Palm Beach, Florida
- BrieannaLenhart
- 16 hours ago
- 11 min read
Palm Beach. A true historic and iconic Florida town. With its turquoise waters, beachfront properties, and vibrantly colored clothing. We ran away for our own little Palm Royale weekend.
Palm Beach is very much a small town. You have the island beach side, aka Palm Beach proper, and West Palm Beach, the mainland side.
We stayed at the Hyatt over in West Palm Beach. It was one of the nicest Hyatt hotels I have ever stayed in. And the room layout was divine! The sink and counter area were huge! Perfect for spreading out all the accoutrements a girl needs for her glam.
We decided to start our trip by taking in the views of Palm Beach from the sky at Treehouse at the top of the Canopy hotel, located a walkable block from where we were staying.
The Canopy hotel is super swanky. Its decor leaned into that South Florida coastal style, and the walls had some incredible art pieces.
We took the elevator all the way up to the pool deck. As the elevator doors parted, we were met with beautiful sky views and the lovely ocean breeze wafting across the rooftop.
This bar is rightfully named the Treehouse, with towering palms casting beautiful shade over the loungers.
We ordered a fun mezcal cocktail and guacamole served with plantain chips.
While we enjoyed our food and drink, the service was lacking. It wasn’t very busy, only 6 people lounging on couches and 5 of us at the bar, but trying to get someone's attention to order was like trying to hitchhike on the side of the road.
But again, once we got our delicious food and beverage, we let go of our frustrations and enjoyed the sights of boats sailing in the harbor and the melodic vocals of the live singer. She started singing an acoustic version of a Bruno Mars song, and me and the other ladies at the bar decided to have a dance party with the singer. This random dance party would become a recurring occurrence throughout our trip.
I’ve been reading the signature Florida classic, A Land Remembered. It spends several chapters hearkening back to the creation of Palm Beach and how it has become what it is today. But Florida, always and forever, is still a major part of the cattle industry, home of cowboys and crackers (cattle herders known for using a whip to direct the livestock). Also, in the second season of Palm Royale, they have a big Western-themed party.
No matter the inspiration, this Texas girl had to scope out one of the newest attractions to pop up on Palm Beach, West Palm Cowboy Club. Opening in March 2026, the Cowboy Club rode into Palm Beach, serving barbecue, slinging cocktails, and swinging country songs, all with Palm Beach flair.
I have to give them credit; they leaned fully into the cowboy club theme. Neon signs, wood paneling, cowboy hats decorating the ceiling, and, because it's a BBQ joint, there was a disco ball pig hanging from the ceiling, instead of the traditional rhinestone saddle.
We snagged a reservation pretty easily, but I would still plan ahead, because I believe this place is only going to get more popular.
Only in Palm Beach would you be served cornbread topped with crème fraîche and caviar, sprinkled with fresh-grated lemon. This appetizer is phenomenal, and I highly recommend it!
The actual barbecue food was okay. We got the brisket, and it was very tender but lacking a lot of flavor. We got two different sauces, but each tasted like the other; there wasn’t much distinction, which I believe there should be if one is called the Cowboy Club and the other is guava BBQ. For drinks, we got the Sunset Stampede, which was very bright and fruity, with the tequila holding strong, but in my opinion, a little too sweet to have more than one.
The live music begins around 9pm, and as we wrapped up our meal, the house band took the stage. It was also karaoke night, so between the band sets, people would get up and sing their song requests. I was thoroughly impressed by the song line-up full of country classics that had the whole bar, with people of all ages, singing along.
It had been a minute since I had been in a club, swaying along with a multitude of strangers, yet singing at each other like we had been best friends since middle school. And I will say everyone was incredibly invigorating! We were all there to sing our hearts out to country classics.
And speaking of classics, make sure you stop in to the photo booth to snag some snapshots of your memories at West Palm Cowboy Club.
The next morning, we donned our most 1960’s Palm Beach-inspired outfits and headed over to Palm Beach proper to explore.
The next day, our first stop was visiting The Breakers hotel. Built in 1925 as a resurrection of The Royal Poinciana hotel, by Henry Flagler in 1984, growing and expanding to become Poinciana Inn, which unfortunately was burned down in 1903. If you’ve visited the Gilded Age cottages of Newport, Rhode Island , you will feel a sense of familiarity as you enter The Breakers.
You get an overwhelming feeling like encountering a castle as you drive up the brick driveway, flanked by towering palms and perfectly manicured grass. The grounds are so perfectly manicured, I felt like this place was in competition with the palace of Versailles.
There is a separate parking lot just off to the right once you pass the security station at the entrance for day time visitors. There was no charge.
We stopped into the hotel coffee shop for some coffee. The coffee was okay, something to sip while walking around the property. I suggest keeping the order simple.
But the courtyard, with a fountain, decorative tiles, and orchids sprouting from trees, is definitely a superb place to sit down and enhances the mediocre coffee.
The ground floor, lobby, and part of the ocean walk are open to all who come through the Breakers doors. There are hallways full of historical plaques and memorabilia about the oceanfront hotel’s long history and Flagler, the man who built Palm Beach.
We exited down the long hallway with the ballrooms onto the ocean walk circling the hotel. I felt like I was back at Vanderbilt Breakers' home in Rhode Island. Watching the waves roll in and break against the rocks brought instant clarity to the inspiration behind this Palm Beach hotel's new name.
Wrapping up our morning stroll, we headed to the heart of Palm Beach to the next famous spot on our list, The Colony Hotel. The Colony is quintessentially Palm Beach and has become even more popular due to scenes filmed here for Palm Royale.
We had lunch reservations. This is one you definitely need to make reservations for many weeks in advance.
We were sat right by the pool but perfectly shaded by a pastel umbrella and hanging vines, creating a lovely Florida garden aesthetic. Over in the far corner of the courtyard was a DJ lightly playing dancing beats, helping set the mood. This place is truly high-class, offering a ceramic animal stool to place your handbag upon.
For drinks, we ordered some highly recommended spritzes. I got some pink tequila concoction that was oh-so-delicious and oh-so-dangerous. About halfway through the drink, I was already feeling quite tipsy, so drink with caution.
For food, I ordered the beautiful, rich, decadent lobster salad. If you like lobster, you definitely need to order this!
Everything about this place was A+, from the food and drinks to the ambience, and even the people watching. I felt like I was in the show Palm Royale, watching these fabulous ladies in caftans, muumuus, and blown-out hair sitting down to lunch and gossip.
Ready to walk off our lunch and regain our land legs after those drinks. We made our way towards the legendary shopping lane of Worth Ave. But before we began our stroll, I stopped and grabbed a coffee at the little hotel coffee shop, which was a thousand times better than the coffee at The Breakers.
Worth Ave is similar to Rodeo Drive. There are high-end designer shops, but also fabulous art galleries and antique and rare book stores. Two specific stores you should check out these brands that are special to Palm Beach. Stubbs & Wootton, handcrafted bespoke loafers made of velvet and raffia, and of course, Lilly Pulitzer. This was probably the largest Lilly store I have ever seen, and they have a special custom section where you can pick out seasonally designed fabrics and have them made into a jacket or dress.
As you strut down Worth Ave, don’t forget to detour into the many little Villas, small Italian-inspired alleyways, leading you to some smaller hidden gem shops and picturesque courtyards.
Before concluding our Worth Ave stroll, we had to grab a picture at the iconic beach clock tower.
After kicking off our heels and freshening up, we stayed on the West Palm Beach side for dinner at the French bistro, Pistache. After the loud and crazy dinner outing the previous night, this quiet and warm little restaurant with a light, yet cozy meal was just the ticket. Especially since we had an early morning tomorrow as we headed over to Peanut Island.
I had ventured to Peanut Island and its turquoise fish-filled waters before and was excited to share this place with my friend. We grabbed some light pastries at Maman and then drove over to Riviera Beach Marina Village.
Note: Parking has changed to paid! There is some street parking along Avenue C, but a large majority of us parked in the grass across from the marina. I asked a security guard if we were okay to park there, and he said it was fine and that many have done this since the new paid parking lot was implemented. Now it was Saturday, so it was busy, and there was strength in numbers. But I find it always helpful to check and get there early.
Because it was incredibly windy, we took the shuttle boat over to the island. The line was long, but it moved pretty quickly. It is $25 for a ticket, and you will receive a wristband, which you will need when you are ready to return to the mainland. The boat starts running at 10am and runs over to the island every 25 min. The last boat ride back is at 5pm. NO ALCOHOL is allowed, and they will check your coolers.
Once arriving at the island, we quickly staked out a spot, and then I was in the water! Just like last time, I spent most of my time playing in the water and making fishy friends. You can read my Peanut Island blog post to learn more about all the fun this tiny island has to offer!
After a day of sand, sun, and salt water, we freshened up for our fancy dinner in Palm Beach proper at Lola 41.
One thing that continually amazed me in Palm Beach was how easy it was to find parking. We found free street parking just down the street from the restaurant, which is located inside the White Elephant hotel.
Honestly, of all the restaurants, this one was my least favorite. The drinks were mild in flavor and strength. The food, which was sushi and Southeast Asian-inspired dishes, was very pricey, but nothing was spectacular. We got this fried rice topped with spicy tuna, which I have had from a restaurant in Orlando countless times because it's delicious, but at Lola 41, the rice was too hard, making it difficult to pick up with chopsticks or even bite into. And unfortunately, while my main course tasted alright at the time, I wasn’t able to keep it down later. My friend ordered the same thing, and she was fine, but she also kept saying there was steam coming off her fish, and I did not see that with mine. Anyhow, this was our most expensive meal, and in my opinion, the biggest disappointment. The restaurant was very dark, so it was hard to see the menu, and it was really loud and crowded, making it hard to hear the person across from you. Feel free to go, eat, and draw your own conclusions, but for many reasons, I think I might skip visiting this restaurant again.
The next morning was our last day in Palm Beach, but we were going out with all kinds of flair! Starting with a disco brunch.
I heard great things from friends who had dinner at Pink Steak, but I was greatly excited for their disco brunch! The ambiance of the place is truly Florida Fabulous with a giant gold Flamingo statue in the center.
Our reservation was at 11am, right when they opened for brunch. This gave us plenty of time to take in the flamingo-filled room and peruse the menu before the party truly began around noon. They are known for their many lobster brunch delicacies, but with my unfortunate incident the night before, I kept it classic with a simple omelette, which was the most perfectly smooth omelette I had ever seen!
The DJ is there at 11, setting the tone for disco brunch, but as it got close to 12, our waiter brought by a tray of rainbow-tinted sunglasses to choose from to help you get in the groovy mood. At the stroke of 12, the conga line begins!
What made the experience here truly special is that everyone comes in ready to eat, dance, and be a little silly. I had fun dancing with these two ladies in their 70s, who were twerking away and having the time of their lives. Even the staff and the DJ were enjoying themselves.
If you are visiting Palm Beach, in my opinion, the disco brunch at Pink Steak is a must.
Casting off our disco shades, we headed back in time, visiting the Flagler Museum. I would say this museum is part of the Gilded trifecta here in Florida, which includes Vizcaya, Ca d Zan, and Flagler (put those on your Florida bucket list).
The Flagler Museum, also known as Whitehall, was Henry Flagler’s home here in Palm Beach and was built in 1902 as a gift and winter getaway for his wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. When people think of Standard Oil, everyone thinks of Rockefeller, but really the brain behind it all was Henry Flagler, and he was the one who put Palm Beach on the map and made into what we see today.
Walking through this grand house, I felt like I was back in those Newport cottages, but of course, this place had its Floridian influence. A lovely center courtyard and strategically designed and placed windows so that the ocean breeze could move throughout the house.
The museum has rotating exhibitions, so check out their website to see what might be showing. When we visited, in the music room, they had an exhibition by the impressionist painter Charles Courtney Curran, and on the second floor was an exhibition about the rise of department stores.
The building next door, which looks like it once was a greenhouse, is where the Flagler Museum Cafe is located. From November to April, you can enjoy Gilded Age Tea Service in the glass building overlooking Lake Worth Lagoon, but we decided to skip this. The café occupies only a modest corner of the building, and after seeing it, we were pleased that we had opted for brunch somewhere else.
The coolest part of this building is feeling like you are entering a vintage train station with the giant Tiffany & Co clock above your head, and inside is a train car from Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway.
Speaking of trains, we had one last stop on our Palm Beach tour, some vintage shopping. Following a quick coffee stop at Chik Monk Coffee, we entered the hollowed halls of Paradise Lost. The best way to describe this place is as a treasure trove of vintage finds, featuring racks of Chanel, forgotten Palm Beach brands, and an assortment of pieces from designers like Dior and Gucci. My favorite find was this Hermes blazer; unfortunately, it didn’t go home with me, but sometimes my favorite thing about vintage shopping is the discovery.
Rich in Florida history and a showcase of the state's coveted lifestyle, this town deserves a place on every Florida bucket list.
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