Tropic Sun Towers is a pair of seven-story condominium buildings standing directly on the golden sand of Ormond Beach, 84 units in all, managed by Capital Vacations Resort Management. Instead of a standard hotel room, you get a condo: the 1 Bedroom Oceanfront plan runs 460 square feet with a queen bed, a queen sleeper sofa and space for four, while the 657-square-foot 2 Bedroom Ocean View adds a second queen bedroom, a second full bath and room for six. Every unit has a full-size kitchen with modern appliances, a separate living area and a private balcony; ground-floor units trade the elevated view for a patio that walks straight out onto the beach.

The deck is where this place earns its reputation. A kidney-shaped pool and a round hot tub sit at the sand line behind the towers, ringed by a paver deck, with a terracotta sun deck above holding loungers and teal umbrellas. The blue shuffleboard court has the Atlantic for a backdrop. There is also a fitness center, a sauna, BBQ grills, a book exchange and bicycle rentals for an added charge. Ormond Beach sits on the barrier island just north of Daytona, so the Main Street Pier, Daytona Lagoon and the Museum of Arts & Sciences are a short run south, Daytona International Speedway is roughly nine and a half miles by road, and Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens and Andy Romano Beachfront Park are close to home.