I love adventure as much as the next person, but sometimes you just need a full week of relaxation. Thus, Eric and I packed up, and we headed to Palm Beach, Florida for a week of vacation at the Breakers Hotel and Resort with some of my family. The Breakers is another one of my favorite hotels. It has multiple restaurants, bars, pools, and amazing beach access. It’s perfect for a never-leave-the-resort vacation.
Day 1: We arrived late at night to Ft. Lauderdale’s airport and drove the 45 minutes down to Palm Beach. The airport in West Palm Beach is definitely closer, but it’s also usually quite a bit more expensive than FLL, so it’s good to take a look before booking. Once we checked in to the hotel, we made a quick clothing change and headed down to the Seafood Bar. It’s a super cool restaurant, and their bar is made entirely of an aquarium tank full of fish. It was designed by the team from the Animal Planet show Tanked, so you know it’s beautiful before you even step inside. In addition to their menu, there is usually a drink special, so make sure to ask!
Day 2: On our first full day we headed down to The Circle for brunch. They have an incredible buffet with an omelet/egg station, meat carving stations, and a huge assortment of both hot and cold breakfast foods. The chia pudding was a fan favorite with the fresh coconut and fruit. In addition to the food, the restaurant is gorgeous – the ceilings are all hand painted, as most are in the hotel, so make sure to walk slowly and take in all of the beauty.
After brunch we attempted to lay out, but the weather wasn’t quite cooperating. We ended up sitting in the front courtyard during a few thunderstorms and reading/working. For lunch we headed over to the Beach Club. They had some incredible salads, including the lobster salad above which was INCREDIBLE. Super healthy, and super filling.
After lunch we sat out in the courtyard for a bit longer doing some more work/reading before we headed up to the rooms to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at Bice, an incredible Italian restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel. The menu is way bigger than most with tons of daily specials. The Caprese Salad was as beautiful as it was delicious, and the butternut squash and sage pasta was so rich.
Day 3: For our third day we opted to sleep in since it was still raining. We stayed in bed until about 11, so we missed breakfast and went shopping instead. Being from the South, I’m a huge fan of Lily Pulitzer, but for some reason the rest of California doesn’t share that love. There are no Lily stores anywhere near me in San Francisco, so I always make sure to visit one when I’m nearby. As luck would have it, there is a Lily Pulitzer IN THE HOTEL! My sister and I spent about an hour trying on everything in the store and getting our fix for the next few months.
After shopping, we decided to head over to the City Place shopping center to grab lunch at City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill. They have a great wine list, some awesome outdoor seating, and amazing food. I opted for the tomato bisque and and the fried green tomato salad.
After dinner we decided to hop over to the movie theater in City Place since it was STILL RAINING!
That night we took the hotel shuttle over to dinner at Echo, which is an Asian fusion restaurant owned by The Breakers and located just a few blocks away. It’s a great restaurant for groups because they have a ton of sushi and small shared plates. After dinner we headed back to Seafood Bar for more drinks.
Day 4: We woke up on time for brunch at The Circle, and then finally had some sun so we grabbed some chairs right between the pool and the ocean for some sunbathing, and a quick jaunt out to the ocean water for some waves and some fun candid photos.
For lunch we decided to check out The Ocean House. The food at The Ocean House is by far the best lunch option at The Breakers in my opinion. I opted for the Poke Bowl, and Eric got the Turkey Burger. The Turkey Burger here is incredible – a few years ago we convinced them to give us the recipe, and almost all of us in my family have been making it at home ever since. For a healthier option I usually opt for the burger without the bun and sub the fries for their Caesar salad (it has olives!!).
In addition to the amazing food, they have fun drink specials, and that day they had a frozen alcoholic basil lemonade, which was killer.
For dinner we took an Uber over to Buccan which was also only a few blocks away from the hotel. This was hands down the best dinner we had on our trip. In fact, it was SO good, that I forgot to take more than one picture of the food. Think steak tartar with a fried egg yolk and black truffle, Sweet Corn Agnolotti with ricotta and bacon (pictured above, minus the bacon), Short Rib Empanadas, Crispy Rock Shrimp with spicy aioli and homemade slaw, Yogurt Marinated Chicken with curried cauliflower, and an incredible Lobster and Truffle Risotto. Not only was the food amazing, but the service was amazing. Our waiter was fantastic and gave us the best recommendations on wine, food, dessert, and post dinner wine. We left full, happy, and pretty tipsy (thank goodness for Uber!).
Day 5: Day 5 we set aside to hang out with my grandparents who live about an hour away from Palm Beach in Port St. Lucie. We drove down and had lunch at their favorite restaurant, Shuckers, on the island of Jensen Beach. While the food was simple, and not as pretty as some menus, it was absolutely delicious. The conch fritters were perfect, my pecan/coconut Mahi was super flavorful, and healthy since it wasn’t fried. Eric and my grandfather both ordered the Crispy Grouper Reuben which I have to say was one of the most unique and delicious sandwiches I’ve ever had. It’s also right on the beach with some incredible views.
After lunch we drove back to the hotel and caught a few extra hours of sun and drinks by the pool, followed by dinner at Nick & Johnnies, a casual dinner spot a few blocks away from the hotel. They have a great outdoor patio, which was perfect for the mild temperature and beautiful sunset. My sister and I split the Provençal Deviled Eggs, with smoked salmon, dill, beet, and caviar as our starter. For my entree I opted for the crab cake – it was super fresh, and mostly jumbo lump crab pieces rather than a lot of bread.
After dinner we decided to head to the HMF bar in the lobby of the hotel rather than Seafood Bar for a change of scenery. While Seafood Bar is mostly hotel guests, HMF also has a pretty large crowd of locals, so you get a bit more of a feel for the real Palm Beach.
Day 6: After quite a few drinks the night before, we all took the opportunity to sleep in, and moseyed down to the pool around 11. We opted for lunch at the Ocean House again, and then stopped by the spa for blowouts with their amazing staff.
For our last night we made reservations at Flagler’s Steakhouse. The restaurant is also owned by the hotel, and is just across the street on the golf course. We took the shuttle over since it was raining AGAIN, and had a great table with a view of the course. We started with a few salads, as well as the French Onion Soup, with caramelized gruyere, the Sweet Corn and Lobster Chowder, and the Blue Crab Dumplings, with shaved reggiano, red pepper butter, and truffle oil. For entrees we all ordered our various steaks, each coming with a baked potato, sweet potato, or loaded mash, along with a ton of shared sides. The Gorgonzola Potato Tots were sinfully delicious, along with the Mac and Cheese Gratin, Broccolini, and Butter Roasted Mushrooms. For once, we were all too full to even look at the dessert menu.
We finished off the evening with one last night at the Seafood Bar to watch the Warriors playoff game before all saying goodbye and heading to bed.
Day 7: For our last day we woke up and went down to The Circle for one last brunch. We checked out of our hotel and had the whole day free before our flight home. We decided to check out a nearby outlet mall in Ft. Lauderdale. The Sawgrass Mills/Colonnade Outlets are massive, and have absolutely everything from Prada and Gucci, to a Target and Forever 21. We spent a few hours walking around all of the various Avenues and checking out all of the stores. If you have a day and want to get out of the sun, I highly recommend checking it out.
After a few hours of walking the shops, we decided to grab lunch at Steak n’ Shake before heading to the airport. Eric grew up in the city of San Francisco, and they really don’t have any chains in the city, so this was his first visit, and he LOVED the shakes.
We headed straight to the airport after, and unfortunately the Ft. Lauderdale airport was under a bit of construction, and our flight became so delayed that we were going to miss our connecting flight in Phoenix. We were given the option to stay in Florida or head to Phoenix, and we opted to spend the night in Arizona so we’d be closer to our final destination. We were hoping we would get to AZ in time to have dinner at my favorite restaurant in Phoenix, but unfortunately we were too delayed and ended up having dinner at the adorable Aloft hotel instead. The service was incredible, and it was the perfect stop for the night. All in all, it was the absolute perfect relaxation trip, and we started the next week totally refreshed and super tan.
Have you been to Palm Beach and have great recommendations we should check out next time we’re there? Planning a trip and want some advice? Let us know in the comments!
