The Breakers Hotel

---

I spent three more days with Eileen and Steve not doing too much of anything. I would get up in the morning, sit by the pool and then hang out in the evenings with them. Eileen and I managed to do all of the things we used to do together back in the day - eat lobsters, play games at a bar, watch movies (actually, she would watch and I would fall asleep), gamble, get too much sun and hang out solving each other’s problems. It was a very nice time and a great break - very relaxing and just what this overworked person needed.

Today, I moved on. In the early afternoon, I went to meet Colin at the airport. What luck! The weather up north was horrible, so many of the flights to and from New York had been cancelled. Colin’s flight got out and actually arrived on time. The issue was that there wasn’t a gate, so he hung out on the plane and I hung out at the airport for about an hour, but eventually he was set free. We rented a car and drove up to Palm Beach to stay at the Breakers.

What I hope the photos give you an idea of how amazing this place is. For one thing, it is HUGE - I quite literally got lost going to the bathroom from the bar. For another, the staff is the most amazing I have ever come across. Without exception, they were friendly, helpful and smiling. Finally, this is one of the places where one knows that one is somewhere special. I always say that it’s all in the details, and every detail here has been carefully and thoughtfully thought through. As an example, I have never had a shower like this in my life. Talk about a power shower - the sheer force of the water almost knocked me off my feet. I loved it so much, I had two!

We arrived in the pouring rain, but that didn’t deter us from a wander (or should I say hike) around the property. Keep in mind that the property has a private beach, a full spa, five pools, two golf courses, shopping that includes Burberry and Ralph Lauren, nine restaurants and bars, tennis courts and a croquet lawn. I could see staying here for a week and never doing the same thing twice. We finally decided we were sick of being wet, so we headed to the Beach Club Bar for a drink.

Spoilt for choice in terms of dinner, we finally settled on the Seafood Bar. We sat at the actual bar which is an aquarium. We amused ourselves throughout dinner watching the fish swim under our plates. The food was amazing. We had decided on a series of starters rather than a full meal, so we picked through our food and drank some nice wine while watching our friends swim by.

After dinner, we went outside to enjoy the beautiful evening. The rain had passed, but it was the harbinger of a cold front, so the wind and the chill drove us in before it got too late.

---

Photos

The Courtyard
Isn't this gorgeous? This is where we sat to have our cocktails.

The Beach
Although you can tell the weather was not the best, this should give you a sense of the sheer size of the place.

The Aquarium Bar
This was one of the coolest things I've ever seen -- not to mention the fabulous martini!

The Breakers Hotel
This is the entrance, but taken as we were leaving in brilliant sunshine.