M

iami may be where you make yourself seen in a bid to get in the gossip pages; Palm Beach, though, is an altogether different sort of place, and no hotel encapsulates its essence quite like the stately Breakers. More than a century in the making, this hotel takes its style cues from Italian Renaissance villas, spanning an estate of some 140 oceanfront acres. All things considered, though, "hotel" may be too modest a word; facilities include two 18-hole golf courses, a tennis complex, a 20,000-square-foot spa, and a Mediterranean-style beach club, the sort of place where uniformed personal concierges deliver towels and cold drinks to guests lolling in private, poolside bungalows.

The accommodations, totaling 534 guestrooms inclusive of 72 suites, embody seaside elegance to the Nth degree: an airy, open-layout blend of tastefully patterned wallpaper, dark-wood furnishings, and crown molding. Spacious marble bathrooms come with private-label amenities, and the tech specs (flatscreens, complimentary wi-fi) bespeak a resolutely 21st-century mindset. Gentlemen are no longer required to wear jackets and ties after seven o'clock, to be sure; still, if you're pining for the white-glove trappings of yore, there's always the Flagler Club — a separate, 21-room boutique experiment in ultra-luxe, ultra-private hospitality. In any case, views are key, and those from the oceanfront rooms' private, step-out balconies speak for themselves.

No fewer than ten restaurants and lounges command the appetite with a variety of cuisines. HMF in particular deserves mention, encouraging glamorous table-chat with an array of global-cuisine sharables, an impressive wine list, and handcrafted cocktails in that grand old Palm Beach tradition. Which, naturally, deserves a counterpoint in the extravagant fitness facilities. They can't really be overstated: in addition to the smorgasbord of watersports at the beach club, the upstairs fitness complex boasts state-of-the-art equipment, expert-led classes, and inspirational ocean vistas through floor-to-ceiling windows.