Vibrant yellow-and-white beach umbrellas set against an azure sky, with crystal-clear waves rolling across soft white sandy beaches: It’s a setting that immediately alleviates stress and brings peace to the soul. If you’re looking for a pampering getaway, look no further than Forbes Five-Star Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. With impeccable service and the ultimate luxury spa, this beach resort should be on your Florida-stay bucket list. 

Located in the small seaside town of Manalapan just south of Palm Beach, overlooking south Florida’s turquoise waters, the sprawling, Mediterranean-style waterfront escape offers two outdoor pools, tennis courts, and four exceptional restaurants, all set on seven acres of lush tropical grounds. 

Upon check-in, guests are greeted with a glass of bubbly before heading to their spacious and colorful accommodations designed by Jonathan Adler, featuring soaking tubs, luxurious bedding, and private balconies with hanging chairs to enjoy ocean views. 

But amazingly enough, the luxury accommodations and the ocean views are not the main attraction for many guests. The resort boasts a 42,000-square-foot spa—a playground for adults—where all the senses are pampered and indulged. Spend any amount of time in this soothing Shangri-La and you’ll want to book your next trip.

Start your visit by lounging in the co-ed Self Centered Garden, a courtyard at the heart of the spa. The garden has several soothing water features including fountains and waterfalls and is lined with bromeliads and palms. White canvas tents shade lounge chairs, plush couches, and daybeds. Rattan swing chairs float over a shallow reflecting pool—the perfect place to rock your cares away. 

Separate lounges for men and women are located inside the spa, and just as the garden offers a relaxing setting, the interiors don’t disappoint. The oversized whirlpool in the women’s side is surrounded by heated stone loungers. This wet spa also houses the sauna and steam room. Guests can create their own body scrub at the Polish Bar before hitting the steam.

Nineteen therapeutic treatment rooms offer the ultimate “me time” experience. Among the treatments on offer are the One Love Facial, which treats the skin with Alpha Beta peels, vitamin C mask, and collagen-stimulating LED light, and the Eau Naturale Facial, an organic anti-aging facial that turns back the clock with botanicals. The Garden of Eden massage for two, and the Turkish Rhassoul Mud Ritual to soften and exfoliate skin, while sipping Champagne prove there is something for just about everyone on the spa menu. 

After a morning at the spa, have an umbrella set up on the beach in front of the hotel, where you can rent SUPs, snorkel gear, and body boards for an afternoon frolicking in the sun and surf. 

For dining, the resort offers incredible gastronomic delights. Whether you are in the mood for classic American surf and turf, sushi featuring Florida’s freshest catch, or upscale Italian cuisine, the resort has something for everyone’s palate. Angle offers a farm-to-table experience focused on regionally grown produce and prime meats and fish paired with wine from its award-winning selection. Boken shows off the creativity of head sushi chef Chris Cantrel.

For the ultimate experience, dine at chef Cantrel’s table for an Omakase meal, a one-of-a-kind tour of authentic Japanese cuisine. Or take your taste buds to southern Italy at Polpo Palm Beach. Upscale fare inspired by regional dishes with an Italian-influenced wine list is presented by Eau Palm Beach’s executive chef Neall Bailey. Choose to dine inside or out—I chose to dine outside to hear the waves lapping at the shore and see the stars coming out in the evening. 

Truly a playground paradise, this stellar spa and resort experience is not to be missed.

Taking over an iconic hotel built in 1924 on one of Palm Beach’s most fashionable main streets, The White Elephant is a 32-room boutique property (with 13 rooms and 19 suites spread across four stories) that offers the glamour of the 1920s with all the modern amenities of a five-star luxury hotel. 

The Addison Mizner–style facade was fully restored in creamy-white stucco, black trim, and terracotta roof tiles. Black-and-white striped awnings offer a polished, fabled look. Guests are welcomed by a seven-foot white elephant statue by Santa Fe–based artist Fredrick Prescott. 

Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the hotel has more of the feel of an upscale private residence, featuring a neutral color palette with metal accents, vibrant splashes of color, and more than 120 pieces of artwork, carefully curated by the owners and design firm, on display throughout the common areas and guest rooms. An original fireplace mantel welcomes guests in the lobby. The hardwood floors, Carrara marble, elegant tiles, and woven rugs offer a luxurious, textured contemporary style. 

Artists on display include Robert Rauschenberg, whose early creations in the 1950s anticipated the pop art movement, and Jennifer Bartlett, known for her small, square steel plates that are combined in grid formations to create large-scale works. Several pieces by painter Kenzo Okada, the first Japanese-American artist to receive international acclaim using abstract expressionist style, are on display, as are works by Donald Baechler, part of the East Village, New York, 1980s art movement.

A 54-inch-round acrylic work by Orit Fuchs was specifically created for the hotel and is a focal point of the lobby; six prints by Yinka Shonibare can be found on the second-floor corridor. Doodle Boy, a 10-year-old British artist, was commissioned to create 30 exclusive pieces for the powder rooms. Using clean black lines hand drawn with a thick marker, he incorporated a hidden signature elephant in each of his drawings. 

Each guest room door is outfitted with an elephant door knocker. Upon entering your spacious room, you are greeted with an impeccable designscape, featuring custom furniture and plush couches covered in soothing gray and cream-colored fabrics. The ultra dreamy king-sized beds are outfitted with Pratesi linens and upholstered backboards accented in a colorful palm and floral print. Console tables by Selamat Designs, in collaboration with Morris & Co., are wrapped inside and out with authentic William Morris “Strawberry Thief” covering. The bathrooms feature marble tiles, double stone sinks, a dry vanity, and glass-enclosed showers. Everything is automated including temperature, shades, and lighting, which can be set to any mood you wish. The guest rooms are so beautiful and comfortable, you may just forgo exploring the city.

 When you are ready to get some of Florida sunshine, an outdoor courtyard offers the perfect spot to relax or take a dip in the pool. The manicured grounds feature mature palm trees and lush, fragrant flora. White Elephant Palm Beach’s signature restaurant Lola 41—a Nantucket staple—serves globally inspired dishes and local seafood specialties. If you’re able to get a spot on the patio, I highly recommend it.  

For more information, visit whiteelephantpalmbeach.com

A 14-mile-long and half-mile-wide Atlantic coast barrier island, Palm Beach beckons those searching for the ultimate luxury in Florida getaways.

Pristine beaches, Worth Avenue’s tony boutiques, five-star restaurants, and oceanfront resorts make this a place to see and be seen. At this Gilded Age winter haven of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, grand historical estates hide behind iron gates and high hedgerows.  

The Colony Hotel

The Colony Hotel, known as the iconic “Pink Lady” (the hotel is painted a blush-rose hue), opened in in 1947 and embodies Old Floridian charm. Located on Hammon Avenue, the pretty-in-pink classic Colonial-style hotel is a breath of fresh air. The interior lobby is welcoming, with a nod to the tropics, thanks to Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors who has worked to give the original spaces (first designed by the iconic Dorothy Draper & Co.) a refresh. Palm frond–themed fabrics dress the club chairs, while shimmering green crystals drip from the chandelier. 

At check-in, guests are greeted with a glass of Champagne before heading to their suites. Each room is decorated in a unique color palette. Comfortable and ultra-luxe, the accommodations are impeccable (in my room, I’m surrounded by swaths of pink and green). After unpacking, head to the pool, where even the sunbathers are dressed to the nines in fashionable wide-brimmed straw hats, chic Audrey Hepburn sunglasses, and Lilly Pulitzer shifts, finished off with Jimmy Choo jute mule sandals. 

Couples enjoy brunch at the hotel’s restaurant, Swifty’s. The patio overlooks the pool, with many men in navy-blue jackets and shorts and women dressed in crisp white linen. The pool and the lush green lawn beyond are immaculate. Take a table on the terrace, order a salad and a sauvignon blanc, and watch the scene featuring the who’s who of Palm Beach’s elite unfold. The socialite scene is alive and well and lots of fun in this pretty pink paradise in Palm Beach. 

Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa

Vibrant yellow-and-white beach umbrellas set against an azure sky, with crystal-clear waves rolling across soft white sandy beaches: It’s a setting that immediately alleviates stress and brings peace to the soul. If you’re looking for a pampering getaway, head to Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. With impeccable service and the ultimate luxury spa, this beach resort should be on your Florida-stay bucket list. Located in the small seaside town of Manalapan just south of Palm Beach, overlooking south Florida’s turquoise waters, the sprawling, Mediterranean-style waterfront escape offers two outdoor pools, tennis courts, and four exceptional restaurants, all set on seven acres of lush tropical grounds.

But amazingly enough, the luxury accommodations and the ocean views are not the main attraction for many guests. The resort boasts a 42,000-square-foot spa—a playground for adults—where all the senses are pampered and indulged. Spend any amount of time in this soothing Shangri-La and you’ll want to book your next trip right away.

Head to the co-ed Self Centered Garden, a courtyard at the heart of the spa. The garden has several soothing water features including fountains and waterfalls and is lined with bromeliads and palms. White canvas tents shade lounge chairs, plush couches, and daybeds. Rattan swing chairs float over a shallow reflecting pool—the perfect place to rock your cares away.

Separate lounges for men and women are located inside the spa, and just as the garden offers a relaxing setting, the interiors don’t disappoint. The oversized whirlpool in the women’s side is surrounded by heated stone loungers. This wet spa also houses the sauna and steam room. Guests can create their own body scrub at the Polish Bar before hitting the steam.

Nineteen therapeutic treatment rooms offer the ultimate “me time” experience. Truly a playground paradise, this stellar spa and resort experience is not to be missed.

White Elephant Palm Beach

Taking over an iconic hotel built in 1924 on one of Palm Beach’s most fashionable main streets, The White Elephant is a 32-room boutique property (with 13 rooms and 19 suites spread across four stories) that offers the glamour of the 1920s with all the modern amenities of a five-star luxury hotel.

The Addison Mizner–style facade was fully restored in creamy-white stucco, black trim, and terracotta roof tiles. Black-and-white striped awnings offer a polished, fabled look. Guests are welcomed by a seven-foot white elephant statue by Santa Fe–based artist Fredrick Prescott. 

Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the hotel has more of the feel of an upscale private residence, featuring a neutral color palette, vibrant splashes of color, and more than 120 pieces of artwork on display throughout the common areas and guest rooms. An original fireplace mantel welcomes guests in the lobby.

Upon entering your spacious guest room, you are greeted with an impeccable designscape, featuring custom-designed furniture, plush couches covered in soothing gray and cream-colored fabrics. The dreamy king-sized beds are outfitted with Pratesi linens and upholstered backboards accented in a colorful palm and floral print. Everything is automated including temperature, shades, and lighting, which can be set to any mood you wish. The guest rooms are so beautiful and comfortable, you may just forgo exploring the city.

When you are ready to get some Florida sunshine, an outdoor courtyard offers the perfect spot to relax or take a dip in the pool. The perfectly manicured grounds feature mature palm trees and lush, fragrant flora. White Elephant Palm Beach’s signature restaurant, Lola 41—a Nantucket staple—serves globally inspired dishes and local seafood specialties. If you’re able to get a spot on the patio, I highly recommend it.

The Breakers

Gilded Age decadence is alive and well at The Breakers. The iconic Palm Beach resort has been welcoming guests for more than 100 years, offering lavish accommodations on the shoreline. In the late 1800s, Henry Morrison Flagler reimagined South Florida into a winter getaway for the well-heeled and this tradition of a luxury holiday remains to this day. Now into its second century, the resort continues its success under the ownership of Flagler’s heirs.

The architecture, based on the Villa Medici, built in Rome in the 1400s, is of the Mediterranean-style and features an eight-story palace with Belvedere towers and graceful arches throughout. The palm-lined approach road leads to a Florentine Fountain based on one found in Florence’s Boboli Gardens, and the hotel’s breathtaking lobby is inspired by the Great Hall of the Palazzo Carrega in Genoa.

The 538 guest rooms, including 68 suites, offer views of the ocean or the manicured gardens and landscape. For an intimate and customized experience, the resort’s Fllagler Club is an exclusive, 25-room boutique hotel atop the resort. With a private entrance, the club offers well-appointed accommodations and personalized service throughout your stay, including chauffeured Tesla car service and a full-service team to cater to your every desire. 

With a full-service spa and hair salon; multiple pools; watersports on the half-mile private beach; 10 Har-Tru tennis courts; and 10 dining options, including Sunday brunch in the Circle, a rotunda with 30-foot frescoed ceiling and eight oval murals depicting Renaissance landscapes; there is no shortage of indulging, pampering, or entertainment. In 2022, the resort completed a full-scale renovation of the Rees Jones golf course. The resort is a must-visit on any trip to Palm Beach.

Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach

Sophisticated and stylish, the Four Seasons offers the seasoned traveler unparalleled service, breathtaking ocean views, and a relaxed vibe that melts away the stress of life. Authentic experiences abound and are inspired by the barrier island’s heritage and charm, such as a private luxury yacht sunset cruise, snorkeling in the Atlantic, or taking in a polo match while sipping Champagne at the International Polo Club. There is no shortage of unique and elevated activities at this five-star beachfront masterpiece.

With picturesque pools, six acres of private beachfront, five-star spa, fitness center, tennis classes, a luxury-goods boutique, and Krigler Perfumery, a stay at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach offers a relaxing oasis of the world-class amenities and 207 guest rooms and suites. Experience dining at Florie’s by Mauro Colagreco, the flagship restaurant and bar in partnership with the chef behind three-Michelin starred Mirazur, which celebrates Florida’s seafood and local farm produce.

The common areas and guest rooms, designed by acclaimed interior architect and designer Martin Brudnizki, pay homage to an elegant yet laidback coastal lifestyle with a fresh, modern color palette. For an elevated getaway that brings together the best of resort vacations, the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach should be on your list of stays in this Florida paradise.

When Gregg Salter was a young boy growing up in England, he would tinker alongside his father in the garden shed, repairing old pieces of furniture, fixing windows, and carving objects out of wood. This childhood hobby became a career in his mid-20s, when Salter formally trained as a joiner and carpenter under a master woodworker. He restored all styles of period windows and doors, a 500-year-old Tudor manor house using original tools, and even a historical barge at Oxford University. After becoming a master carpenter in his own right, be began to travel the world and landed on the Big Island of Hawaii and decided to call this piece of paradise home. Salter continued in the field of construction building high-end homes and cabinetry until 2008 when, in the economic downturn, he came across an opportunity. 

From his home woodshop, he began to pass the time with one of his first loves, carving knife handles. Salter and his wife, Marie, realized they could turn his impeccable skills into a business. So that same year Salter combined his passion for Old World woodworking techniques with his lifelong interest in knives to create Salter Fine Cutlery. Resembling more a work of art than a utilitarian object, each knife is designed and handcrafted by Salter. 

Today he continues to work from his woodshop on the Big Island, spending hours carving, hand-sanding, and hand-finishing every piece he creates, and he loves every step of the process. “I try and minimize the use of modern electric tools as much as possible, as well as large machines, which can produce a cookie-cutter production knife,” Salter explains. Instead each knife handle is carefully free-formed by hand and painstakingly hand-sanded to perfection. 

As a Hawaiian-based artisan, he primarily uses reclaimed, kiln-dried koa wood, which is native to Hawaii and known for its rich color, grain patterns, and chatoyance. “It gives the wood an almost iridescent quality,” he explains. “The wood is kiln-dried to produce a fine-art quality grade for each knife handle.” 

To make knife handles suitable for repeated use in the kitchen, Salter first stabilizes the handles with a marine-grade product, and then repeatedly hand-sands the handle and finishes with a hardwood flooring sealant. Between each application of sealant, the handles are hand-buffed and hand-rubbed to achieve a smooth and polished finish. “We use natural oils for the final finishing step to produce a low luster that is easy to maintain with periodic reapplication of the oil,” he says. He also offers handle refinishing to keep handles looking their best for years to come. 

In equal measure, the same care and attention goes into crafting the cutlery components of the knives. The high carbon stainless steel blades are made by expert bladesmiths from Japan. Each blade is hand-forged and engraved with the blacksmith’s signature. “This carbon stainless steel is the highest quality steel you can get,” says Salter. “Each blade can be custom designed and Salter offers several attractive patterns. For bladesmiths who still make their blades the traditional way, 

highly customized, Salter’s idea to make some of the highest-quality knives using old-fashioned techniques has really paid off. 

His knife-making skills are world renowned with chefs and collectors alike. With repeat global customers, Salter has taken orders for New York’s top steak houses, Michelin-star chefs, and the world’s elite, who want their dining tables to be graced with the finest. “We’ve had several orders from visitors to the Island of Hawaii who want to take something special home from the island,” notes Marie. 

Since each knife is unique and custom designed, it takes an average of two to three weeks to create set of eight steak knives. That is after the blades are made—only 40 blades are produced each month by the bladesmiths. Salter also makes breathtaking koa wood presentation boxes for the knives. If you are looking for the finest in cutlery, look no further than Gregg Salter and Salter Fine Cutlery.

For more information, visit salterfinecutlery.com.

Skimming the water along Italy’s sunny Amalfi Coast with prosecco in hand and listening to Luciano Pavarotti belting out “Nessun Dorma” over the sound system, I can’t help but believe this is possibly one of the most perfect days. 

Today I am a guest (along with two other travel writers) of Guido and Ornella Fiorentino. Guido owns Sorrento’s Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, which has been in his family since 1834. Throughout its storied past, it has hosted European royalty and Hollywood celebrities as well as a host of iconic singers, artists, and musicians. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, and the island of Capri, the five-star hotel—complete with Michelin-starred dining—is spread over three historic buildings. It’s the perfect basecamp from which to tour this classic Mediterranean landscape, rich in both natural beauty and ancient history. 

We speed past the calcareous rock coastline and its mysterious caves, grottos, Roman ruins, terraced vineyards, and lemon orchards—one scene more breathtaking than the next. Not only are the sights, salt air, operatic tenor, and prosecco perfection, but also the warmth and hospitality of this gracious and handsome powerhouse couple unyielding. Their welcoming, relaxed demeanor is infectious and makes the trip all the more sensational. 

We stop for lunch where the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno begin to turn at Marina del Cantone. Just offshore, located between the Bays of Recommone and Ieranto, lies Li Galli island, where the Sirens in Homer’s epic poem Odyssey were said to have lived.   

The tiny cove is home to Ristorante Maria Grazia, which opened in 1901. We eat family style at a long table with a pale blue tablecloth and white china overlooking the sea. Plate after plate arrives from the kitchen: fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, green olives, and heaps of spaghetti and zucchini topped with fresh basil. This spaghetti dish was invented by founder Maria Grazia and passed down through generations—it is simple but exquisite. Falanghina wine flows freely while Guido describes his childhood growing up on the Amalfi Coast and the history of his famous hotel. He shares that it was built on the ruins of Roman Emperor Augustus’s villa; a series of tunnels still run beneath. 

Satiated and even more intrigued, we hop on the boat and return to our ultra-luxe accommodations. A quick elevator ride brings us from the port directly back to the hotel. The afternoon is spent touring and shopping in town with Ornella. She shares some of her favorite boutiques selling everything from handmade sandals to the region’s lemon liquor, limoncello. 

Back to the hotel’s champagne garden, we talk about the day under the wisteria-laden pergola as the sun begins to set. Before heading to dinner, I wander around the hotel’s ancient grounds, taking in the Mediterranean plants and citrus and olive groves and soaking in the beauty. The hotel’s interiors parallel the surrounding grounds and gardens. Its 18th-century columns, frescoed ceilings, and antiques mirror the region’s unsurpassed history and sophistication. 

I join my new friends at the Michelin-starred restaurant Terrazza Bosquet, helmed by chef Antonino Montefusco, whose regional and Mediterranean cuisine incorporates fresh, local produce—even a variety of citrus fruits from the hotel’s orange grove. The presentation of each dish is divine. We are fortunate to have Guido and Ornella join us for the evening and learn more about the hotel’s iconic guests: poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, German composer Richard Wagner, and turn-of-the-last-century Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso. The hotel still keeps the Caruso Suite, where Caruso spent many months, decorated in Victorian fashion. I can hear “O Sole Mio” when I tour the famous suite—an homage to this great Italian talent. 

The next morning after breakfast, we head to the little square of Termini in the small village of Massa Lubrense for a guided hike on San Costanzo mountain. Vegetation sprouts from the rocky terrain and our guide points out tiny blue flowers called Lithodora rosmarinifolia, a common plant of the Sorrento peninsula. We continue our journey to the eastern peak where the small chapel of San Costanzo dates back to the 16th century. The hike is a must for any trip to the region: Seeing the landscape up close with views out to Capri is otherworldly and worth the exertion. 

After this glorious walk, I head back to the hotel’s boutique La Serra spa for a signature massage and facial. The experience is the ultimate in wellness and relaxation—and much needed after the coastal walk. After having a glass of wine on the terrace of my two-story suite overlooking the sea, I head to Ristorante Museo Caruso—literally a shrine to the great tenor—where I indulge in delicious Mediterranean and Neapolitan flavors. Caruso serenades in the background. It’s the perfect way to end my trip to such a memorable destination.