See Also
- Where travelers can remain in Fort Lauderdale
- Lodging Options in Key West
- Recommended Locations in Miami
- Recommendations for Lodging in Orlando
- Recommended Locations in Tampa
Best Areas to Stay in Palm Beach
One of the wealthiest areas in the USA, Palm Beach sits on a lengthy, thin barrier island famous for gorgeous beaches, prestigious resorts, and high-end boutiques, separated from the mainland and West Palm Beach by the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Worth Lagoon. West Palm Beach itself is a separate city, long overshadowed by its glamorous neighbor but with a few attractions in its own right and a much larger (and cheaper) spread of lodging, especially near the airport. The coastal communities to the north and south of here tend to be a lot calmer, with Juno Beach especially renowned for its sea turtle rehabilitation center and less developed stretches of sand. Popular with families, Riviera Beach (including Singer Island) is known for exceptional snorkeling and scuba diving. Lake Worth Beach lies on the mainland separated from Palm Beach by the Lake Worth Lagoon (popular for its beaches and watersports) and bounded on the western side by Lake Osborne (popular for boating and fishing).
Public transportation in the area is served by Palm Tran, which runs a comprehensive network of bus routes ($2 flat fare) โ handy for navigating between Downtown West Palm Beach and Palm Beach efficiently. Finding parking in Palm Beach itself can be difficult and expensive: itโs $5/hour along South Ocean Blvd and at Phipps Ocean Park, and $3/hour in all other metered areas (a few 1-hour and 2-hour free spaces are available only if you arrive early). Palm Beach tends to be calmest in the sweltering hot summer months when hotel rates tend to be lowest. Peak season is usually November to May.
Best Places to Stay in Palm Beach & West Palm Beach
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- Best Luxury Hotels in Palm Beach/West Palm Beach
The Breakers Palm Beach, the Colony Hotel, and the Four Seasons Resort have been documented The best boutique hotels are in Palm Beach/West Palm Beach.
The Ben โข Brazilian Court Hotel โข White Elephant - Recommended 3-star and 4-star hotels located in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach.
- Best Luxury Hotels in Palm Beach/West Palm Beach
Atlantic Shores Vacation VillasGrandview GardensCasa Grandview Bed and BreakfastPalm Beach Historic InnSabal Palm House Bed and BreakfastSunshine Shores
- Best Inexpensive Hotels in Palm Beach/West Palm Beach
Hampton Inn Palm Beach Gardens โข DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Palm Beach Gardens โข SpringHill Suites by Marriott West Palm Beach I-95 โข Hampton Inn Juno Beach โข Holiday Inn Express North Palm Beach-Oceanview
Best Areas in Palm Beach forโฆ
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- Most Romantic Neighborhoods: Palm Beach & Grandview Heights
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- Most Romantic Neighborhoods: Palm Beach & Grandview Heights
The exclusive resorts of Palm Beach such as the Breakers Palm Beach,Colony, and White Elephant are surely romantic, with restaurants like The Circle (in The Breakers) providing lavish environments for brunch or evening meals. Daniel Bouludโs high-end French restaurant Cafรฉ Boulud is also found in Palm Beach. A less costly yet equally appealing option is Grandview Heights, the historic neighborhood of early 1900s Craftsman homes and Mediterranean revival structures just south of Downtown West Palm Beach. It is home to romantic date places like Serenity Garden Tea House, the Norton Museum of Art, and Table 26 Palm Beach, as well as two of the regionโs best boutique hotels: Grandview Gardens and Casa Grandview Bed and Breakfast.
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- Top district for nightlife in West Palm Beach: Downtown West Palm Beach
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- Top district for nightlife in West Palm Beach: Downtown West Palm Beach
The city of West Palm Beach has a very lively nightlife scene centered around activities like sports, music, dining and drinks. There are two main hotspots in the downtown area โ the outdoor Rosemary Square Mall features attractions such as Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen and City Cellar Wine Bar. Meanwhile, Clematis Street is home to top live music venue Respectable Street,OโSheaโs Irish Pub,Roxyโs Pub, and The Loft nightclub, with Camelot cocktail bar nearby. The Ben is the closest hotel to the lively venues on Clematis Street.
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- Best Neighborhood for Scuba Divers: Riviera Beach/Singer Island
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- Best Neighborhood for Scuba Divers: Riviera Beach/Singer Island
The waters surrounding Palm Beach County, warmed by the Gulf Stream current, showcase a wealth of marine wildlife, boasting exceptional visibility especially during winter, and ideal conditions for drift diving. Riviera Beach/Singer Island presents the best selection of dive centres and tour operators. Most offer shark sightings, lobster hunting expeditions, and wreck diving excursions, in addition to regular two-tank reef dives (approximately $90). Recommended companies encompass Calypso Dive Excursions,Narcosis,Pura Vida, and Walkerโs Dive Excursions.
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- Best Neighborhood for Food and Restaurants: Downtown West Palm Beach Gourmet dining is difficult to surpass in Palm Beach, but food enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of flavors (and prices) across the lagoon. At the higher end, there are places like Lindsay Autryโs Regional Kitchen and Pistache French Bistro Tacos and smaller plates can be found at Avocado Grill, while Asian options include Kapow Noodle Bar. Exceptional Colombian coffee is available at Salento Coffee Shop, with key lime pie the highlight at Ganache Bakery.West Palm Beach GreenMarket operates every Saturday from October through late April (9 amโ1 pm).
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- Palm Beach and Palm Gardens have the best shopping options.
The iconic Worth Avenue in Downtown Palm Beach is filled with high-end boutiques, ranging from Jimmy Choo to Louis Vuitton. North of Cocoanut Row at Royal Poinciana Plaza is a lavish shopping mall set amongst fountains and gardens, featuring everything from swimwear to designer jewelry stores. With more conventional stores, Palm Beach Gardens is a paradise for shoppers, crammed with expansive outdoor malls: Downtown,The Gardens Mall,Legacy Place,PGA Commons, and Mainstreet at Midtown. Palm Beach Gardens is a short commute from Downtown West Palm Beach along I-95 (18 kilometers) but it is also possible to remain here: the top hotels include Hampton Inn Palm Beach Gardens,Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens, and Residence Inn by Marriott Palm Beach Gardens
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- Unsafe Areas of Palm Beach/West Palm Beach
The districts of Central Palm Beach and West Palm Beach mentioned below typically enjoy a fair degree of security, though normal precautions are advised after dark.
The Best Places in Palm Beach Area for Tourists
1. Palm Beach
The exclusive island of Palm Beach has been a place for wealthy individuals since businessman Henry Flagler established legendary resorts here in the late 1800s ( The Breakers, which remains open today as one of the original accommodations). Currently its lovely shorelines are close to some of the costliest real estate in America, featuring a Mediterranean-inspired architectural style known as โPalm Beach Style,โ but there are also many attractions. Flaglerโs former massive home, known as โWhitehall,โ is now the Flagler Museum, while the Society of the Four Arts offers concerts, movies, art exhibits, and two libraries. Lined with palm trees, Worth Avenue (pictured above) is filled with designer shops and high-end art galleries ideal to explore by foot. The cityโs culinary scene is highlighted annually at the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival each winter. Keeping with the opulent environs, lodgings in Palm Beach are generally lavish and costly.
- Highest recommended lodgings:Breakers Palm Beach โข Colony Hotel โข White Elephant โข Brazilian Court Hotel โข Palm Beach Historic Inn
2. Downtown West Palm Beach
Just across the lagoon from Palm Beach, West Palm Beach has always been in its neighborโs shadow โ the city grew up in the 1890s as a community serving Flaglerโs posh Palm Beach hotels. Since the 1990s Downtown has seen a renaissance, however, featuring lively entertainment and shopping districts, especially around Clematis Street (which hits the water at landscaped Centennial Square), and the Rosemary Square Mall. The weekly Clematis by Night live concerts are held every Thursday evening (6:00 p.m. โ 9.30 p.m.), while the West Palm Beach GreenMarket runs every Saturday in winter. The premier sight, just to the south, is Norton Museum of Art, with the Richard & Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum a few blocks north
- Highly Recommended Accommodations:The Ben – Palm Beach Hibiscus Downtown – Hilton West Palm Beach – Hyatt Place West Palm Beach – Residence Inn by Marriott West Palm Beach Downtown – West Palm Beach Marriott
3. Riviera Beach and Singer Island
Several miles up north from Downtown West Palm Beach, the community of Riviera Beach covers both the mainland and a section of Singer Island across the Intracoastal Waterway. It`s best known for its family-friendly attractions, particularly opportunities for diving and snorkeling. The waters underneath Blue Heron Bridge, which crosses the Intracoastal Waterway, attract squid, octopus, spotted rays, giant starfish, sea turtles, and tropical fish – the Underwater Snorkel Trail at Phil Foster Park includes limestone boulders and an artificial reef. Manatee Lagoon is free and features educational exhibits and a viewing area for manatees, while further inland Rapids Water Park provides pools and slides from March to October. It`s also possible to take a boat at Riviera Beach Marina Village to rustic Peanut Island for additional snorkeling and diving, as well as the historic John F. Kennedy Bunker (the latter is a nuclear shelter built in 1961 – it`s been closed since 2017, but public tours will hopefully restart in the future).
- Highly Recommended Accomodations:Atlantic Shores Vacation Villas – Marriottโs Oceana Palms – Marriottโs Ocean Pointe – Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa – Sand Dune Shores Resort – Sunshine Shores Boutique Apartments
4. Juno Beach
Sleepy Juno Beach, 12 miles north of West Palm Beach, is renowned for its lengthy stretch of (usually empty) sandy shoreline, sheltered dunes, and family-friendly attractions. Juno Beach Park (which offers abundant free parking) has 990-foot Juno Beach Pier, a popular spot for walks, sunrise viewing, and fishing. The pier is managed by nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center, a sea turtle conservation center and marine life hospital open to the public. Juno Beach has a small community and there is not much lodging available).
5. Lake Worth Beach
Located seven miles south of Downtown West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach mainly lies on the mainland opposite Palm Beach Island. It is best known for water-based recreation and the beaches on the island side, but Lake Worth also showcases a revitalized downtown area with boutiques, art galleries, antique stores, and a growing culinary scene. The city is also home to the mural-covered Museum of Lake Worth Beach (in the old City Hall Annex) and Palm Beach Pride, the region`s largest LGBTQ+ festival held there each March. Accommodation options in Lake Worth include some of the top B&Bs in the city. The municipality also incorporates a small section of the island across the lagoon, containing places like Lake Worth Beach Park and the municipal pier, so a few of the nearby hotels listed may technically fall within Palm Beach`s boundaries
- Premium Accommodations: Four Seasons Resort โข Ambassador โข Sabal Palm House Bed and Breakfast โข Mango Inn Bed and BreakfastPalm Beach Resort & Beach Club
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