My stay at The Flagler Club — the exclusive, new boutique hotel atop The Breakers, in Palm Beach — was enhanced by a pre-arrival call from Bernard Nicole, assistant hotel manager, Flagler Clubs. After 40 years at the legendary resort, the French-born Bernard has an appropriately loyal following. He recommended a spa service (Tammy Fender Signature Organic Facial), restaurant reservations (drinks and tapas at HMF and dinner at The Flagler Steakhouse) and asked me about preferred reservation times, including the best time to send the chauffeured Tesla to fetch me in the morning and to dinner. He proposed an early arrival to best enjoy the resort. At the lavish buffet breakfast, he showed me how to use the fancy coffee machine, recommended the brioche and told me about the privileges in the private access lounge: complimentary breakfasts, lunches, cocktails and appetizers and after-dinner cordials. The staff of 19 was ever-present and dedicated to anticipating each guest’s every comfort.

The independent owners of The Breakers, which was founded in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, invest $25 million each year in the property. For 2016, Adam Tihany, the praised interior designer, consulted with Peacock + Lewis Architects and transformed the lounge and the grand outdoor terrace. Among the Club’s 25 redesigned accommodations, my oceanfront room featured textured blue-gray silk wall coverings, a color that reappears on linens, rugs and accessories. Everything is as functional as it is plush with ample drawers, shelves and hanging space and a safe at a height that’s easy to access. The bathroom is equally well-designed, with a large marble shower stall but no tub. Amenities include a 55-inch HD Smart Curved TV, PranaSleep adjustable bedding, Frette Italian linens and robes and Jo Malone bath products.

Flagler Club guests have access to The Breakers’ pools, tennis courts, golf courses and spa. There are two championship courses exclusive to hotel guests and club members: the historic, newly redesigned, par-70 Ocean Course; and the recently revamped Rees Jones Course, located 10 miles west of the palatial oceanfront hotel. PGA professionals at both state-of-the-art John Webster Golf Academy facilities instruct all ages.

The Spa at the Breakers, which faces a half-mile of private beach and the Atlantic Ocean, received an extensive, $8 million renovation for 2016. Internationally respected spa creator Sylvia Sepielli worked with the local architects to create an extravagant, serenely elegant space with three spacious lounges decorated in a multitude of white shades. A private, outdoor, co-ed, contemporary courtyard reinterprets the classic Medici garden concept, which integrates relaxation and contemplation. It updates the Italian Renaissance-style resort with modern elements: white marble, tropical greenery and lounge chairs around a reflecting pool.

The Flagler Club

One S. County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480