While we were traveling through Palm Beach, we discovered a beautiful hotel called The Breakers which sits overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Originally built in 1896 by oil and railroad magnate Henry Flagler, it was designed to accommodate travelers on his Florida railway. It occupies 140 beachfront acres. The original wooden hotel was consumed by fire in 1903 and was rebuilt and reopened in 1904. Rooms started at $4.00/night and included three meals a day. Motorized vehicles were prohibited on the grounds, which also included a 9 hole golf course. The second hotel caught fire again in 1925, twelve years after Henry Flagler's death, when a curling iron was accidentally left on. The new 550 room hotel was rebuilt and modeled after the Villa Medici in Rome, Italy. Built, using over 1200 workers, it reopened on December 29, 1926. This hotel inspired the famed Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Here's a glimpse inside this beautiful hotel.
Approaching the hotel entrance, you're met by a gate guard who verifies your business at the hotel. You're then directed to a separate parking lot. Only authorized hotel vehicles are allowed at the entrance.
We parked in a small parking lot near the entrance and toured the grounds which were spectacular and impeccably manicured.
Entering the hotel, we walked past the concierge's desk and entered a side foyer. To the left of this hall was a large bar area with luxurious seating areas.
Even the bathrooms were spotless and exquisite. They had no paper towels, only fine linen. That is all solid oak wood.
This is one of the hotel's spacious dining areas. It also doubles as a meeting room. Note the super big television screen in the back.
The hotel surrounds a center piece garden and fountain. The statuettes appeared to be gold plate.
Every room in the hotel would have a view of either the fountain, one of the backside bodies of water or the vast Atlantic Ocean.
The architecture of the hotel is inspiring. As noted previously, this hotel was modeled after the Villa Medici in Rome. Note the four balconies on the upper right. These provide views of the ocean.
I wanted to go upstairs and check out the rooms and views but we never did. Instead, we visited the fountain area for a bit and then visited some of the fine shops they had on site.
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| This is the entrance fountain leading into the hotel |
As we left the hotel, it was obvious this was a very private upscale neighborhood. Check out the height of the hedges surrounding all of the homes. These are not fences but rather large hedges. Very similar to Beverly Hills, 90210.
We decided to cruise around and take a look at some of the nearby homes. This one was on the market for a mere $32 million dollars. It has 6 bedroom/10 baths and is a mere 11,000 square feet.
It does come with a spectacular ocean view.
I love views of skylines over the water. This one is of West Palm Beach near the Flagler museum.
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| This is where you go when you need some work done around the home, and there's no Home Depot |
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