Changes over the years but still reinventing and keeping up excellent quality
Jul 14, 2024 649ic New York City, New York
I've been to this property a few times over the past 40 years and it is always like being there for the first time. The rocks where my dad crashed the catamaran 40 years ago have been moved as has the entire beachfront and pool areas. As it keeps changing, it has also reinvented itself to a new generation of families and the quality is still…
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I've been to this property a few times over the past 40 years and it is always like being there for the first time. The rocks where my dad crashed the catamaran 40 years ago have been moved as has the entire beachfront and pool areas. As it keeps changing, it has also reinvented itself to a new generation of families and the quality is still primo, even if there is a bit of sticker shock with the F&B (and I'm pretty hard to shock). But nearly $200 for one person to eat dinner at a smart-casual fish restaurant is pretty steep, wouldn't you say? But the banana cream pie was great! My mother says not that long ago you could stay from Friday to Sunday for all of $200 on a Florida weekend summer special. That train has left the station.
This is a great hotel to reach by plane; it took less than 20 minutes to get from the front door of the hotel to my airplane gate (that's with Clear and Precheck). I had a suite with a resort and partial ocean view. It's called a Deluxe suite and i think it is a good room at a good price point for that property. You can also get a connecting room to it. My room 2193 was pretty close to the elevators and at the end of a corridor and I liked the quiet location and the view was fine but nothing special. You have to wonder if getting a better view is worth an extra $1,000 a night. I didn't get upgraded as the property was quite busy, even though you might have expected it to be quiet in mid-July. I often had to wait half an hour at breakfast or at dinner to get a table. Suites don't seem to get priority here, and I think they should. My suite was fine and lots of treats were there on arrival and the bathroom had nice amenities that were not the usual labels.
The facilities are pretty good; there are 4 pools for every taste and the water was warm. The ocean was nice with lots of lifeguards around. No problem getting a lounge anywhere. I didn't use the spa; $300 for a massage (with all the extra charges) is a bit steep. The gym closes at 8pm (I would like to be able to go in at night) and it's got everything you need, but they didn't go out of their way to make it special and I would say it is a bit less than I hoped for. There is nothing to dry a bathing suit. You can get bicycles and keep them till sundown. Fun to ride the bikes around the neighborhoods and see the mansions up close; it's a 3 minute ride to the Flagler Museum, definitely worth a visit. Right there is also a little shopping mall with some good restaurants such as Saint Abroese.
Lots of eating outlets and I was pretty happy with the menus. I would have liked dinner in the dining area in the lobby but they put on loud techno music at night and it's too hip for what I can stand, but it's a great social scene for those who like it. Breakfast in the Circle Room is beautiful and all the buffet items were excellent and they serve high quality items. The buffet is $50 per person plus tax and 20% tip. Also ate at Henry's of Palm Beach and the Beach Club, all of which were fine. Prices are high; it cost me $65 to get fish tacos and french fries for lunch (including tax and tip). I guess they are charging European prices here but at least it's good. They have Sunday brunch and that's $250 a person. Ouch!
There is a nice big sundry shop with newspapers and food. A few vegetarian options here would have been nice. Uber picks up pretty quickly at the hotel.
In the lobby there are quite a few signs explaining the architecture of the place, and several of the beautiful public rooms are open for viewing such as the ballroom and some of the meeting rooms. There is an exhibit off the lobby about the history of Mr. Flagler (the hotel's founder) and the hotel. As hotels go, this is one of the most beautiful and historic in the US and it gives European resorts a run for its money (and I'm wondering what the F&B prices will be in Europe on my next trip if this is what I am now paying here). I've been here over many years and seen the place change. It is much larger and the price has probably exceeded inflation, but it is maintaining its quality and appealing to a new generation of families. It's a nice elegant place and I'm looking forward to returning with wife and kids later in the year.
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