As a teen, growing up in Orlando, Cocoa Beach was our nearest outlet to the ocean -- just a 50-minute zip down State Road 528 and we were trudging our cooler and umbrellas to the sand just steps from the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop in no time. But as I got older, Cocoa Beach looked more and more like yesteryear, and we preferred to head in the opposite direction and spend an extra 45 minutes in the car to go to the crystal waters of the Gulf of Mexico instead of hightailing it to sleepy Cocoa.
That's why I was so pleasantly surprised when I visited the Westgate Cocoa Beach, which opened in June 2018. The former Wakulla Suites property, a midcentury, Polynesian-themed motel (for lack of a better description) reopened after a $15 million renovation by Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel to turn the spot into "the new standard for luxury beach vacationing on the Central Florida Space Coast," as he said in the opening press release. I dare say, he was right.
The all-suite, 120-room hotel has been completely transformed into a full-service, family-friendly oasis. The rooms are the biggest update, transforming their dated interiors into beautiful two-bedroom villas with full kitchens, two full bathrooms and room for six guests (starting at $289 per night). One bedroom has a plush king bed, the other has two twins, and the living room couch pulls out into a sleeper sofa. Almost every room can be combined with another to make a massive four-bedroom combo, accommodating up to 12 guests.
I spent plenty of time enjoying the new pool and waterpark complex, located in the center of the horseshoe-shaped hotel. The main pool already existed when Westgate took over, but they added a hot tub as well as an incredible Tiki-themed kids area they call a splash pad, but the moniker doesn't seem apt enough for the amenity. The kids I saw made a beeline for the slides, water features and colorful fountains in which to play. Westgate also added a 335-foot lazy river on the east side of the courtyard. I hopped in an inner tube and coasted for about an hour, which was absolutely time well spent.
Of course, the Atlantic is the main attraction, and the Westgate Cocoa Beach has included a full-service beach concierge with an impressive array of amenities, including a beach volleyball court, shuffleboard, access to chaise lounges, beach umbrellas, coolers with ice (BYOB encouraged, as long as beverages aren't in glass containers) and Bluetooth speakers as well as complimentary sunscreen and after-sun body lotion.
Cocoa Beach has long been lauded, since its "I Dream of Jeannie" days, as one of the top surfing destinations in the country. The Westgate Cocoa Beach's surf concierge service does its part to fortify that standing, offering lessons for first-timers and offering a service that transports guests' surfboards to and from the beach as well as washing, drying and maintaining boards and wetsuits. The Ron Jon Surf Shop is walking distance from the resort, so if you need to reapply your board wax or are in the market for a new pair of sunglasses, satisfaction is only steps away.
But I won't be surprised if you can't pull the kids away from the resort, though, especially with the Tiki bar and cafe on the west end serving ice cream and frozen drinks to barefoot beachgoers and classic rock and pop on the speakers. The Westgate Cocoa Beach makes it easy to fall into the beach vacationer's ideal routine: beach in the morning, nap after lunch, pool until dusk.