Palm Beach and all that makes it glitter

A travel journal to Palm Beach by AnaMH

Palm Beach is a small island town across the Intracoastal Waterway, which has been the traditional winter home of America's aristocracy--the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, the Pulitzers, the Trumps, and plenty of CEOs. It is a wonderful place to spend a day window shopping!

  • 8 reviews
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There are a few MUSTS in Palm Beach --- Worth Avenue, The Breakers Hotel, The Kennedy Compound, and The Henry Flagler Museum to name a few.

Quick Tips:

Be sure to make a reservation early for the most popular restaurants near or on Worth Avenue. Don't come to Palm Beach looking for a afternoon at the beach, most of the better beachfront is on private property.

Best Way To Get Around:

Breakers Palm BeachBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "The Breakers"

I first stayed here when I was close to 6 years old and I felt like a princess that whole weekend. Whenever I want to celebrate something special a night at the Breakers is a must! The marble lobby still is my favorite part of the resort. The fountains and gardens are a close second. The private beach is exceptional. I love to sit and watch the stars at the oceanfront bar.

The standard rooms are not very big but so elegant that who cares! The nightly turndown service and the twice-daily maid service can make going home a non-option! The hotel has golf, tennis, scuba, sailing, jet-skis, croquet, shuffleboard and volleyball available.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Breakers Palm Beach
One South County Rd. Palm Beach, Florida 33480
(561) 659-8415

The Chesterfield HotelBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Chesterfield Hotel"

If you''re looking for a hotel with a bit more charm than others on the island, give the Chesterfield a try. The hotel has a light stucco facade with high arched windows that give way to a lobby decorated with Laura Ashley prints. It make the hotel feel and look like a country-manor not a hotel.

The room we had was so beautiful even though we didn''t have a view. The furniture is dark wood and the prints made the room seem "airy". I loved sitting in the lobby library, with its many books that can be borrowed. They even serve afternoon tea.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

The Chesterfield Hotel
363 COCONUT ROW Palm Beach, Florida 33480
1-561-6595800

Echo RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Echo"

The dishes have Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese origins but are prepared with an American flare. We come here even when not staying in town when we are in the area, because the food is so good and different. They make some incredible soups!! They have a ginger and black mushroom chicken dish, which is my favorite.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Echo Restaurant
230 Sunrise Avenue Palm Beach, Florida 33480
(561) 802-4222

Renato'sBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Wonderful Continental cuisine served in an intimate European setting with an excellent waitstaff. One of my favorite dishes is the Snapper or the Farfalle with calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels and cherry tomatoes in a light broth. The Tiramasu is divine!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Renato's
87 Via Mizner Palm Beach, Florida 33480
+1 561 655 9752

Cafe L'EuropeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The French/American/Continental cuisine is served in a window-filled bistro or a formal dining room. The restaurant features a Champagne and caviar bar. My husband swears by the veal chops, and I recommend the sesame tuna pan-seared with a ginger sauce.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Cafe L'Europe
331 South County Road Palm Beach, Florida 33480
+1 561 655 4020

The cruise line offers several tours including lunch and dinner cruises. I went on a regular cruise and had a blast. From the road, you do not get a very good view of the mansions but from the water the view is unobstructed. It is a perfect way to see the beautiful homes.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Atlantic Coastal Cruises
900 East Blue Heron Boulevard West Palm Beach 33404
(561) 848-7827

Flagler MuseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Whitehall was a wedding gift from Henry Flager to his third wife. The house was built for $4 million dollars and is referred to as the "Taj Mahal of North America". The facade has white columns and was built in the Edwardian style. The house contains 55 rooms, an Italian library, a French salon, a Swiss billiard room, a music room, an art gallery, a Louis XV ballroom and 14 guest suites with their original antique European furnishings. Each room is overly decorated and when you put the entire house together, it truly is too much. The tour last about an hour and begin in the 110ft hallway.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on December 10, 2000

Flagler Museum
1 Whitehall Way Palm Beach, Florida 33480
+1 561 655 2833

Worth Avenue is a window shoppers paradise. The jewelry stores alone are incredible but add amazing window displays in all the stores and you can spend a day just walking and exploring the stores. The architecture is a gem with its stucco walls, Romanesque facades and small passageways leading to small courtyards. There are miniature bridges that cross non-existent canals and many spiral stone stairways leading to the upper levels.

Worth Avenue has many restaurants; most are very formal and require reservations, usually they must be made early in the week. Some are made weeks in advance.

As you stroll the Avenue, be prepared to see many Jaguars, Rolls Royces, Porsches and Mercedes Benz on the street, as you wander through a virtual shoppers paradise. I'll list a few of the better shops, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sonia Rykiel Boutique, Calvin Klein, The Purple Turtle (childrens layette to size 6), Giorgio's of Palm Beach, Valentino Boutique,Cartier, Escada, Pratesi Linens. Polo Ralph Lauren, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes and the list goes on.

About the Writer

AnaMH
AnaMH
South Florida, Florida

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