Travel Dates: August
Hotel: White Elephant Palm Beach
What I Loved
The appropriately named Worth Avenue is lined with luxury stores and stylish boutiques tucked into bougainvillea-draped courtyards, with labels from Chanel to Gucci. Want a first-edition signed Hemingway? Raptis Rare Books is your grail. Armies march on their stomachs, and so do I. I could savor a meal at a different Palm Beach restaurant every night for weeks. My top three include Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud inside The Brazilian Court Hotel, LoLa 41 Palm Beach inside White Elephant Palm Beach (go for the tender Peking duck), and the old-money Café L’Europe (order whatever you like for dinner, but end with the Grand Marnier soufflé).
The Breakers is the grande dame of Palm Beach hotels, but this trip I chose the White Elephant Palm Beach (I love its sister property on Nantucket). Opt for the Park Suite, a penthouse with a huge terrace for entertaining. Take advantage of the Cove Club, a BMW-shuttled private waterfront sanctuary with cabanas, docks, a bar and restaurant.
Next time…
I’d sample several hotels for a couple of nights each, since every property has a distinctive flair. The Colony Hotel, known as the “Pink Palace” and a favorite of Sinatra, Garland and Lennon, is classic yet refreshed. Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa offers suites with Capri-meets-Santorini vibes, a legendary spa and acres of beach. Brazilian Court has Roaring ’20s glamour, 80 suites nestled in lush courtyards and even a million-dollar, 44-foot Italian yacht for complimentary cruises along the waterway.
I’d also save more time to visit museums (the palatial Henry Morrison Flagler Museum with its art collection and high tea in a railcar), play golf (the Breakers course is the oldest in Florida), hit the tennis courts (the Breakers has 16 tennis, pickleball and padel courts) and dance the night away at Cucina.
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