Where to Go in Palm Beach to Get the Palm Royale Experience

Palm Royale premieres on Apple TV+ on March 20, and if you’re anything like us, the first thing you’ll do after watching it is plan a trip to the show’s iconic location: Palm Beach, Florida in 1969.

And while there’s a bit of television magic at play (the series is actually filmed in LA, as Palm Beach is known to be restricted to filming), the extravagant and inimitable world of 1960s Palm Beach is instantly recognizable, thanks to the colorful, high- the end of fashion, pink and green interior colors and the exclusivity of the club scene that Kristen Wiig’s character wants to join.

Rick Rose, author Palm Beach: The Essential Guide to America’s Legendary Resort and local historian who leads tours of the island’s most notable destinations, says so much of what made 1960s Palm Beach not only so recognizable, but so desirable, still exists today. The best clubs (of which the Palm Royale is a match) are still Everglades, Bath & Tennis and Beach Club; there is still a huge amount of money on the island (59 billionaires and 10,000 millionaires, he says, the latest estimate); and because of the “strong conservation community” of the area, it’s like Paris, because many aspects don’t change at all.”

I want to Palm Royale own experience? (Hopefully one that doesn’t involve a catfight with Allison Janney?) Here are the top sights to see, places to stay and locations to watch if you want to spot a celebrity.

Breakers

The Breakers, Palm Beach Florida.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

Perhaps one of the most recognizable landmarks in all of Palm Beach right now is the Breakers, which can be seen in aerial shots of Palm Royale, according to Palm Beach Daily News.

It has a storied history (it was founded in 1896 by Gilded Age baron Henry Morrison Flagler) and is still as elite a destination as it was in its early days. The Breakers has hosted celebrity weddings, including Joanna Garcia and Nick Swisher, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello, and Alan Jackson’s daughter Mattie, as well as star-studded charity events (Martha Stewart recently attended one).

The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

So what makes the Breakers a must-visit destination, more than a century after it was built? Magnificent architecture, tons of opulent details everywhere (the huge fresh flower arrangements in the lobby are legendary), and plenty of ways for guests to get the A-list treatment, even if they don’t have their own Wikipedia page.

From VIP poolside bungalows “designed to be an extension of one’s guest room,” according to Sarah Flight, director of communications, to unforgettable custom experiences (have you seen Grant Troutt’s Madison Prewett offering?), every amenity you can dream of can be made available to guests — especially if you stay in one of the Imperial Suites, where, says Flight, “the staff dedicated to this accommodation elevates hospitality to a level you can only find at our resort.”

And visitors hoping to get a taste of the property’s sparse ambience without staying on-site can access it through one of their restaurants, spas or shopping corridors. “There are visitors who fly to Palm Beach just to enjoy the crab cakes at the Seafood Bar,” shares Flight.

Palm Royale Review: Carol Burnett brings her signature slapstick comedy to Palm Beach

Hotel Colony

The Colony, Palm Beach.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

Hotel Colony perfectly embodies the bold aesthetic of the 1960s so vividly captured in the Palm Royale — while at the same time being oh-so-current thanks to Instagram-friendly backgrounds everywhere you look.

“It’s hot, hot, hot in there,” Rose tells PEOPLE. “The people who own that hotel are classic Palm Beach folks going back generations, but they’ve done a phenomenal job of bringing the whole vibe back.”

Among those who agree? Celebrities including Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie (seen recently vacationing there), the Hilton family, and Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently helped launch a Goop-designed mansion on the property.

You don’t have to be a longtime member of Palm Beach society to feel that way — just walking through the door transports you to that ultra-glam jet-set ’60s feel.

“The Colony Hotel offers guests door-to-door service anywhere on the island of Palm Beach in the house Volvo, Seagrape Beach Buggy or the new pink Beach Runner Defender,” says owner and CEO Sarah Wetenhall. “The hotel can also book Palm Beach’s fanciest restaurants, make tennis or golf reservations, arrange surf lessons, and even find local camps for the little ones. My favorite luxury amenity is the picnic on the beach, where our staff packs a pink Yeti cooler with snacks and drinks. ”

Wetenhall recommends that those looking to see, be seen and shoot killer content book a table or grab a cocktail at Swifty’s, an Upper East Side boîte now housed in The Colony Hotel, originally known for patrons such as Jackie Onassis and Michael Kors. ”

Worth Avenue

Worth Avenue, Palm Beach.

Getty

When you think of Palm Beach, Rose says, what immediately comes to mind is “Mediterranean Revival architecture, incredible fashion—because obviously Palm Beach played a very important role in resort fashion—and of course the private clubs.”

Worth Avenue, then, is the epicenter of everything that makes Palm Beach Palm Beach, from the distinctive buildings to the shops and iconic status that give the city its style (often imitated, never duplicated). The first Lilly Pulitzer store opened on one of the street’s enchanting “vias,” or side avenues off Main Street, anchored at either end by the iconic Everglades Club and the second-largest Saks Fifth Avenue.

“Worth Avenue is the undisputed highlight of Palm Beach,” says Erika Constantine, Vice President of Marketing for Discover the Palm Beaches. “But few take the time to fully explore the ‘roads’ that wind around and behind the avenue’s haute couture storefronts. You’ll even find a tiny Starbucks and an ice cream shop if you look hard enough, or a tiny tombstone to the legendary monkey Johnnie Brown (Addison Mizner’s pet , who is considered one of the founders of Palm Beach) in the middle of the courtyard of Pizza Al Fresco.”

For an ideal afternoon, Rose recommends lunch on Worth Avenue (if you manage to get a table at the ever-full BiCE or Le Bilboquet, you might spot a celebrity), followed by a little shopping, those who want to shop à la the stylish Palm Royale doyens can stop by Lilly Pulitzer, Maus & Hoffman or Kassatly’s; keep an eye out for stars who are also indulging in some retail therapy (though, as he points out, you’ll want to be cool: “Famous people like to go to Palm Beach because they don’t get bothered by a lot of people,” he says).

Once you’ve got your stuff, he suggests, rent a bike and tour the area to see “the Breakers Hotel, the Lake Trail, and lots of Gilded Age sites.”

Bike at the Colony Hotel.

Courtesy of Alex Apatoff

Flagler Museum

Flagler Museum.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

Perhaps the most famous Gilded Age site is the Flagler Museum, once the residence of oil baron Henry Morrison Flagler, who built the nation’s first hotel, in St. Augustine, and then invested heavily in railroad infrastructure and hotels to encourage other Gilded Age rich people to winter in Florida.

Today, visitors can explore the mansion and the Breakers on a “house and hotel tour” (with the option to drink tea in the Railcar 91 Tea Room, an elegant atrium that contains Flagler’s personal carriage in which he traveled from New York to Florida). It gives a sense of the incredible wealth that created Palm Beach, as well as how important the titans of industry and society were to the establishment of the area’s institutions and charitable efforts.

Tea at the Flagler Museum with a view of the yachts outside.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

And that sense of “high society” never went away—although, as Rose said, it changed significantly in the early twentieth century.

“Before the First World War, the French and Italian Rivieras were where all the very rich and aristocratic people went in the winter months. Palm Beach was a destination, but it was relatively unimportant,” he says. “You didn’t get that jet-set feeling until the First World War, when all of a sudden, all these aristocrats and royals who were going to the south of France couldn’t go because it was the First World War… So there was a real active intention of re- creation of that riviera.”

And, as he points out, many founding members of that society in the 1920s would still “rule” in the environment of the 1960s. Palm Royaleat a time when, before the advent of air conditioning, the “season” was significantly shorter, and “wintering” was in some places exclusively reserved for the rich and famous — hence the fierce competition to get into the clubs that is reflected in the show.

“Back then you still had “pedigrees” and such things played an important role, which allows [the show] to mock that aspect of Palm Beach even more. Having that old American pedigree, like the Astors, the Vanderbilts and the Posts, when it was still so important,” says Rose. “Palm Beach is still very, very exclusive, but it’s not the same. [surname-based snobbishness] to make a little joke.”

A-list experience

Pool at Colony, Palm Beach.

Courtesy of The Palm Beaches PR

More than half a century after the social boom Palm Royale, Palm Beach is still a prime destination for the rich (Tinsley Mortimer and Peltz Beckham both recently tied the knot there, and stars in residence include Jon Bon Jovi, Sylvester Stallone, Rod Stewart and Rory McIlroy), titans of industry looking to relax and style socialites . If you want to indulge in that lifestyle for the weekend, what should be on your travel itinerary?

First, book one of the sumptuous suites or villas at one of the area’s top hotels so you can enjoy the extravagance of the Gilded Age, with staff to attend to your every wish, whether in your room, poolside or on the beach.

Then “riding the Lake Trail will give you a glimpse of how the rich and famous live,” suggests Ryvis Sierra, senior public relations manager for Discover the Palm Beaches. You can also charter a boat through your hotel (“The Brazilian Court now includes a yacht excursion as part of the hotel stay for guests,” she notes) or book a cute pastel Palm yacht to take in the sights from the water.

In the afternoon, stop at one of the restaurants on Worth Avenue for lunch and shopping, then stop by Royal Poinciana Plaza for more cute shops and coffee at the famous hotspot Sant Ambroeus, suggests Rose. A dip in the pool followed by dinner at the trendy Buccane will round off your A-list day perfectly, but if you’re after a drink for the night, Swifty’s at The Colony Hotel or HMF at the Breakers will pour to perfection.

Kristen Wiig in Palm Royale.

Apple TV+

Ready to book your trip? “With temperatures averaging around 78 degrees year-round, any time is perfect for planning a getaway,” notes Constantine, but “if you want to see the most celebrities, visit ‘in season’ from January through April.”

One stay and you might find yourself as Kristen Wiig’s character Palm Royaletrying to climb the wall to become part of the club forever.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education