This Is Florida?

Yes! And that's not the only surprise awaiting design lovers at enchanting Alys Beach.

Beach hotels can get stale. Some resorts are so similar -- tropical drinks, crowded beaches and trite floral bedding -- that you could be chilling in Miami, Cancun or Puerto Rico and experience the exact same scene.

This is why Alys Beach, a master-planned community along Florida's panhandle that was completed in 2005, is a refreshing find. Named "America's Best Spot for the Design-Savvy" by Forbes.com in 2008, this small coastal town is a collection of stark-white buildings with hipped roofs more often found in Antigua or Bermuda, than in Florida.

When town planners at Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (they also developed nearby Seaside and Rosemary Beach) sat down to design the community, they began a concentrated effort to build in a connection with the natural environment (wind, sun and rain). But Alys Beach is also a great example of New Urbanism, with lots of pedestrian walkways, large communal courtyards and an overall design that encourages socializing with neighbors.

You don't have to buy a home to get in on the fun. Many people rent out their homes to visitors.

Interiors at many of the vacation homes available for rent look like they've jumped from the pages of Coastal Living magazine; the decor is minimalist and allows the eye to focus on the beauty of the surrounding area, even incorporating many of the light, neutral shades of the beach. And forget tacky billboards, swimsuit shops or souvenir stands. Here, the beach is so well-preserved that it's been certified as a Blue Wave Beach -- meaning that it's clean and healthy -- by the country's only environmental certification for beaches (Clean Beaches Council). (As of publication, Alys Beach hasn't been impacted by the oil spill in the Gulf; all Florida beaches are still open. For more information, see CNN's updates on beach conditions.)


The fabulous design doesn't end with the homes. Drop by Fonville Press, the development's cafe, for edible goodies like a slice of layered cake paired with a cappuccino, then ascend one of the shop's ladders for hard-to-reach glossy architecture and travel magazines. The publications are artfully arranged inside eye-catching, floor-to-ceiling shelving. There's a stylish patio out back with a wall-mounted water fountain, a pergola overhead, and red and orange seat cushions -- and the design feels an awfully lot like Morocco.

And finally, if you go, don't miss Caliza Restaurant. Sure, the food is good. But just like all of Alys Beach, it's the setting that shines.