Palm Beach, a period island in Florida
PALM BEACH, United States — An emerald-green 1970 Mercedes-Benz enters a red-brick driveway lined with swaying palm trees, a gentleman in white pants gets out, puts on his hat, softly flips his blazer, and walks into a hall of splendor. This is a common scene at the Breakers, a topnotch luxury hotel at Palm Beach, Florida. If we call Downton Abbey a period drama, then Palm Beach is a “period island” of the Gilded Age.
Stretching 26 kilometers from north to south, the island of Palm Beach is connected with the rest of Palm Beach County by three bridges. Seen from above, it is like a little gem floating on the turquoise waters. And it hangs on to its past glory.
“You don’t wear white between Labor Day and Memorial Day, except on Palm Beach,” goes a fashion saying in the United States. That speaks volume of the town’s character.
Founded as a resort escape for the elites back in the late 1800s, the island saw a growing convergence of wealthy people in the 1910s and 1920s due to its warm winter.
“This started the historical development of Palm Beach being the wealthiest community in United States,” says Rick Rose, a local historian who lives in Palm Beach County.
At that time, only the wealthy, or at least upperclass Americans, could afford to travel. They built boutique hotels, golf courses, and mansions. Their way of life continues to this day. During peak seasons, there are extravagant balls almost every night.
Edwin Muniz, assistant front office manager of the Brazilian Court, one of the well known boutique hotels on Palm Beach, says: “People here are more like old-money, established wealth.”
Guests usually stay at Brazilian Court when they are on long vacations, say four to five weeks. “The rates are high, and the guests are very demanding, they expect high-quality service,” says Muniz.
This is true with other boutique hotels as well. The most affordable rooms in the Breakers, for instance, are around $700 a night at this time of year, but the fastest sold have always been the royal suites and presidential suites.
When Starbucks wanted to open a store there, says Rose, the company was not allowed to have their classic green sign put up on the avenue.
The Everglades Club is known for being the most restrictive, in terms of its entry and enrollment. To this day, the club does not have a website. Entry is out of the question if you are not a member.
There is a typical Palm Beach culture here, according to Rose. “The way you keep something exclusive is you limit the amount of that. As simple as that,” he says.
“We can afford to say no to tall buildings, we don’t need tall buildings, we wanna have two-story, three-story buildings, we want lots of gardens. It’s expensive to be able to do that,” Rose adds.
It is not Amish, though. The balance of preservation and modernization is carefully kept in Palm Beach. Despite the traditional clubs holding their heads up high, time at Palm Beach is not frozen. And it has recently got a lot of attention because of US President Donald Trump and his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Apart from affluent winter escapees and domestic visitors, there are also more international visitors.
Ashley Svarney of Discover the Palm Beaches, a local tourism organization, says: “There is the authentic Florida experience here.”
She and her organization are inviting people from all around the world to “enjoy the vibe”.
“When you need a break from the traffic, and lines, and congestion, you come here,” she says.
The local tourism industry is doing more to attract Chinese visitors.
Discover Palm Beaches is now working closely with Visit Florida to attract Chinese tourists, and build brand awareness of the county.
“With direct flights opening from China to Orlando and Miami, it is just so much easier to access Palm Beaches,” says Svarney.