Boca Raton Resort guests enjoy a buffet in the Cathedral room. The Florida resort includes five hotels spread over 356 acres. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
In Coral Gables, the Biltmore, built in 1926, served as a WWII military hospital, fell into disrepair, then was resurrected after a grass-roots campaign. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
James Deering had Vizcaya, in Miami, built between 1914 and 1916. The formal gardens are a fantasy of fountains and pools. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
Bill Harbach, retired TV producer and Croquet Hall of Fame player, practices croquet at The Breakers. The hotel is located on 140 acres along the Atlantic Ocean. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
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A line of pillars shades the walkway to the ocean, pools and resturants at The Breakers. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
Kids swim in the largest hotel pool in the continental United States. The Biltmore pool holds 700,000 gallons of water and measures 23,000 sq feet. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
Fruit tarts at a luncheon at the Biltmore at Coral Gables. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
The tea house, inspired by a pavilion at Versailles, France, has a huge stone barge with Alexander Calder sculptures anchored in the bay. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
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James Deering, a bachelor, devoted the years 1914-16 to building Vizcaya, traveling to Europe with his designer to bring home furniture, doors and fireplaces. (Tom Ervin / For the Times)
