New boutique hotel Cirque St. Armands Beachside opened its doors in Sarasota on March 25, with Gulf Coast views, a seafood-focused restaurant, and a flurry of whimsical, circus-inspired touches.
Located near Lido Beach on Florida’s southwest coast, the 135-room hotel is part of the Opal Collection, a group of 28 luxury hotels and resorts. Cirque St. Armands Beachside’s art deco and circus influences are a nod to the town’s history—John Ringling moved the winter headquarters of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Sarasota in the late 1920s. Spaces are splashed with theatrical geometric tiled floors, striped textiles, golden wall sconces, and ostrich feather chandeliers, while floor-to-ceiling windows show off ocean views.
“Cirque St. Armands Beachside’s honors Sarasota’s circus heritage with a chic, bold art deco-meets-roaring twenties design, reimagining the space with playful, eye-catching details,” the hotel’s general manager, Melissa Kaplan, told Travel + Leisure. “This boutique hotel is truly unlike any other property in Florida, offering elevated hospitality and unparalleled style. The vibrancy extends to Ringside, the signature restaurant, and the dazzling white sand beaches of Lido Beach are just steps away.”
Ringside serves dishes like smoked Gulf Coast shrimp and seafood towers against a backdrop of velvet drapery, larger-than-life murals depicting trapeze artists and performers, and a striped arch ceiling that recalls a Big Top tent. Midway, the lobby bar lounge, specializes in creative cocktails (at check-in, guests are served a carnival-themed cocktail or mocktail), while Ringmaster is a poolside bar with ocean views.
Speaking of the pool, it is shaped like a series of three connecting circles reminiscent of a three-ring circus and features an elevated sun deck. Also on-theme: billowy, striped private cabanas and an al fresco gelato cart. Guests also have exclusive access to a 300-foot private stretch of sand at nearby sibling hotel Lido Beach Resort.
Nightly rates at Cirque St. Armands Beachside start from $309, and you can book your stay at opalcollection.com.
