Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Breakers was built in the Italian Renaissance style and modeled after the Villa Medici in Rome
In my next life, I'll begin each day with breakfast outdoors, and I'll practice yoga on a veranda overlooking an ocean so blue that I'll wonder if color was added to the water. The most stressful part of my afternoons will revolve around a single decision―whether to have a massage before I plant myself on a chaise by the pool or après soleil. And shopping will require no more effort than it takes to stroll up a three-block stretch of tony designer boutiques and back again. That's next time.
In this life, indulging in such civilized pursuits requires a plan. Which is how I ended up at The Breakers in Palm Beach.
When I told friends I was spending a weekend at the fabled resort best known for attracting blue bloods such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Astors, the response invariably was, "To do what?" My reply: "As little as possible."
I used to be very good at that. But real life has a way of infusing even downtime with a sense of urgency. This was my chance to reconnect with my lazy bones in a grand way. My agenda was as simple as it was indulgent―long walks on the beach, spa treatments, a little shopping, a lot of pampering.
Fifteen years ago, I'm not sure I would have chosen The Breakers. Sure, the cachet has always been pretty irresistible: This is the place oil magnate Henry Flagler built in 1896. (Actually, he built the Palm Beach Inn, but when guests began requesting rooms "over by the breakers," he increased the hotel's size and renamed it The Breakers.) After two fires destroyed the property, the hotel reopened in 1926, modeled after the Villa Medici in Rome.
So even though I've always loved the idea of this hotel set on 140 lush acres of oceanfront property, it was never on my must-see list. But then I heard about the face-lift―$15 million worth of improvements each year for the past 15 years. Not only were the hotel's 560 guest rooms and both golf courses renovated, but a spa, beach club, and family entertainment center were also added, along with 20 splendid beachfront bungalows. All of this made The Breakers ideal for my solo weekend.
