A Winter Zoomcation in Sunny Florida

A stay at Crane’s Beach House in Delray Beach is the perfect antidote your family’s Covid winter blahs.

By Laura Georgieff

South Florida is known for its year-round sunny beaches, as well as Miami’s parties and nightlife. But what if I told you that I found the perfect little family-friendly oasis, in a little seaside town with tropical charm?

Located less than three hours from Orlando and under an hour from Miami, Delray Beach is human in size, with a long, clean beach—just the opposite of resort Florida.

Its main street is lined with little mom-and-pop shops and restaurants, people smile at you and there is an overall feeling of happiness and relaxation pervading the place.

We spent two nights at Crane’s Beach House—a luxurious boutique hotel—with our three children, and we were super impressed by the charm of the hotel, the room size and the modern décor, as well as the kindness of its staff.

The rooms were recently renovated and, if you’re traveling with children like we were, I’d definitely choose the one-bedroom or deluxe one-bedroom suite. Able to sleep four, it has a bedroom that closes off from the living room-kitchen-dining area. Our kids slept on the large pullout couch and we had a lovely retreat at the end of the day.

We loved the full-size kitchen, which makes eating in the room super easy and convenient. It comes fully equipped with pans, pots and everything you might need to cook breakfast, lunch or dinner; complimentary tea and coffee are replenished daily. All we had to do was drag the kids back from the beach at sunset, and let them soak in the heated pool while I fixed dinner. They could just walk in, soaking wet, and sit down on the terrace for a family dinner together. No showering, dressing or heading out to dinner with tired, irritable kids. Yay!

The hotel also offers a luxury villa, which sleeps four as well, and comes with added features, including complimentary yoga mats and beach chairs, as well as private patios with outdoor furniture and a fan. The smaller unit is the studio room, which sleeps two people and comes with a kitchenette rather than a full-size kitchen.

All rooms come stocked with snacks, wine and beer for purchase. So the essentials are here if you need them. You will also find beach towels in your room, so hitting the sand is seamless.

Covid efforts. Masks are required within the hotel and when roaming around the outdoor common areas. All rooms are accessible from the outside, which limits the amount of time spent in public space.

The hotel provides two disposable masks, as well as latex gloves. Nonlatex are available at the office, just in case. We had to break a seal to enter our room, so we knew no one had been in the room after cleaning; stickers are stuck on every room counter after disinfection.

Zoomin’. Everything is in place for families who homeschool and work remotely. The staff even stopped by to ask if we were in the middle of work or schoolwork before restarting the router. So thoughtful! Make sure to check out their “Work Away Getaway” package, starting at $119 per night (plus tax) in the studio and $149 in the one-bedroom suites. The package includes a dedicated business concierge, a printing service bundle, complimentary wifi, portable chargers upon request and a bottle of wine or 4-pack of beer for happy hour! If you prefer to step out for a cocktail, the hotel also provides a curated list of Delray’s hottest happy hour spots.

The beach. We simply loved the beach near Crane’s Beach House, and it’s just a quiet one-block walk. White, soft sand, a few shells, warm Atlantic waters and long waves, perfect for surfing.

The pools. Crane’s has two courtyard pools—one with a cute little fountain and beach sand, which also happened to be the closest to our room. And both were warm!

Our family can’t wait to get back to Delray Beach, and to Crane’s, a little hideaway with tropical beauty, just a few minutes from the beach. (Read more about our trip here.) And once this Covid virus goes away, we can’t wait to sit at the tiki bar and have an evening toast!

Laura Georgieff – February 2021

ROAM Contributor

Mom to three kids, Laura Georgieff writes about family luxury for less. Follow her family-of-five’s travel and worldschooling adventures at frugalforluxury.com

Crane’s Beach House hosted Laura’s family visit but her opinions are her own.