{"id":129231,"date":"2026-01-23T15:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/129231\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:24:11","slug":"palm-beach-florida-luxury-travel-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/129231\/","title":{"rendered":"Palm Beach, Florida Luxury Travel Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Palm Beach is just a speck on the map but come high season it can feel like the center of the universe. Certain things about it haven\u2019t changed. It is still home to more gazillionaires than a Giving Pledge confab\u2014and they\u2019re still one-upping each other with their mega-developments dotting the Intracoastal Waterway. People still feel strongly about Mar-a-Lago, also known as the 118-room winter White House<\/a>. And Lilly Pulitzers still dominate walk-in closets (the brand recently re-opened on Worth Avenue). But without question this 14-mile-long island is \u201cGod\u2019s waiting room\u201d no more.<\/p>\n

Palm Beach feels totally transformed. Upper East Side staples like Le Bilboquet<\/a> and La Goulue have made the trek to South Florida. Homes that once traded for a few million dollars are now worth tens of millions (and, occasionally, a quarter of a billion). And West Palm Beach\u2014long thought of as the New Jersey to PB\u2019s New York City\u2014now has hotspots as hard to get into as some on the island. \u201cI arrived in Palm Beach while a lot of these mom-and-pop restaurants were still cranking,\u201d remembers designer and author Steven Stolman, who lived on the island for 30 years. \u201cNo New York restaurant had come down yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its 212-fication, Palm Beach has managed to maintain some of that 1960s Palm Royale charm<\/a>. It\u2019s not uncommon, for instance, to see sumptuously pampered dogs being chauffeured around in strollers. But more importantly, preservationists have also fought hard to stave off soulless McMansions, safeguarding historic (and relatively appropriately-sized) Addison Mizner homes.<\/p>\n

There is an art to navigating the Palm Beach scene (let a certain Netflix reality show be your cautionary tale<\/a>)\u2014here\u2019s how to roam the billionaires\u2019 playground like a true North County Road resident.<\/p>\n

Where to Stay\"BreakersWalter Bibikow\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Breakers is a classic for a reason.<\/p>\n

The Breakers<\/a> is a must, even if you\u2019re just in town for the day. Its stately, palm tree-lined driveway is iconic\u2014and the courtyard near the hotel\u2019s coffee shop is the perfect place to escape the Grand-Central-at-rush-hour feeling that is Palm Beach Country Club\u2019s winter crush.<\/p>\n

Just down the street on Royal Palm Way is the Livingstone Brothers\u2019 Palm House<\/a>. Their seashell-esque rooms are very Mark Sikes (though the designer did not helm the project) and their lobby bar is especially popular with locals, as is the Japanese restaurant. \u201cThey\u2019re not supposed to say it\u2019s Nobu, but it\u2019s literally the same,\u201d says Kim Murstein, co-host of the podcast, Excuse My Grandma<\/a>. Yes, the miso black cod is on the menu.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the 80-room Brazilian Court Hotel<\/a> gets particularly buzzy after church services, when everyone comes for the Sunday brunch at Caf\u00e9 Boulud. Other honorable mentions: the Colony<\/a> (we\u2019re always torn between the Goop Villa<\/a> and Aerin Lauder\u2019s Villa Jasmine) and the White Elephant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where to Eat\"PalmEric Striffler Photography<\/p>\n

Tutto Mare, which recently opened at Palm Beach\u2019s Royal Poinciana Plaza, has 200 seats, a private dining room, two wine rooms, and a 1,200-square-foot terrace overlooking the water. Order the fritto misto and thank us later.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to walk a block without clocking a New York transplant (or a face chiseled by Dr. Steven Levine<\/a>), but many of the area\u2019s OG greasy spoons are still open for business. Take Green\u2019s Pharmacy<\/a>, a sort of Howard Johnson\u2019s for the 0.01 perfect\u2014the nearly-century-old business was recently bought by young owners. \u201cThey cleaned it up a little,\u201d notes Gail Rudnick, better known as Grandma Gail from Excuse My Grandma. But don\u2019t worry: the part-drugstore, part-diner has maintained much of the luncheonette\u2019s 1950s spirit. \u201cThe same things that we loved about Green\u2019s is still there,\u201d she says. Pull up to the counter on a diner stool and watch the cooks whip up waffles before dashing to aisle three for Vitamin D tablets.<\/p>\n

Just over the bridge, Estiatorio Milos<\/a> is the latest excuse for Palm Beach denizens to venture into West Palm Beach. Like the one in New York, it\u2019s reliably delicious and terribly expensive thanks to that same fresh fish promise. \u201cIt\u2019s very in right now,\u201d says Suebelle Robbins, Instagram\u2019s reigning PB grande dame<\/a> and unfiltered fashion critic<\/a>. \u201cPeople rave about it.\u201d Only a mile down North Olive Avenue is Malka<\/a>, the Florida outpost of chef Eyal Shani\u2019s popular Israeli restaurant (Brett Ratner is apparently a fan). Request a table near the open kitchen and start with the homemade focaccia, followed by lamb chops and schnitzel. And back on the island, there\u2019s Tutto Mare<\/a> at Royal Poinciana Plaza. The sprawling Mediterranean restaurant comes from the duo behind the Tutto Il Giorno restaurants in the Hamptons.<\/p>\n

Contrarian Wisdom: Since Sprinkles closed (RIP), everyone will tell you to go to Piccolo Gelato for the best ice cream. Skip that and head instead to Sloan\u2019s<\/a> on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n

Mornings are best begun at Sour Seed Bagels<\/a> in West Palm Beach\u2014they\u2019re known for their crispy sourdough, which is fermented overnight at the store. In the afternoons, refuel between Worth Avenue shopping sprees with a croissant and coffee at Le Bilboquet Market, which opened last month on Peruvian Avenue. \u201cThere are two little tables where you can have lunch, and they have wonderful salads, sandwiches, and pastries,\u201d Rudnick says. \u201cIt absolutely feels like you\u2019re in Paris.\u201d Another favorite for a quick bite: Buccan Sandwich Shop<\/a>, located only a few blocks from the heart of town. Pro tip: order online to avoid the busy lines. And yes, the chocolate chip cookie is worth the calories.<\/p>\n

If your version of Florida means dining with a view, then pull up to the year-old Lamarina<\/a> in Safe Harbor Rybovich. This is the parking lot for some of the world\u2019s most outrageous superyachts, so enjoy your swordfish sandwich and keep your ears peeled for good gossip. \u201cIt\u2019s very pretty for dinner to look out on the water,\u201d Rudnick says. \u201cYou want to bring St.-Tropez into West Palm Beach? That\u2019s the closest I would say you can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

What to Do\"Large1999 Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen<\/p>\n

Go to the Norton for the Oldenburg. Stay for the Rembrandt.<\/p>\n

Every Palm Beacher knows the Lake Trail is the see-and-be-seen spot, where everyone from Forbes List honorees to 90-something retirees go to get their steps in. It\u2019s also great for real estate snooping: marvel at the beautiful homes and their razor-thin Zoysia grass lawns, including Bernie Madoff\u2019s former residence and Henry Kravis\u2019s sprawling property (though the private equity titan\u2019s house is hidden behind sky-high hedges). After the walk (or bike ride), head to Field of Greens<\/a> on Royal Poinciana Way for a protein shake (get the Pump and ask for vanilla protein instead of chocolate). If the GLP-1 is working, their BFO, aka a big fat Oreo, is heavenly.<\/p>\n

Prefer pickleball over power walks? If you don\u2019t have a friend with a court in his backyard, head to the Mandel Recreation Center<\/a>, a hidden gem with outdoor courts that are free to use. If tennis is your vibe<\/a>, the newly redone courts at Phipps Ocean Park are a fun way to spend the afternoon (unfortunately those well-kept Breakers courts are reserved for club members or hotel guests). If your backhand is rusty, South Olive Tennis Center in West Palm Beach is the solution, where director Skip Jackson and his team will get you in fighting form with his \u201ctriples\u201d clinics (as in, three on each side).<\/p>\n

For a different kind of sport there\u2019s Royal Poinciana Plaza<\/a> with all its credit-card-crushing requisites: Cartier, Herm\u00e8s, Saint Laurent, etc. Break for a scoop of mint chip at Sant Ambroeus<\/a> (Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is frequently spotted there). Note: the restaurant has the distinction of being one of the few chains on the island. \u201cWe\u2019re very conscious of class and elegance,\u201d Robbins says. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be known as a commercial place.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the culture front, the recently-renovated Norton Museum of Art<\/a>, with its towering Claes Oldenburg sculpture at the entrance, is a must. It\u2019s currently exhibiting some of the most important Rembrandts in the world\u2014courtesy of the Rembrandt Evangelist<\/a>. If you\u2019re there on a Saturday, hit up Kofski Estate Sales<\/a> just down the road. \u201cEverybody dies or divorces at some point in their life and they have gorgeous furniture,\u201d Robbins says. During the week, Show Pony<\/a> has some of the best 20th-century antique shopping in the area.<\/p>\n

If you feel like venturing farther afield, Miami is just an 80-minute train ride away. \u201cOn a Sunday, there\u2019s nothing nicer than taking an early afternoon Brightline and going for a first sitting at Joe\u2019s<\/a>,\u201d Stolman says. The train option will also be a godsend during Art Basel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very conscious of class and elegance. We don\u2019t want to be known as a commercial place.\u201d <\/p>\n


If your Palm Beach Country Club application is still pending, skip Apogee and instead try the Park<\/a>, one of area\u2019s best public golf courses. Even the Everglades set is leaving their cocoon for a taste of this 18-hole course. It\u2019s financially backed by Floridian billionaires like Barry Sternlicht and Charles Schwab but surprisingly casual (a word of warning: you might run into a few duffers in flip-flop attire). Bring the kids and station them at the House, the Park\u2019s family-friendly restaurant that overlooks the course and serves crowd pleasers like steak and pizza.<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re not into games, the bingo and trivia nights (on Sundays and Mondays, respectively) at Swifty\u2019s<\/a> at the Colony are a vibe. Dress accordingly to fit into the sea of floral dresses and gold-buttoned jackets.<\/p>\n

And then of course there is the polo scene in Wellington. The annual U.S. Open Polo Championship<\/a> takes place in April. Bring a hat (it\u2019s a must<\/a> at the National Polo Center)\u2014whatever you wore to last year\u2019s Central Park Conservancy luncheon will do.<\/p>\n

The Nightlife\"carriageCarriage House<\/p>\n

The nearly four-year-old Carriage House is still the most coveted private club membership in town. It\u2019s worth getting in the door just to see those famously maximalist interiors.<\/p>\n

Nightlife in Palm Beach? A laughable concept up until a few years ago. (There has always been Cucina, of course, but not much else.) Now, a slew of nightclubs and venues cater to PB\u2019s burgeoning twenty-something scene (as well as to millennials and Gen X-ers). Perhaps the buzziest new bo\u00eete is Mary Lou\u2019s<\/a>, which took over a West Palm Beach\u2019s bait-and-tackle store on Southern Boulevard last year. The nightclub is partially owned by world-famous DJ Kygo and like Cucina, the venue has a food menu, though we suggest you stick to the cocktails. It\u2019s been especially popular with athletes\u2014sightings include Michael Jordan and Dustin Johnson. Don Jr. and Bettina Anderson have dropped in, too\u2014Mary Lou\u2019s is across the water from Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere there is Carriage House<\/a> (if you can get in). The private members club has an initiation fee to rival the cost of a one-bedroom apartment in most major cities. \u201cWithout a pool and tennis courts? Give me a break,\u201d bemoans Stolman. \u201cBut I love it.\u201d Wear a jacket or they\u2019ll turn you down at the door (no one wants to walk a mile in their Tod\u2019s). Once inside, the beautifully decorated interiors<\/a> should take some of the sting out of your exorbitant bill.<\/p>\n

\"loading\"Neo-Classical\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Andrew Zucker works at a production company in New York City. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, and Air Mail, among other publications.<\/p>\n