Trip Picks: The Breakers Palm Beach

Gliding along the herringbone brick drive, past palms planted in orderly rows and a gleaming fountain, toward the iconic twin Belvedere towers, one gets the impression that The Breakers has things well in hand. The resort is the perfect spot for guests who want to let down their guard and hand over the reins to someone else for a while. With over a century of practice, The Breakers astutely commands its 140 acres of seaside Palm Beach, a lavish resort exemplifying old-school luxury at its finest.

West Palm Beach: Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous... for the Rest of Us

The preferred part-time home of people with surnames like Trump, Kennedy, and Vanderbilts, Palm Beach has a high society pedigree that’s both enticing and intimidating. However, Palm Beach County is bigger than Rhode Island, and has a lot of diverse, colorful communities—not all of which require an AMEX Black to appreciate.

West Palm Beach is a walkable city with views of the water and the island of Palm Beach. Clematis Street is loaded with restaurants, shops, boutiques, bars. It’s charming, picturesque, and a great jumping-off point from which to explore other places in the county, especially its exclusive little neighbor just offshore.