Winter Weekend in Palm Beach

Updated: Sep 27, 2019

Anyone that lives in the East Coast in the Winter knows come around March/April, we all get pretty irritated with the dry skin and incessant grey, snowy skies. The rules of the winter clearly say that in order to survive, you must have things to look forward to. In our case, we planned a late March trip to Palm Beach to conquer our Seasonal Affective Disorder and replenish that Vitamin D.

What did we know about Palm Beach when we booked? Not much to be honest. I knew it was a Billionnaire's paradise, but shocking, I'm not one. So whereas there are probably some willing to shell out $1000+ per night and fly on a PJ, this girl is using her Chase points and flying on Delta with three objectives in mind: sun, cocktails, relax. We took out an early morning flight out of JFK to PBI and were successfully enjoying a piña colada at lunch time.

Lodging

Of course, there's the legendary Breakers and Colony hotels, but call me crazy- packing a whole suitcase just of shoes for the Breakers and having to accessorize my breakfast outfit, was not my idea of a 'relaxing' weekend. When I booked on Chase, I found the Tideline Resort and Spa. It's been a couple different names over the years, but is right next to the Ritz Carlton on a private beach in Palm Beach. Tideline's location was amazing with complete beach access and a beautiful pool. It was a great value for money. We only had lunch at the hotel and poolside and weren't terribly impressed with the dining options, but that's ok, because we went and had meals off property as well. I enjoyed the complimentary yoga. The only odd thing is that they have this immaculate bar at the pool that is unused, so these poor bartenders have to shuffle back and forth between the main bar. Hopefully they've fixed that, but not enough to keep us away!

Also, our Uber from the airport told us that on the barrier island, it's completely safe, but we shouldn't walk across the bridge- then you're walking straight into some pretty tough areas.

Dining/Entertainment

To be honest, we could've taken in high end shopping in Palm Beach, or ventured to West Palm Beach, but we just didn't. We could've left the resort a lot more, but when you've been freezing your arse off the last three months, all you want is to sit pool/beachside. With that being said, these were things we loved:

Benny's on the Beach: we couldn't believe our eyes and ears when we saw that beers were $2 each at Happy Hour! To a New Yorker, this was amazing. We walked to Benny's from Tideline and had some seafood, a few Coronas, but the best part was the great location on the pier. The views were fun and Benny's has a laidback, family atmosphere that is a nice break from some of the pomp and ceremony from the rest of Palm Beach.
Breakers: We decided that we wanted to see what the fuss was about and try a drink at the legendary Seafood Bar at Breakers (that has an aquarium as a bar). It was interesting having our Honda civic Uber drop us off at this epic resort that had its driveway filled with Lamborgini's. The grounds are absolutely beautiful. We went to Seafood Bar and thepeople watching was amazing, but the view of the Ocean was even better. We enjoyed a few bespoke cocktails (not cheap, but same as NY cocktail prices). I'm glad we went by and next time we'd try the brunch. I'm happy we're not staying here, but wouldn't mind staying here on a special occasion someday!
BrickTop's: After Breakers, we went to Palm Beach to have dinner at BrickTop's. We sat at the bar and got a bottle of wine and shared a steak and app, which was just perfect. We did start laughing as the bar and restaurant started closing, and when we looked around, we were the last one's there, and it was 10pm. Ha. I guess, that's what we get for being on the low end of the median age of Palm Beach.
Palm Beach 9 Hole golf course: As I laid by the pool, hubby went golfing at the 9-hole golf course, which was just a short drive from Tideline. He said it was a fun course. In hindsight, I should've golfed too (as I just took it up), or at least enjoyed lunch in the clubhouse. It was affordable, on the ocean, and laidback.

Next time:

Points for the win! Utilize Chase/Amex points for a winter weekend away. All the pleasure and fun with no financial guilt during tax season.
Would keep the exact same flight schedule. Early Friday am out of JFK, late afternoon out of PBI. This allowed us for maximum pool time, but cut down on time out of the office. I cannot believe how easy it was to get from the airport to our hotel.
I got my huge spray sunscreen taken away at JFK, so that was $15 down the toilet and then had to buy the expensive sunblock at the hotel.
Consider renting a car: the Ubers were around and definitely necessary for having drinks, but things aren't necessarily that close. If you want to go to golf or explore, having a car would be a nice convenience. It's not necessary, but just maybe a little simpler. If no car, then maybe even a bicycle.
I loved Tideline, but if there was a deal, I'd look at staying at the Ritz next door, just to compare. If the price is vastly different, then I'd stick with the Tideline. Love love the location.
Check out happy hour in Palm Beach and do some more people watching!
If we really wanted to splurge, brunch at Breakers looks epic, but would definitely be a special occasion.