Readers Voted This Iconic Palm Seaside Lodge One among Florida’s Finest — Here is What It is Prefer to Keep

“Is that lady within the pool sipping a martini?” I requested my husband, Rob. We each put down our paperbacks and watched because the tan visor-and-bikini-clad visitor picked up her chilled glass — slick with condensation on the surface, stuffed with a nebulous clear liquid on the within — and casually waded from one aspect of the curving oasis to the opposite.

It was 11:58 a.m.

“She seems completely happy?” he replied with a shrug and a smile.

And so was each different customer absorbing the Palm Seaside solar on the Colony Lodge that summer time Saturday morning. The group included solo vacationers, content material to be pampered on a luxurious lounger; packs of designer-clad youngsters, tapping away on their telephones; and households with younger kids, longing for some play. After which there have been the celebratory brunches (multigenerational birthday events, milestone anniversaries) drawing in residents to Swifty’s, the Colony’s wonderful, indoor-outdoor white-tablecloth restaurant. I watched because the tables adjoining to the pool, cooled by followers and a dangling backyard, stuffed with locals decked out of their Dior. A DJ was quickly there to maintain the vibe upbeat.

Certainly, in 2024, the toasting, the smiling, and the selfie-taking occur 24/7 on the Colony, a Palm Seaside mainstay since 1947. The placement couldn’t be extra prime: the property, a pale pink and white trimmed L-shaped constructing, sits on the western finish of Hammon Avenue and is each a stone’s throw away from the seashore and the designer outlets of Price Avenue. And with journey to Florida within the “low season” months gaining popularity — our flight from New York Metropolis was packed in July — the resort is now basically a year-round vacation spot.

The 50s and 60s put the Colony on the society social map, with well-known friends like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren dropping in for lavish events. One might argue that the resort is now in a second, extra inclusive act. In 2016, the resort was bought by Andrew and Sarah Wetenhall, who set about renovating the property for the twenty first century. In 2020, Mimi McMakin and Celerie Kemble from Kemble Interiors freshened up the foyer, or “The Residing Room,” with a customized, hand-painted de Gournay wall protecting. It’s an eye-candy mural the place you’ll discover a number of Johnnie Browns, Addison Mizner’s legendary pet spider monkey, hiding among the many palms and greenery, together with flamingos, alligators, and panthers. A number of seating areas enable friends to take a seat and take all of it in, the prime perch being the central house, anchored by a hand-carved customized pagoda. “This resort has all the time been the center of Palm Seaside, and I wished to make sure it continues to be a spot the place recollections are made for generations to come back,” Sarah Wetenhall advised Journey + Leisure.

And although the resort nonetheless attracts a gentle stream of Palm Seaside society varieties, the younger, attentive employees and relaxed vibe make for a shoulders-down, comfy expertise. Social media has additionally performed its half, with playful posts of monogrammed slippers and poolside backgammon giving sturdy out-of-office vibes. Nobody batted an eye fixed when my 9-year-old son, Bobby, and I walked into the lounge in flip-flops, shorts, and T-shirts after sweating it out on the seashore (although I made a decision to go to the resort’s unique Dolce & Gabbana boutique at one other time). Bobby was handed a scavenger hunt card at check-in, prompting him to search for the varied Johnnie Browns discreetly painted on the wall protecting. The guests I noticed ranged from 8 months previous to 80, and all discovered their completely happy place — even the pampered canine. “The Colony Lodge, which we discuss with as ‘the Pink Paradise,’ is a lot greater than only a place to remain,” says the property’s common supervisor, Bruce Seigel.

Right here is what to anticipate if you examine into the Colony Lodge, which Journey + Leisure readers voted the No. 2 resort in Florida in our 2024 World’s Finest Awards.

The Rooms

If you’d like a cookie-cutter resort visitor room, keep elsewhere.

Designated a historic landmark in 2020, the Colony has 93 visitor rooms and suites, together with three penthouses, seven villas, and 4 bungalows. The visitor rooms and suites are all unabashedly colourful — yellows, pinks, and blues abound on the partitions, headboards, and ceilings — with a basic Palm Seaside aesthetic. They’re additionally supremely comfy: It’s simple to fall into mattress after a protracted day on the seashore when the linens, robes, and slippers are by Matouk. Commonplace visitor rooms, of which there are 42, begin at 180 sq. toes, whereas the superior suites, which have a parlor and two bogs, are perfect for households and vary from 375 to 475 sq. toes. If you happen to’re touring with a gaggle, it’s additionally doable to request a double-bed suite.

You’ll have much more house if you happen to e book one of many 14 residences, which embody three penthouses in the primary resort, 4 bungalows with their very own personal swimming pools adjoining to the resort’s east backyard, and 7 villas reimagined by a few of the world’s prime inside personalities and carved from the Casa Mañana, a Spanish-style, Nineteen Twenties property throughout the road. “Collaborating with globally celebrated designers to reimagine the areas inside this jewel has been one in all my greatest passions,” provides Wetenhall.

My household and I stayed within the “Goop” villa. Sure, dropped at you by that Goop. New York-based Ronen Lev designed the two-bedroom, 2,524-square-foot residence accessible by two separate keyed entrances. It additionally has its personal pretty swimming pool, which is shared with different villa friends, the place you’ll be able to order meals and drinks in privateness.

We loved having the house to unfold out within the terracotta-tiled kitchen space (notice the premium Monogram home equipment), which has a small desk for eating and an island for socializing. The open ground plan strikes into a luxurious lounge with native Palmer magazines to learn and a comfortable nook for sipping morning espresso. There are additionally loads of Instagrammable moments, from the palm print motif by Lily Pulitzer studio within the powder room to the Goop-branded facilities stocked within the two full bogs. (Bonus: You might be allowed to take them dwelling.) Arched doorways and home windows remind you this can be a historic house, as do the gracious columns on the wrap-around terrace.

A few of the different marquee villas embody Aralia, embellished in blue-and-white scheme by Mark D. Sikes; Poinciana, a 2,700-square-foot house completed up by Kemble Interiors; Lantana, a retro-leaning villa by Serena & Lily; and the art-studded Chairish Villa, embellished by the classic decor firm with items sourced from Palm Seaside sellers akin to Circa Who and Present Pony. If you happen to’re a maximalist, the latter is the best way to go: Your eye is consistently scanning for brand new treasures, from the leaf-print Schumacher Hospitality bedspreads to the lounge’s monkey chandelier by Mario Lopez Torres to the 40-plus items of artwork, with works by Brock DeBoer, Melo Porter, and Ron Giusti. I cherished the portray of colourful butterflies by the Michigan-based Hope Olson and the poolside Colony scene, a painted {photograph} by Lia Burke Libaire. Above the mattress within the major bed room? A sculptural sequence of blown glass drops by Seth Fairweather.

Meals and Drink

A part of the New York to Palm Seaside migration contains Swifty’s, the Colony’s marquee restaurant. The Manhattan society spot could have shuttered in 2016, but it surely has discovered a brand new lease on life right here, with a number of personalities and moods, relying upon the hour of the day. It may be relaxed on a weekday breakfast (the cereal-crusted French toast is a spotlight), convivial over a weekend brunch when the cocktails get flowing, and extra formal at dinner, particularly if you happen to select to take a seat within the air-conditioned indoors, the place there’s a round bar space, velvet banquettes, and grasscloth-covered partitions embellished with palm bushes.

Tom Whitaker, the English-born govt chef, has crafted a menu that provides a little bit of all the pieces, and the parts are beneficiant. Signature dishes embody the hefty cobb salad, crushed avocado on toasted nine-grain toast, completely crisp Maryland crab truffles, and the decadent bacon-wrapped meatloaf, which we shared with your complete desk. These American classics are balanced with the extra eclectic, international fare, together with Chef Tom’s “British” fish and chips; roast cauliflower, coconut, and pepper curry; and beer-braised birria pork and cheese empanadas. Gown accordingly if you happen to’re going for dinner, and reservations are extremely really helpful, given the strong native turnout.

Head to the Pink Paradise Cafe, simply off the primary foyer, for an off-the-cuff sandwich, smoothie, or morning pastry and low run. Our favorites? The Greek salad, which had simply the correct quantity of feta cheese; the grilled hen panini with solar dried tomato and pesto; and the mushy chocolate chip cookies. For an off-the-cuff afternoon drink, we additionally stopped by the coated bar behind the pool, which has a handful of high-top tables and low-level seating spilling out onto the garden.

Location

The great thing about the Colony is that it’s a brief stroll to Pam Seaside’s expansive, white sand shoreline, which by no means feels overcrowded. We used the classic pink Land Rover Defender 100, or Seaside Runner, parked out entrance, as a shuttle to take us over. As soon as there, a useful seashore butler arrange pink-and-white striped chairs and took our lunch order, delivering meals from the Pink Paradise Cafe and water in a Yeti cooler. Since most friends want to hold by the primary pool, this was a wonderful choice on the times we wished a bit extra privateness. And the Atlantic waves have been calm sufficient for swimming.

Bikes are free to borrow for using up and down the 14-mile-long, 4-square-mile barrier island, which is superbly maintained. A few of the space’s finest eating places, together with Bice, the go-to for elegant Italian; Le Bilboquet, for French fare and a late-night scene; Renato’s, a basic since 1987, and Pizza Al Fresco (our favourite spot for an off-the-cuff dinner, with wonderful Margherita and black truffle pies) are only a brief stroll or automobile experience away. If one of many resort’s two Volvo XC90 Inscriptions have been idling on the porte cochère, we might take a free experience to maximise our time; it additionally turns out to be useful if anybody in your celebration has mobility challenges.

Actions and Experiences

Although it has a smaller footprint than a few of the different, bigger Palm Seaside space resorts, the Colony makes up for it with considerate programming that brings friends collectively, like Sunday bingo, Monday trivia night time, and shortly, Tuesday mahjong. We cherished that there was a DJ spinning by the pool to maintain the temper vibrant and upbeat — you’ll be able to count on to see one there from Thursday to Sunday at numerous hours. In the course of the season, from the top of October to Might, visitor audio system drop in for “The Residing Room Sequence” for choose e book signings and tastings; celebrated gallery Voltz Clarke additionally does a pop-up, rotating exhibition of latest items within the Solarium. If you happen to play tennis, pack your racquets; friends can entry the close by Seaview Park Tennis Heart, which has seven courts.

After all, there are many issues to expertise within the higher Palm Seaside space, together with the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, housed in Whitehall, the magnate’s 1902 mansion; West Palm Seaside’s Norton Museum of Artwork, which has over 8,200 works and a powerful sculpture backyard with items by Jenny Holzer and Keith Haring; and the designer outlets of Price Avenue and Royal Poinciana Plaza. In case your tastes lean extra towards classic, head to West Palm Seaside’s Vintage Row and Design District. For kid-friendly sights, the Cox Science Heart and Aquarium and the Palm Seaside Zoo and Conservation Society provide simple, welcome breaks.

Accessibility

The Colony has one ADA-compliant visitor room and all public areas are accessible.

Getting the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

We used Icon Chauffeured Providers to get to and from the airport; they have been immediate and courteous. The resort is a part of the Virtuoso community, which presents early arrival and departure, based mostly on availability, complimentary breakfast, a $100 credit score, a welcome amenity, and a complimentary improve.