"Palatial" is an adjective often overused when describing American hotels—I'm guilty of it myself—but in the case of the Breakers it is entirely apt. Built in 1926 after fires destroyed its two eponymous predecessors and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this grande dame of Palm Beach was modeled on Italian Renaissance villas and palaces. Its twin belvedere towers, graceful arches, and tropical gardens only hint at the grandeur within, which includes some 60,000 square feet of hand-painted vaulted ceilings.

Overview

The hotel is the centerpiece of a 140-acre resort hard by the Atlantic, so close in fact that at high tide waves break against the retaining wall along the promenade at the back of the hotel. The property encompasses a half-mile of private beach, a spa and fitness center, 10 tennis courts, and two 18-hole golf courses. Still privately owned, it has been the beneficiary of some $130 million in renovations and improvements over the last few years, including the refurbishing of the rooms, an upgrading of the tennis facility, the addition of a 20,000-square-foot spa, and a village of beachfront cabana bunaglows. All of these changes and the continuing high standard of service from its unpretentiously personable staff set it apart as the grandest of all the nation's beachfront historic hotels.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 561-659-8475, ext. 7769

It's too bad this tennis center isn't immediately adjacent to the hotel. Its location, across from the entrance, perhaps ¼ of a mile from the hotel itself (there's a free shuttle), means that only guests motivated enough to seek it out discover this well-run, well-staffed facility. Its 10 Har-Tru courts fan out from a handsome three-story gray-clapboard clubhouse. A covered porch paved with stone wraps around three sides, its western end furnished with wicker chairs and overlooking three of the tennis courts. Inside golf and tennis share an elegant pro shop, its walls lined with tawny-colored wooden shelves. Upstairs is the Flagler Steakhouse, with windows on the golf course. "We want the experience at this clubhouse to mirror that at the hotel where service begins the moment you arrive and extends to the moment you leave," says tennis director Ken Thompson.

Tennis Staff. Thompson has been at the Breakers for more than a decade. Before coming here he trained nationally ranked juniors for the Bill Rompf Tennis Academy and then directed operations for International Spas, both in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is not only a USPTA-certified pro but also a certified trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine. His entire staff is USPTA or USPTR certified. Guests can also book lessons with the Breakers touring pro Kathy Rinaldi, who weekends and holidays from December into April and for special events. Meanwhile, over at Breakers West, Nick Blackwood, who has twice been nominated as Florida Junior Coach of the Year, runs a junior program.
Tennis Programs. When guests call looking for a game, the staff tries to respond within an hour, drawing on other guests, local members, members of the staff, or even kids in the junior program. Otherwise the programming is what I would call resort basic: a combination of daily clinics with weekly men's, women's, and mixed doubles round robins, supplemented by a very occasional exhibition or fashion show. For children, there are kids' clinics (ages 4-6), junior development clinic (ages 6-12), and a junior tennis academy, the last designed for local residents but open to the children of hotel guests. Thompson himself is exceptionally service conscious. He will, for example, ask reservations to let him know when someone inquires about a tennis package so that he can tailor-make one to their specific needs.
Courts & Fees. Although Breakers literature lists a total of 17 Har-Tru courts, 7 of those (all with lights) are at Breakers West, 10 miles away, so hotel guests in reality play on the 10 Har-Tru courts (5 with lights) at the hotel itself. It's an attractive complex, with courts laid out mostly in 2s and 3s with California (slanted) corners, see-through black windscreens, and half fences in between. Every court has an intercom connected to the pro shop and a covered patio with chairs and table shaded by a green umbrella. Palm trees, Confederate jasmine, and an abundance of other trees, low shrubs, and flowers surround the fences. Court fees: $25/person/hour (or $50/court/hour); however tennis packages include free court time.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Breakers.

• ""—C.R., Beg., April 2008

Other Recreation

Beach. The resort has a half-mile crescent of private beach, a little south of the hotel adjacent to the Beach Club and Spa.

Golf Courses. Guests have access to two 18-hole golf courses, one at the hotel, another 10 miles away at Breakers West.

Ocean Course: This course dates to 1897, making it the oldest in Florida. Originally designed by Alexander J. Findlay and subsequently reconstructed in 2000 by Brian Silva, its 18 holes flow through the 140 acres immediately surrounding the hotel. Par: 70. Length: 5,149-6,146 yards.
Breakers West Course: Opened in 1968 with a design by Willard Byrd, this 18-hole course through the residential community of Breakers West, 10 miles west, was redesigned in 2004 by Rees Jones in his renowned Neo-classic style. It's characterized by lush foliage and water hazards. Guests who want a challenge skip the Ocean course and come here. Par: 71. Length: 5,466-6,330 yards.

Spa & Fitness Center. The Breakers' elegant 20,000-square-foot spa stands just to the south of the hotel behind a beachfront terrace dominated by a four-lane lap pool. Inside are 17 massage and treatment rooms, a beauty salon, men's and women's lockers with sauna and steam, and a spacious fitness center with windows on two sides and a large selection of cardio and Cybex equipment. Use of this fitness center is free with any spa treatment but otherwise costs $35/day. As an alternative, there is a smaller, unattended fitness center in the hotel proper accessible without charge by using your room key.

And ... The new spa shares a building with a new Beach Club, which has four swimming pools, including one for kids and another right on the beach. The resort also has croquet, lawn bowling, horseshoes, a 9-hole putting green, shuffleboard, bike rentals, beach volleyball, water aerobics, and snorkeling and scuba lessons.

Children's Programs

Children's programs operate year-round but intensify during the summer. Throughout the year, there are supervised activities for children ages 3-12 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. and again from 1 p.m.-3 p.m., with the option of supervised lunch and activities in between. During the summer, the program becomes a camp for children ages 6-12, with a variety of instruction in sports like golf and tennis, plus field trips, arts and crafts, swimming, and more from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Lodging

In the general upgrading of the resort, one feature that has received the most attention is the rooms. All of them have been renovated over the last several years. Even the smallest have 250 square feet and and exceptionally thoughtful design (with some built-in features) that makes the most of the space available. The newest are full oceanfront premium rooms, notable for their narrow French balconies looking directly at the Atlantic, elegant residential interiors, and amenity-rich marble baths with separate walk-in showers and soaking tubs. Altogether there are 569 rooms, 45 of them suites, variously situated to have ocean, golf course, or garden views.

Restaurants

There are more than half a dozen restaurants and lounges at the Breakers. These range from breakfast in the Circle beneath hand-painted ceilings to the French cuisine of the award-winning L'Escalier at the opulent Florentine Room. In between are the Flagler Steakhouse in the golf and tennis clubhouse for U.S.D.A. prime steaks and chops, the oceanfront Seafood Bar, the Beach Club (next to the spa and offering spa cuisine), and Echo, a short shuttle ride away, for dishes from China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

See Also

Among the other top tennis resorts with the Breaker's grand style are:

• The Broadmoor, Colorado
• Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
• Sea Island Resort, Georgia
• The Greenbrier, West Virginia

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round, though busiest during the winter and early spring.

Breakers
One S. County Rd.
Palm Beach, FL 33480
561-659-8440
Toll-free: 888-273-2537
Fax: 561-655-3577
Web Link: The Breakers

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Book Online: The Breakers

 

Travel Instructions. By Air: The nearest air gateway is Palm Beach International Airport, a short drive from the hotel. If you're driving, turn left onto Australian Avenue as you leave the airport and continue through the Belvedere Road intersection and on to the Okeechobee Boulevard exit going east, which is on the right. Follow Okeechobee until it ends at Flagler Drive. From the center lane turn left onto Flagler Drive and veer immediately right onto the drawbridge. Continue over the Intracoastal Waterway to Palm Beach. Turn left at the second traffic light after the bridge onto South County Road (A1A). The Breakers is ½ mile on the right side at One South County Road.
By Car: From I-95, take exit #52, Okeechobee Boulevard going east. It ends 2½ miles later at Flagler Drive. From the center lane turn left onto Flagler Drive and veer immediately right onto the drawbridge. Continue over the Intracoastal Waterway to Palm Beach. Turn left at the second traffic light after the bridge onto South County Road (A1A). The Breakers is ½ mile on the right side at One South County Road.
From the Florida Turnpike, exit at mile marker #99, Okeechobee Boulevard. After paying the toll, turn left to go east on Okeechobee, which ends 6 miles later at Flagler Drive. From the center lane turn left onto Flagler Drive and veer immediately right onto the drawbridge. Continue over the Intracoastal Waterway to Palm Beach. Turn left at the second traffic light after the bridge onto South County Road (A1A). The Breakers is ½ mile on the right side at One South County Road.

General Tourist Information. Visit the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 204, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Phone: 800-554-PALM or 561-471-3995.

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