In 2006, FTF's annual Top 10 survey of award-winners honored The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida as a Top Luxury Beach Resort.
Whether a high-end vacation is a matter of course for you and your family or a treat reserved for a special occasion, our 9th annual awards focus on the latest travel segment to embrace young guests: the super luxe resort.
The Breakers
Palm Beach , Florida
888/BREAKERS (888/273-2537)
Not one to rest on its laurels, The Breakers pulled out all the stops in recent years with a $250 million refurbishment and expansion project designed to appeal to today’s well-heeled guests, many of whom return with their children and grandchildren. Already considered a luxury property at its inception in 1896, the resort, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has gradually relaxed its formal ambience with an eye to becoming more family-friendly while retaining its upscale Italian Renaissance look.
There are a total of 560 soundproofed rooms (some connecting, some suites) on 140 acres of oceanfront property, and with an average of $15 million a year pledged for continuing renovations, we don’t think this resort will lose its luster any time soon.
The exclusive half-mile of private beach along the Atlantic fronts the Mediterranean-style beach club and deserves special mention. Guests can rent a beach bungalow for the day or cool off in five swimming pools — including a zero-entry family pool — on the property. Adults can also play on 36 holes of championship golf, including the Ocean Course and The Breakers Rees Jones Course; practice their serve on 10 tennis courts, or unwind at The Spa, followed by an elegant dinner at L’Escalier restaurant.
Small fry are catered to in a big way at The Breakers with a Coconut Crew Interactive Camp offered daily for kids aged 3 to 12. Organized activities are age appropriate and include everything from golf and tennis clinics to lawn games and bonfires on the beach. The Camp operates from 9am to 12:30pm and noon to 3pm so you can book Junior’s time with the golf pro, or parents can opt for an all-day session. The resort’s winning move is the new Family Entertainment Center featuring an arcade, a toddler and children’s playroom, a craft area, children’s movie theater, Laser Tag, magic show and, blissfully, a glass-walled lounge from which children can be seen but not heard.
2007 rates for a family of four range from US$375 to US$550/N for a standard double room to US$570 to US$1,070/N for a one-bedroom suite depending on season.
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