The Keys, the Bahamas and the Treasure Coast, for a slower few days: seven stays chosen for what they publish about their reefs, water, kitchens and footprint, with how to reach each from Palm Beach.
We choose from published evidence: what hotels publish about themselves, guidebooks such as the MICHELIN Guide, Forbes Travel Guide and Condé Nast Traveler, certifiers' public records, and government and tourism-board pages. We have not stayed at, eaten at, flown to or visited any of these places for this piece, so nothing here is a first-hand account. No hotel hosted us or gave us a media rate, and this piece contains no affiliate links. Rates, schedules, flights and entry rules change, so check with each hotel, airline and government source before you book.
Last checked: October 20, 2026.
From the Palm Beach coast, three kinds of escape sit within a drive or a short flight: the Florida Keys, strung south along the Overseas Highway; the Bahamas, just across the Gulf Stream; and the quieter Treasure Coast to the north. Each suits a long weekend, and each rewards slowing down.
"Clean luxury," for this guide, means places that publish specifics: a certification we can look up, a reef or seagrass program with a named partner, filtered water in place of plastic bottles, a kitchen that says where its fish comes from. Where a hotel makes a claim, we name it as theirs. A spa brand is not a certification, and we have not checked the ingredient lists of any product named here. We have not yet given any of these hotels a Clean Score. That needs written answers from each hotel, which we have not yet requested.
How we checked certifications. On October 20, 2026, we searched the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's list of active Florida Green Lodging properties for every hotel in Monroe, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties 1. None of the seven stays below appears on it. We also read the member map of Green Key Global, a North American hotel certifier, which shows two of them, Cheeca Lodge and Costa d'Este, at three Green Keys 2. Where a hotel names any other certification, we say whether we could confirm it on the certifier's own records.
A note on the airport. By a 2026 state law, Palm Beach International Airport is now President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The new name took effect on July 9, 2026, and the airport's passenger code changed from PBI to DJT on August 18, 2026 52. Some hotel pages below still use the old name.
The Keys are a drive. From Palm Beach, the simplest route is the one the Florida Keys tourism council gives from Fort Lauderdale: Florida's Turnpike south, following the signs for the Keys. Once you reach the Keys, U.S. 1 becomes the Overseas Highway, and green mile markers count down from 127, near Florida City, to 0 in Key West 11. The Turnpike Extension uses cashless tolls (SunPass, a compatible transponder or Toll-By-Plate), and the council warns that traffic on the Overseas Highway builds at peak times 11.
An island off Little Torch Key, in the Lower Keys; the welcome station is at 28500 Overseas Highway, Mile Marker 28.5 5.
The MICHELIN Guide gives Little Palm Island Three MICHELIN Keys, its highest hotel distinction, and describes a four-acre island with 30 suites in thatched-roof bungalows, outdoor copper tubs and no televisions 3. The island is reached only by boat or seaplane 6. Guests park at the welcome station on Little Torch Key, and the resort's motor yacht crosses in about 15 minutes 56. The hotel lists three seaplane operators for those who would rather fly in 5. It is adults only: no one under 18 is allowed on the island, and guests must be 21 to check in 6.
Of the Keys stays here, it publishes the most about the water around it. The hotel says it works with Mote Marine Laboratory on reef restoration in Newfound Harbor, just off the island, and that guests can meet the scientists and sponsor coral 7. It says it has supported the Conch Republic Marine Army's mangrove and debris clean-up since Hurricane Irma in 2017, and that it also supports Reef Relief and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust 7. After Irma, it says, it replanted native sea grasses along the shore and upgraded its buildings to high-efficiency air conditioning and LED lighting; it also says a filtration system recycles greywater for irrigation 7. Plastic straws are not used 7. Those are the hotel's statements; we have not checked them with the partner organizations.
SpaTerre, set under an atrium 8, says every treatment uses "organic products sourced from around the world" 7; "organic" is the spa's word, and it does not name a brand or a certifier. The spa is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm 8. The Dining Room's dinner menu changes daily, and the hotel says it cooks with local ingredients 9. The hotel also says it is a member of Relais & Châteaux 10.
81801 Overseas Highway, Islamorada 1215.
The Keys stay you can drive straight to, and the one whose certification we could confirm. Green Key Global's member map shows Cheeca Lodge & Spa at three Green Keys 2, and the resort carries the Green Key Global logo on its website. We checked the map on October 20, 2026. The map does not show when the rating was awarded or last renewed, so ask the resort whether it is current. Cheeca is not on the state's Green Lodging list 1.
The resort describes 27 acres with 1,200 feet of private beach, a long fishing pier, two oceanfront family pools and an adults' pool, and electric-vehicle charging stations 12. Its water program runs snorkel trips to the patch reefs offshore, outings to the Islamorada sandbar and sunset cruises 13. Sunrise and beach yoga classes are included with a stay 14. There is also a spa on site 12. Guests must be 21 to check in 15.
In Islamorada, the tourism council notes, Freebee offers free on-demand rides in electric vehicles 11, so a car can stay parked once you arrive.
The Bahamas are a short flight from South Florida. As of October 20, 2026, the Palm Beach airport's nonstop list shows one Bahamas route, to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos 53, so most trips to the islands below connect through Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Nassau or a small-plane operator. Tradewind Aviation, which flies from private terminals, lists scheduled flights from Stuart, which it labels "Palm Beach Area," to Nassau, North Eleuthera and Marsh Harbour, bookable through June 1, 2027 45. Read "Before you go" for entry rules.
One Casino Drive, Paradise Island 22.
The Ocean Club opened in 1962. It sits along an eight-kilometer white-sand beach on Paradise Island, with low-rise buildings set in 35 acres of gardens inspired by Versailles, the hotel says 17. The MICHELIN Guide lists it, without a Key, with 107 rooms 22.
Of the Bahamas hotels here, it publishes the most specific sustainability page. The resort says it tracks its energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste through the Four Seasons global utility system, and that single-use plastics, "including water bottles, bathroom amenities and takeaway food packaging," have been removed or replaced with non-plastic alternatives 18. It says it runs a food-waste reduction program that includes AI-enabled tools, offers seasonal dishes with ingredients from local suppliers, holds quarterly staff beach clean-ups and supports the Bahamas National Trust 18. Linens and towels are changed every third day unless you ask, it adds 18.
The spa has eight Balinese-style treatment villas, each with its own garden and outdoor bath, and offers ELEMIS treatments and BIOTEC facials 19.
One Baha Mar Boulevard, on Cable Beach, Nassau 2327.
The MICHELIN Guide gives Rosewood Baha Mar One MICHELIN Key and describes 231 rooms, suites and beach villas along 3,000 feet of Cable Beach 27. Forbes Travel Guide rates it Four-Star 28, and it has been in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards every year from 2019 to 2026 29.
The resort says it works with the Perry Institute for Marine Science on coral reef protection, offers guests carbon-offset options through CHOOOSE, and that, in partnership with VERO WATER, it is "pleased to eliminate single-use plastics resort-wide" 23. It also says it is certified by Preferred by Nature, a sustainability certifier 2324. We could not open Preferred by Nature's certificate database, so that certification is the resort's own statement, not one we confirmed.
The most concrete program is the Ocean Guardian Experience: a monthly half-day boat trip with the Bahamian dive guide and filmmaker André Musgrove and a Perry Institute reef specialist, visiting the BREEF Underwater Sculpture Garden and its coral nursery, with a second snorkel stop 25. The resort lists dates of November 20 and December 18, 2026, and monthly dates from January to June 2027; bookings close seven days ahead 25. The spa, Sense, says its treatments draw on local surroundings and native ingredients 26.
A private 96-acre cay off the coast of Andros 3034.
The slowest of the Bahamas escapes here. Kamalame has 21 rooms and suites in cottages, bungalows and beach houses 31, and Condé Nast Traveler notes that every guest stays in a standalone bungalow, with breakfast delivered in a basket each morning 36. The magazine has included it in its Readers' Choice Awards every year from 2016 to 2025 36.
What the resort publishes is about water and the reef. It says its spring water is filtered by reverse osmosis, and its room descriptions list filtered water in the minibar 3132. It says that, to help protect the barrier reef just offshore, its kitchen serves "only mature, in-season seafood," and that menus change daily 32. Rooms are stocked with Molton Brown toiletries 35. The resort also describes an overwater spa and a PADI-rated dive center on its marina dock 33. It names no certification.
Queen's Highway, near Gregory Town on North Eleuthera, between two beaches 374243.
The MICHELIN Guide gives The Cove One MICHELIN Key and lists 57 rooms 42. Forbes Travel Guide lists it as Recommended 43, and it was in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024 and 2026 44. The hotel says it is the only Relais & Châteaux member in the Bahamas 37.
Its nature program is the draw. The hotel describes a new one-mile nature trail through native Bahamian plants that ends at a boardwalk over a mangrove marsh, and a lookout point for watching green sea turtles 38. A post on its blog says the reef off the point holds coral trees the hotel planted with the Reef Rescue Network, and describes a one-hour guided snorkel from the beach 39. The Spa Suites work with Body Bliss, an aromatherapy company, and take outside guests by reservation 40.
3244 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, on the beach 249.
The nearest escape here, and the second of the two stays whose certification we could confirm. Green Key Global's member map shows Costa d'Este Beach Resort and Spa at three Green Keys 2. We checked on October 20, 2026; the map does not show award or renewal dates, so ask the resort whether its rating is current. The resort's own page also describes the Green Key Global certification 46.
The resort, owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan 49, has 94 rooms 48. It says it uses refillable dispensers for bathroom amenities, and its spa names the three product lines it uses: EmerginC, Conscious Coconut and OSEA 46. It describes a "Turtle Friendly Certification" without naming who awards it, so we report it as the resort's statement 46. The resort says that for every OSEA Ocean Renewal treatment booked, $25 is donated to 4ocean to help remove plastic and waste from waterways 47. The resort says its restaurant, The Wave Kitchen & Bar, uses locally sourced, organic produce 48; that is the resort's description, and it names no certifier. The resort offers Tesla and other electric-vehicle chargers 49.
Also on the Treasure Coast. Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa, at 3793 NE Ocean Boulevard in Jensen Beach, is a beach resort with 178 accommodations, built in 2017 50. It is on the state's active Green Lodging list: the Florida DEP lists it at the Three Palm level, first designated in October 2019 and last renewed in December 2022 1. Its spa says it does not use animal-tested products 51; that is the spa's own statement. We found no guidebook listing for it, so we mention it here rather than as a full pick. It is about 49 miles from the Palm Beach airport, the resort says 50.
Before you go
- Entering the Bahamas. As of October 20, 2026, the Bahamas Department of Immigration says everyone entering needs a passport, and that U.S. citizens visiting for up to eight months do not need a Bahamian visa 54. At the border, it says, visitors must show a passport valid for at least six months (passport cards are not accepted), a return or onward ticket, the means to support themselves, and a completed immigration card; boaters must also file a passenger and crew manifest, and entry is not automatic 55. Read the U.S. State Department's country page and travel advisory for The Bahamas before you book. Entry rules can change, so check both again before you travel.
- Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 to November 30 56, and it covers the Keys, the Bahamas and the Treasure Coast. For a stay in those months, watch the forecast, read each hotel's and airline's cancellation terms when you book, and follow local evacuation orders.
- On the water. Throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary it is against the rules to remove, injure or possess coral, to strike coral or seagrass with a boat or scar it with a propeller, to dive or snorkel without a dive flag, and to go faster than idle speed within 100 yards of a divers-down flag; in the sanctuary's most protected zones, touching coral is also prohibited 57. The tourism council says divers and snorkelers must always display the red-and-white divers-down flag 59. For guided dives and fishing in the Keys, the tourism council points to operators in the sanctuary's Blue Star program 58. Wear a life jacket on small boats, check the weather and sea conditions before you go out, and go with a licensed operator if you do not know the waters. In an emergency in the Keys, call 911, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 59.
- Driving a boat yourself. Florida requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, who operates a boat of 10 horsepower or more in Florida waters to hold a Boating Safety Education ID Card 60. Bahamian waters have their own rules; ask the hotel or the rental operator.
- Spas. Steam rooms, saunas, hot baths and some massages are not for everyone. If you are pregnant or have a health condition, ask your doctor and the spa before you book.
- If you have allergies or sensitivities, contact the hotel directly before you book to ask about bath products, fragrance and food, and talk to your doctor if you have questions about your health.
The short version
- For a certification we could confirm: Cheeca Lodge in the Keys and Costa d'Este on the Treasure Coast, both at three Green Keys on Green Key Global's member map on October 20, 2026 2; ask each whether its rating is current.
- For the reef: Little Palm Island, which says it works with Mote Marine on coral restoration 7, and Rosewood Baha Mar's monthly Ocean Guardian trip with the Perry Institute 25.
- For the most detailed sustainability page: The Ocean Club, which says it has removed single-use plastics and tracks its energy, water and waste 18.
- For a guidebook's top distinction: Little Palm Island, with Three MICHELIN Keys 3.
- For the slowest pace: Kamalame Cay, off Andros 3031, or The Cove on Eleuthera, reachable from Stuart on a scheduled small plane 45.
- Every claim about a hotel is that hotel's own, a named guidebook's, certifier's, airline's or public agency's. We have not stayed at any of them for this piece.
Sources checked 2026-10-20.
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