Innside Report | An oasis from everyday life lies not very far away

The Boca Raton Resort reflects Mediterranean, Moorish and Gothic influences.

Pulling into the tree-lined driveway of the pink beauty, we knew we had found what we were looking for: a weekend escape without the planes, security lines or weather delays.

''Welcome,'' chirped the bellman unloading our grocery bags of Pringles and diapers as if they were crystal-filled Louis Vuitton valises. ``Let me show you around.''

The 1,043-room hotel sits on 356 acres in the heart of Florida's rich and famous. It has a private country club, conference facilities, two 18-hole golf courses, tennis courts, a spa, swimming pools and a croquet field. Across the Intracoastal Waterway on the Atlantic Ocean is the Boca Beach Club.

The resort has a full range of bars and restaurants for hotel guests and country club members only. Our favorite was the Vetro bar on the 27th floor of the Tower building. With its floor to ceiling windows, it has amazing northern views of the city and water.

Feeling festive, I order the Cielo Spring Punch with black currant infused vodka and champagne with fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. A kick with definite class. We could have stayed there for hours had it not been for our 11-month-old daughter, who found crawling under the tables more interesting than crowing over the view.

Staying at the Boca resort is as much about history as it is about service. It was the idea of Addison Mizner, a self-taught architect who loved exotic pets, and opened the hotel in 1926 as the Cloister Inn. The extensive gardens, barrel tile roofs, archways, mosaics and ornate columns reflect Mediterranean, Moorish and Gothic influences.

We settle in for the evening on our balcony overlooking a quaint courtyard and mosaic fountain. The in-house TV marketing pitch murmurs in the background: ``It started with one man's dream . . . where no want would go unsatisfied, no wish unfulfilled.''

That was our plan.

Boca Raton Resort & Club: 501 East Camino Real; 561-447-3000 or 888-491-2622; www.bocaresort.com. Rates from $169 a night, plus tax, a $20 per day resort fee and a $26 valet parking fee. (No self-parking available). From May to October, Florida residents special room rate starts at $129, with free parking.

-- SUSAN THURSTON, St. Petersburg Times