. Its rich history holds intriguing details. For example, did you know it’s made of the same iconic granite that was used to build the Washington Monument? Read More

Florida’s Sea Turtle Nesting Season: Ways to Help & Proper Protocol to Follow

We sat down with research experts from two renowned Florida marine centers – Mote Marine Laboratory (on the Gulf Coast) and Loggerhead Marinelife Center (on the East Coast) – to talk turtles. Read More

The view of Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor

A Coveted Coastal New England Road Trip

The beauty of a multi-day, 220-mile road trip up the craggy coast from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Bar Harbor, Maine isn’t just the plethora of enticing pit stops along the route – from high culture to scenic coves. It’s also the way that Opal properties serve as your easy and convenient overnight waypoints for piecing together one epic coastal cruise. Read More

Mining from the Menus: A Delicious Tribute to Wentworth’s 150 Years

The Grand Dame Hotel officially turns 150 years old in June of 2024. In addition to paying tribute to the landmark birthday with special historically-themed programming, the hotel is also serving up a June 14 marquee reception dinner that recreates – while also reinventing – signature Wentworth dishes from 100 years ago. Read More

A couple strolls to the edge of the dock at Lake Placid Lodge at sunset.

Romantic Getaways That Will Sweep You off Your Feet

If you’re looking for romantic getaways in the United States, we got five worthy – and diversly different – picks in Opal East Coast destinations, just for the two of you. Read More

A ice sculptor carves out an piece for the annual Glacier Ice Bar.

Opal’s Coolest Attraction: Inside The Annual Glacier Ice Bars

Simply a swan sculpture it is not. The Glacier Ice Bars that descend upon The Sagamore and Samoset each January are Instagram eye-candy extravaganzas entirely made out of ice. Read More

A happy couple during their beach ceremony at Edgewater Beach Hotel.

Your Naples, Florida Destination Wedding Guide

Considering a destination beach wedding? Naples, Florida might just be your perfect location for its small coastal town with plenty of to-dos and very classy, very luxurious feel. We sat down with a couple of brides who recently planned destination weddings in the seaside city to hear their experience, what they considered, as well as lessons learned. Read More

The sprawling oceanside golf course at Samoset Resort.

Above Par: The Lasting Legacy of Gary Soule on Samoset’s Golf Experience

The game of golf lost one of its greats in 2022. We take a look at the lasting impression that the former head pro and late Gary Soule left on Samoset Resort’s 18-hole oceanside course – and the ways players can still see his legacy live on today at this world-class Maine golf complex. Read More

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