#GLAMTravelDiary: Palm Beach, FL

A huge thanks to The Brazilian Court for the wonderful stay! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Marissa and I had been trying to get a trip on our calendars for what seemed like forever — so when the stars finally aligned and we were invited to visit The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, Florida — we jumped at the chance, with less than two week’s notice!  Palm Beach is NOT Palm Springs — a lot of you assumed we were jetting off to California when I posted a sneak peek of our trip — post Coachella, but don’t worry, it’s just as charming of a place.  Palm BEACH is a quaint little beach town under an hour’s drive away from Fort Lauderdale, with rows of picturesque streets, delicious restaurants, high-end shopping, and more bougainvillea than I’ve seen in my life.

We took an early morning flight in to Fort Lauderdale — opting for a direct flight out of Hartford, CT.  The flight is a little under 3 hours, which got us into Florida mid-morning.  Since we had to drive about 45 minutes to Palm Beach, we decided to rent a car right from the airport, so we would have the car available to explore the town, be able to drive ourselves to and from the airport, and most importantly — be able to throw loads of outfits into the car for shooting photos, because #bloggerlife.  To our (and very much MY surprise), The Brazilian Court is actually located right in the little downtown, close to all shops and restaurants, with a private driver to take you to and from the beach — located a few blocks away.  When Raj and I stayed in Palm Beach last November, we ended up at a resort a bit of a drive away from all the action, so I definitely thought we would need the car a lot more than we did.  But, we would have probably spent just as much taking an Uber back and forth to the airport, so it was well worth having it as a backup.  We stopped for a quick lunch at Chickpea — located in West Palm Beach, before making our way over the bridge into beautiful Palm Beach, and checking into the gorgeous hotel!

Travel Look

WHERE WE STAYED

For my second time in Palm Beach, I was excited to learn that our hotel was in the most ideal location — The Brazilian Court is located on Australian Avenue, about 3 blocks away from famous Worth Avenue.  As soon as you pull up to the hotel, you’ll immediately notice that you’re tucked away in a mostly residential part of town… the hotel probably gets mistaken for a regular property all the time.  It blends right in and looks in place to the row of Spanish Colonial architecture.  The hotel really made a name for itself in the 1920’s — we learned, from taking a really in-depth tour of the property from one of the GM’s when we arrived.  Loads of celebrities have stayed here looking for an escape, Sofia Vergara had her rehearsal dinner at the famed Café Boulud (more on that below), and some of the suites are named after the people who used to frequent them, including Astaire, Hepburn, and Brando.  There are 80 rooms and suites, and we were told the hotel was full — which we couldn’t believe.  It was SO quiet (in a good way), and the way the property is situated, you would have never guessed 100% occupancy.  I love when a property is easy to navigate — the rooms surround two peaceful white courtyards and the hotel’s only restaurant, with the pool and spa off to the side of the property.  The hallways are filled with art — you feel as though you are walking through an art gallery throughout the entire property.  The pool was tucked away, surrounded by palm trees and plush chaise chairs, with a gorgeous fountain as the centerpiece.  This was hands down my favorite spot in the entire property — we spent SO much time poolside relaxing, eating, and gabbing away.  The hotel rooms were cozy, yet very luxurious — mahogany moldings, thick plantation shutters (my favorite for sleeping), and a huge bathroom.  We both stayed up on the second floor overlooking the first courtyard and loved the location!

*GLAM Travel Tip — take advantage of the property’s bikes, they’re free to use if you sign one out!  

WHERE WE ATE

Café Boulud.  The restaurant for The Brazilian Court hotel, we ended up eating breakfast here daily and one night for dinner.  We loved the convenience of it being right in our hotel, and Worth Ave seemed surprisingly quiet until around noon and not loaded with options for breakfast.  I absolutely loved their cold brew coffee and green juice (and ended up double fisting each day — one of each, please)!  Marissa loved their papaya banana smoothie, and we both loved their egg dishes!  For our last night, we came back for dinner to a custom 3-course meal that they were so kind to prepare for us (both gluten and dairy free — bless their hearts).  It’s a gorgeous, intimate spot — I could totally see why Sofia Vergara decided to have her wedding here!  Café Boulud is also located in NYC — so it’s on my list to check out that restaurant the next time I’m in the city!

Renato’s Palm Beach.  For our first night (first photos below), we wanted to walk into town and have dinner in one of the little restaurants tucked away in the alleyways.  A reader recommended Renato’s and we were NOT disappointed.  We totally indulged — and if you know Marissa and I — that’s VERY rare, and ate appetizers, pasta dishes (the vodka sauce was out of this world), and washed it all down with a bottle of rosé.  We basically ate and drank ourselves into food coma — and it was worth every second.

Piccolo Gelato.  The temperatures were HOT for these two New England gals, so we walked over to this little gelato spot for a cold treat (after seeing an adorable bike parked in front of their door).  They actually had vegan gelato — which I’m sort of guessing is very much like sorbet (it’s water based with fruit), and it was delicious.  After being that annoying girl and trying just about every flavor — I settled on watermelon and coconut and my mouth is still watering.

Cafe Via Flora.  This is my second time eating here — Raj and I came here for my first trip to PB after doing some shopping on Worth Ave and I couldn’t wait to bring Marissa back.  We had lunch tucked away in the beautiful garden courtyard in back and it was delicious!  The Lily Pulitzer print tablecloths were the perfect touch — we definitely were feeling like Ladies Who Lunch.

Buccan Palm Beach.  Another second for me — I knew Marissa would love this spot as well, so I took her back!  I had a delicious brussel sprout warm cesear salad and she had the mushroom flatbread.  OMG.  So good.  The atmosphere is just as good, too — I absolutely LOVE the rustic-chic decor and tile throughout.

Imoto Palm Beach.  The Japanese sister restaurant to Buccan (above), it’s located right next door (and you can actually sneak in between the two places in the back by the bathrooms).  I had been wanting to try this since my last trip and it was worth the wait.  The sushi was so fresh and delicious — I went with the simplest dishes — just pieces and basic rolls, because it didn’t need anything fancy.  The Japanese snapper seemed to be a big deal and was on the menu a few times (a few different ways), so I tried that… it’s my new favorite fish!

*GLAM Travel Tip: All of these restaurants were on Open Table, making it super quick and easy to book a reservation.  Most places in Palm Beach on are on the smaller side, so if you’re going at a peak time, make sure to book prior to traveling!

WHERE TO SNAP THE PERFECT INSTAGRAM PHOTO

Since it was my second time, I had a bit of an expectation for how amazing the backdrops are in Palm Beach — especially for how photo obsessed I’ve become over the last year!  I live for the perfect backdrop to my outfits, and a lot of thought goes into where I will capture what makes it on Instagram.  I had bookmarked a few locations from last time, but also, wanted to go in with a fresh eye and experiment.  We walked around for hours just snapping away in awe — all the little corners tucked away were insanely beautiful scenic shots, and since it was relatively quiet in PB overall, we didn’t really have to fight the crowds.  Other than our Instagram friendly hotel — here are a few of my favorite spots to snap that perfect Instagram:

The famous blue door.  (Located: on Peruvian Ave, in between Hibiscus Ave and Cocoanut Ave, and across from the backside of Renato’s).  There’s really nothing else to say when you see this but, WOW.  It’s so insanely gorgeous and charming — the blue is a perfect shade of blue and the bougainvillea flowers surrounding it take it to another level.  Raj and I drove by it the last time so I was only able to snap a photo from the car — I was determined to take a shot in front of it this time!

That pink building on Worth Ave.  (Located: on Worth Ave, type in Via Parigi into your maps to find it).  Another shot I got last time, it seems to be a darker shade of pink this time than it was a year and a half ago.  This building is located all the way down Worth Ave right before the road bends (the opposite way of the beach).

The pink staircase.  (Located: a little alley off Worth Ave, across from Jimmy Choo).  I have to thank one of my readers (Palm Beacher @summerhopeblog) for this recommendation — she knew I would love it and she was right!  There’s also a just-as-pretty set of blue stairs right across from the pink ones!

The blue arches.  (Located: on Worth Ave, type in Renato’s into your maps to get you right to the location, and pray for no people around)!

The floating tile staircase.  (Located: off Worth Ave, behind Gucci).  I couldn’t take a photo here this time around (the sun was beating down on them), but this is one of my favorite spots in all of Palm Beach.  You can see my photo from last time HERE.

*GLAM Travel Tip: The best time for photo opps is first thing in the morning (prior to 7:30am) or around golden hour — right before the sun sets.  You never want the sun blasting on anything you are trying to take a picture of.  I get so many photo questions, and that’s the number one rule!

WHAT TO PACK

Palm Beach is quite the glamorous place.  It isn’t like a normal beach town — denim cutoffs are not going to cut it.  If you’re heading to Palm Beach, pack those breezy floral dresses, long flowing caftans, and a sensible (yet chic) walking shoe, so you can take in the scenery.  Don’t be afraid of patterns and prints — it’s the birth place of Lily Pulitzer after all, so that should tell you a lot.  It’s definitely more of a dress up location for sure — everyone seemed very put together, accessorized to the nines, and very timeless (not trendy).  I’m including some other pieces below that I think would have fit right in, and including the shoe I think could work if it was the only shoe you packed!

*GLAM Travel Tip: Although not chic AF, pack bug spray!  If you’re known for getting bites (like I am), you won’t regret it.  I always forget that hot, humid locations require bug spray even during the day (as opposed to just nighttime here in New England).  The mosquitos are out all day long and are attracted to colorful ensembles — like I just told you to pack!  HA!