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

“Is that girl 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, crammed 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 appears to be like comfortable?” 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 gang included solo vacationers, content material to be pampered on an opulent lounger; packs of designer-clad youngsters, tapping away on their telephones; and households with younger youngsters, looking forward to 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, crammed 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 situation 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 seaside and the designer retailers 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 lodge is now basically a year-round vacation spot.

The 50s and 60s put the Colony on the society social map, with well-known visitors like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren dropping in for lavish events. One may argue that the lodge is now in a second, extra inclusive act. In 2016, the lodge 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 Dwelling 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 visitors to sit down and take all of it in, the prime perch being the central area, anchored by a hand-carved customized pagoda. “This lodge has all the time been the guts 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 instructed Journey + Leisure.

And although the lodge nonetheless attracts a gentle stream of Palm Seaside society sorts, the younger, attentive employees and relaxed vibe make for a shoulders-down, snug expertise. Social media has additionally performed its half, with playful posts of monogrammed slippers and poolside backgammon giving robust out-of-office vibes. Nobody batted a watch 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 seaside (although I made a decision to go to the lodge’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 assorted Johnnie Browns discreetly painted on the wall protecting. The guests I noticed ranged from 8 months previous to 80, and all discovered their comfortable place — even the pampered canines. “The Colony Lodge, which we seek advice from 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 while you test into the Colony Lodge, which Journey + Leisure readers voted the No. 2 resort in Florida in our 2024 World’s Greatest Awards.

The Rooms

If you’d like a cookie-cutter lodge 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 traditional Palm Seaside aesthetic. They’re additionally supremely snug: It’s simple to fall into mattress after a protracted day on the seaside 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. Should you’re touring with a gaggle, it’s additionally attainable to request a double-bed suite.

You’ll have much more area in case you guide one of many 14 residences, which embody three penthouses in the primary lodge, 4 bungalows with their very own non-public swimming pools adjoining to the lodge’s east backyard, and 7 villas reimagined by among the world’s prime inside personalities and carved from the Casa Mañana, a Spanish-style, Twenties property throughout the road. “Collaborating with globally celebrated designers to reimagine the areas inside this jewel has been certainly one of my largest passions,” provides Wetenhall.

My household and I stayed within the “Goop” villa. Sure, delivered to 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 visitors, the place you may order meals and drinks in privateness.

We loved having the area 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 flooring plan strikes into an opulent 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’re allowed to take them house.) Arched doorways and home windows remind you this can be a historic area, as do the gracious columns on the wrap-around terrace.

Among the different marquee villas embody Aralia, adorned in blue-and-white scheme by Mark D. Sikes; Poinciana, a 2,700-square-foot area completed up by Kemble Interiors; Lantana, a retro-leaning villa by Serena & Lily; and the art-studded Chairish Villa, adorned by the classic decor firm with items sourced from Palm Seaside sellers corresponding to Circa Who and Present Pony. Should you’re a maximalist, the latter is the way in which to go: Your eye is continually scanning for brand spanking 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 liked 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, nevertheless it 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 in case you select to sit down 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 gives a little bit of every little thing, and the parts are beneficiant. Signature dishes embody the hefty cobb salad, crushed avocado on toasted nine-grain toast, completely crisp Maryland crab desserts, and the decadent bacon-wrapped meatloaf, which we shared with all the desk. These American classics are balanced with the extra eclectic, world 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 in case you’re going for dinner, and reservations are extremely really helpful, given the stable 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 rooster panini with solar dried tomato and pesto; and the tender 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 quick 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 seaside 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 visitors choose to hold by the primary pool, this was a wonderful possibility on the times we wished a bit of extra privateness. And the Atlantic waves had 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. Among the space’s greatest eating places, together with Bice, the go-to for elegant Italian; Le Bilboquet, for French fare and a late-night scene; Renato’s, a traditional 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 quick stroll or automotive experience away. If one of many lodge’s two Volvo XC90 Inscriptions had 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 occasion has mobility challenges.

Actions and Experiences

Although it has a smaller footprint than among the different, bigger Palm Seaside space resorts, the Colony makes up for it with considerate programming that brings visitors collectively, like Sunday bingo, Monday trivia night time, and shortly, Tuesday mahjong. We liked that there was a DJ spinning by the pool to maintain the temper brilliant and upbeat — you may 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 Dwelling Room Sequence” for choose guide signings and tastings; celebrated gallery Voltz Clarke additionally does a pop-up, rotating exhibition of latest items within the Solarium. Should you play tennis, pack your racquets; visitors can entry the close by Seaview Park Tennis Heart, which has seven courts.

In fact, there are many issues to expertise within the better 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 retailers 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 points of interest, 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 had been immediate and courteous. The lodge is a part of the Virtuoso community, which gives early arrival and departure, primarily based on availability, complimentary breakfast, a $100 credit score, a welcome amenity, and a complimentary improve.