Palm Beach, behind the hedges
Palm Beach has been America's winter address since Henry Flagler's railroad reached the island in the 1890s. It still keeps to the old calendar – hedges clipped, the season running Thanksgiving to Easter, lunch at one. From six acres of seagrape and sand at the quiet end of the island to a Mizner estate forty kilometers down the coast, we kept only the addresses where the service matches the setting. Two made the cut, and both hold five-star standing.
Five-star hotels in Palm Beach
2 hotels
The neighborhoods
Palm Beach Island
The barrier island itself – Worth Avenue, the Lake Trail, the famous hedges, and the ocean at the end of every cross street.
Boca Raton
The town Addison Mizner laid out in the 1920s, forty kilometers south of the island. Lake, marina and a private half-mile beach sit inside the resort's own grounds.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Palm Beach?
Two. Every hotel we list in Palm Beach holds five-star standing: Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach and The Boca Raton. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Where should I stay – on the island or in Boca Raton?
The island is Palm Beach proper: Worth Avenue, the Lake Trail, and our island address at the quiet end of the ocean road, ten minutes south of Worth Avenue. The Boca Raton sits about 40 kilometers south in its own town, roughly forty minutes by car – choose it for a resort with a lake, a marina and a private beach, and the island for the town itself.
When is the best season for Palm Beach?
The season runs from Thanksgiving to Easter – dry, bright days in the seventies and the island's social calendar at full tilt. Summer is warm and quieter, with afternoon storms that clear before dinner; the ocean is at its warmest then.
Do the hotels have their own beach?
The island address does: the Four Seasons fronts the Atlantic directly, on six oceanfront acres. At The Boca Raton the sand belongs to the Beach Club – a half-mile private beach – while the Yacht Club sits on Lake Boca Raton across the water from it.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
