As summer days alternate between monsoons and hot-and-sticky, the thought of jetting off to a faraway, cool place (hmm, Switzerland?) sounds oh so appealing.

But if that fantasy isn't going to become a reality, try the new spa at the Four Seasons Palm Beach, about a 1 ½-hour drive from downtown Miami.

The glam spa features celeb-friendly Kate Somerville beauty products. The signature treatment, called the Palm Beach, incorporates neck, foot and scalp massage in a blissful 80 minutes. A feel good-trifecta. Price: $200.

For the guys, the spa's Willow Room is an update on the traditional barber shop.

The rest of the hotel is nearly 20 years old and, well, Four Seasons-ish. The understated, chic lobby lulls with its gleaming marble floors, antique dark wood furniture and dramatic flower arrangements.

Where you can save: If you have kids, you'll appreciate the free activity center with all the stuff they love: video consoles, recliners, board games and goofy counselors. Fully supervised, it's open eight hours a day (read: lots and lots of me time). Did we mention it was free?

• Info: www.fourseasons.com/palmbeach, 561- 582-2800. Rooms from $225 a night.

-- MADELEINE MARR

• The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum of the Seminole Tribe of Florida is offering free admission to Florida residents during July and August. The deal is good at both the flagship facility, located in the Everglades on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, and a smaller satellite museum in Hollywood. Adults must provide a Florida driver's license or other state-issued ID; children with them also get free admission. (Usual admission is $4 to $9.) Info: www.ahtahthiki.com.

• July is Miami Spa Month, and 30 of Miami-Dade's priciest spas are offering treatments for $99 -- in many cases half the usual rate. The discounted rate applies only to specific services; each spa offers one or possibly two treatments for $99. The deal lasts through July 31, requires reservations, and does not include tax or gratuity. Info: www.MiamiSpaMonth.com.

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