What's New in The Palm Beaches for Spring 2024

Discover The Palm Beaches Unveils Exciting Enhancements

 

 

Editor's note: Images for the mentioned hotels can be downloaded here; general destination images can be downloaded here.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – April 24, 2024 – The Palm Beaches, renowned for 47 miles of sun-kissed coastline and a vibrant collection of activities, welcomes the arrival of spring with an array of fresh offerings. Visitors will find new experiences through the destination's tremendous growth, with The Palm Beaches seeing a total combined investment of more than $500 million across a dozen hotels over the past few months alone. Within the next two years, an anticipated $1 billion collective investment for 16 new properties in the pipeline is expected to add nearly 2,200 more rooms. 

"The Palm Beaches are experiencing an unprecedented surge in development in the tourism industry, with significant investments injecting new energy and prosperity into our local economy,” said Milton Segarra, CDME, president and CEO for Discover The Palm Beaches (DTPB), the tourism marketing organization for Palm Beach County. “The strong pipeline of growth is set to transform the hospitality landscape and elevate the region as we further accelerate the destination as a leader in Florida.”

 

NEWSWORTHY HOTEL DEVELOPMENTS

Several hotels and resorts throughout The Palm Beaches have recently undergone substantial updates to enhance the guest experience.

 

Tideline Palm Beach Ocean Resort and Spa has been reimagined with a dramatic new design, following a $20 million renovation by owner and financier Jeff Greene. The refurbishment has touched all areas of this coveted resort, including the stylistic pool entrance, the grand lobby, and the outdoor dining patio offering stunning views alongside a private beachfront.

 

The Renaissance Boca Raton recently debuted in Midtown Boca Raton after a multimillion-dollar renovation, including updated guest rooms, main lobby, corridors, meeting space, club lounge, and fitness center. The renovation also includes the addition of a 30,000-square-foot resort-style pool deck with a waterfall backdrop, and a “WET by Meat Market” tiki bar to service pool and VIP cabana guests with food and beverage options.

 

The Hilton West Palm Beach has debuted a $25 million renovation with 400 refreshed guestrooms, including 43 suites, four enhanced dining destinations, a reimagined pool deck, and six newly constructed cabanas. In addition, there is a new lobby bar and a variety of wellness activities such as meditative sound healing, poolside sessions, weekly fitness classes, and more.

 

Flagler Club, the ultra-luxury, private-access boutique hotel nestled within the top two floors of The Breakers Palm Beach, experienced a full-scale renovation with a new, modern aesthetic extending throughout 21 guest rooms and suites, as well as its lounge and terrace. The transformative new look from Tihany Design was inspired by the cosmopolitan lifestyle of The Breakers' clientele.

 

The Seagate Golf Club in Delray Beach has reopened its course after a major renovation to its Joe Lee-designed 18-hole championship golf course and practice facilities. World-renowned architect J. Drew Rogers oversaw the renovation, which enhanced the gameplay of each hole and, in some instances, resulted in complete redesigns. The Seagate also renovated its 41,064-square-foot Golf Clubhouse.

The Singer Oceanfront Resort is set to debut this spring after a multimillion-dollar renovation and conversion to Curio Collection by Hilton. The property will offer a coastal escape on Singer Island with 223 freshly renovated guest rooms and suites, all with private outdoor balconies. The vibrant culinary program will offer three new concepts, including the island's only beachfront bar, “Top Shell,” signature restaurant “Caretta Caretta,” and grab-and-go style gourmet retail at “The Market at Singer.”

 

Amrit Ocean Resort is expected to open during the summer on Singer Island with 155 guest rooms, featuring more than 100,000 square feet of spa and integrated health services across four floors, including the only indoor-outdoor Aayush hydrothermal experience of its kind. This health-centric resort will offer four food and beverage options, each focusing on health and wellness, including the plant-based restaurant “AYRE” by Celebrity Chef Matthew Kenney.

 

The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa will unveil a multimillion-dollar renovation later this year, elevating the luxury resort's modernized yet warm coastal design. The resort's new layout will boast an open space concept throughout sections of the property, and the renovation will include the restaurant, lobby, marketplace, bar, and lounge.

 

The Vineta Hotel is expected to open later this year in Palm Beach, just two blocks off legendary Worth Avenue. Paying homage to the hotel's legacy, Oetker Collection will restore the Vineta name, which it held for more than five decades, heralding a refined new chapter in the property's nearly 100-year history. As part of the restoration work, the aim is to bring the hotel back to its original splendor.

 

The Gulfstream Hotel, a historic property in Lake Worth Beach, will be refreshed under the control of Restoration St. Louis. The firm specializes in historic restoration, and the $100 million project will mark a new start for the property, which opened in 1925 and is part of the National Register of Historic Places. It is set to open as a Marriott Bonvoy property, with the renovation expected to take approximately 15 months.

 

The Boca Raton is reimagining its iconic Beach Club hotel with a $100 million investment, slated for completion in December 2024. Guests and club members will discover an entirely redesigned arrival, new restaurants, a completely refreshed lobby featuring a new bar and café, a new fitness facility and oceanside event space, and a renovation of the hotel's 207 guest rooms and suites.

 

NEW RESTAURANTS IN A HOT CULINARY SCENE

 

Le Bar a Vin in Palm Beach has reopened and is gaining a new chef and a new menu. Chef Antonio Mellino, executive chef at Quattro Passi (an Amalfi Coast three-Michelin star restaurant), will create fresh tastes with the intent of making the wine bar and nightclub a renowned destination for food.

 

Elevate Skye Bar & Lounge has opened on the rooftop at the Opal Grand in Delray Beach, overlooking the city's bustling Atlantic Avenue with stunning ocean views. The casually sophisticated open-air sanctuary offers a menu starring small plates and shareable dishes.

 

Pink Steak, a modern steakhouse with a retro-chic Florida vibe, has opened at The Shops at The Press in West Palm Beach. Chef Julian Gremaud, renowned for Avocado Grill in downtown West Palm Beach, has created a sexy atmosphere for steak lovers, with opening courses of caviars and raw bar-ish selections.

 

Brandon's Palm Beach at the Tideline Palm Beach Ocean Resort and Spa has launched “Brunch & Vinyl” every Sunday. Chef Gary Mawu celebrates international flavors with dim sum and zensai, free-flowing sushi, and continental classics, alongside Miami-based DJ & vinyl artist Diego Harispe spinning hand-picked edits.

The Seagate in Delray Beach has hired executive chef Dmitriy Kakuschke to oversee its award-winning hotel, beach club, yacht club, and golf club culinary operations teams. Kakuschke joined The Seagate from the 4-Diamond JW Marriott luxury hotel in Nashville where he was executive chef at Bourbon Steak managed by Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina.

 

Campi Italian has opened at The Ray Hotel in Delray Beach. The casual yet swanky experience seeks to transport diners on an Italian voyage by serving age-old Italian favorites with an upscale twist, from in-house made fresh pasta to tableside flambéed Fiorentina steak.

 

Tutto Mare will be developed inside the Palm Beach Playhouse at The Royal Poinciana Plaza as Palm Beach's first and only intra-coastal waterfront restaurant. The Mediterranean concept is from Tutto il Giorno restaurant group, founded by husband-and-wife team, Gianpaolo de Felice and Gabby Karan de Felice, daughter of fashion designer Donna Karan. The restaurant is set to debut later this year and will seat 200 guests.

 

Elisabetta's Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria has just opened Bar Capri, a rooftop bar with sweeping views of West Palm Beach, including the Intracoastal Waterway and the town of Palm Beach. The 75-seat covered bar area will serve Elisabetta's bar bites and pizza, as well as cocktails, wine, and beer, Monday-Friday starting at 4 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 12 p.m.

 

Meat Market, an award-winning upscale modern steakhouse in Boca Raton, has debuted adjacent to the Renaissance Boca Raton. The restaurant offers guests a high-end dining experience focusing on quality menu options, including prime cuts of steak, seafood, and seasonal produce in a sophisticated setting.

 

The Blue Door, a coastal bistro in West Palm Beach's “SoSo” (South of Southern Boulevard) district, has opened with indoor and al fresco seating. The restaurant offers a Mediterranean-inspired menu with an emphasis on seafood, and a beverage program featuring wines from smaller vineyards in coastal Europe.

 

The Blind Monk, a beloved local restaurant known for its delectable tapas and wine concept, has opened its new location inside AKA West Palm. The restaurant is an expansion of the culinary concept from a wine bar to an all-day bistro, and the beverage program also includes a full bar with a curated cocktail list.

 

Radcliffe's Speakeasy & Supper Club has been reborn with a “secret alley entrance” behind its sister restaurant, The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar. The revival of this historic Delray Beach hidden treasure offers a unique dining and entertainment experience with live jazz and R&B performances and an eclectic, upscale menu.

 

NiMo Coastal Mediterranean, a new restaurant in Tequesta, offers dishes that pay homage to the Mediterranean and Middle East. Acclaimed star chef Niven Patel and his business partner Mohamed Alkassar earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand Honor for their Miami restaurant, Ghee Indian Kitchen, and NiMo is their first restaurant in The Palm Beaches.

 

Mia Rosebud, an iconic Chicago restaurant, is now open in Boca Raton. With a distinctive ambiance complemented by its spacious interior and inviting exterior terrace, the restaurant is known for classic Italian cuisine and generous portions.

 

Corvina Seafood Grill in Boca Raton has kicked off Santorini Saturdays with an Aegean Sea-inspired selection of Coastal Greek specialties and cocktails and live music on Saturday evenings, along with a Complimentary Cava Cart. In addition, the restaurant has unveiled new dishes under the direction of Executive Chef Jeff Tunks, who has been at the helm of the restaurant since it first opened.

 

Stage Kitchen & Bar, a modern Indian-inspired restaurant, is opening a second county location in Boca Raton. The new restaurant is expected to debut later this year in Restaurant Row after it surged to popularity in Palm Beach Gardens under the helm of James Beard Foundation Award-nominee Chef Pushkar Marathe.

 

Fiolina Pasta, a new restaurant in Boca Raton's Restaurant Row, is inspired by the female pasta makers of Italy who carry on the art of making pasta by hand. Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning Chef Fabio Trabocchi leads the restaurant, which features authentic classic and regional Italian cuisine.

 

The destination has recently welcomed five new immersive Omakase dining experiences: Bōken at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, Sushi By Bou Omakase at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Konro in West Palm Beach's Flamingo Park area, and AlleyCat Boca and Kapow Noodle Bar in Boca Raton. These establishments offer intimate seating of 12 or fewer, providing the perfect setting to indulge in an interactive chef-driven meal. Guests at Bōken can enhance their culinary journey by pairing meals with a selection of drinks, ranging from premium sake, Japanese craft beer, house-infused cucumber sake, and Fukucho Seaside, a sparkling sake from a female-owned brewery in Japan. Meanwhile, at Sushi by Bou, guests can sit back and let the chef decide their menu and unique libations. Konro is a Japanese Grill helmed by Chef Jacob Bickelhaupt that serves a 10-14 course tasting menu with classic old-world techniques, such as the A6 “drunken” Wagyu tripled seared over rare Binchotan charcoal which earned the chef two Michelin stars from his first restaurant in Chicago. AlleyCat Boca now offers an exciting omakase-meets izakaya social dining experience by award-winning celebrity Chef David Bouhadana and Chef Eric Baker. Kapow offers a Sake Sommelier for seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers to enjoy a selection along with signature dishes, providing a harmonious blend of delicate flavors and nuanced profiles at all price points. 

 

ATTRACTION UPDATES

 

Rapids Waterpark in Riviera Beach has unveiled its newest and biggest attraction: MEGA MAYHEM, Florida's only dueling water coaster, and the longest one of its kind. The ride features two side-by-side flumes where riders speed down twists and turns and then are propelled uphill by a unique blast of water jet technology.

 

Maltz Jupiter Theatre has a new $5 million state-of-the-art 198-seat "black box" style theatre, located adjacent to the MainStage, named The Island Theatre. The Island Theatre features a two-story layout with 198 comfortable seats and cutting-edge technical infrastructure. Its flexible design allows for various performance configurations, from intimate musicals and thought-provoking plays to captivating museum exhibitions, movie screenings, and vibrant cabarets.

 

PopStroke Palm Beach has broken ground on its new location in West Palm Beach and is expected to open later this year. The mini-golf experience, which Tiger Woods and TaylorMade back, will boast two 18-hole putting greens with views of Palm Beach International Airport along with a two-story modern restaurant, sushi bar, club, rooftop pool, outdoor beer garden with games, lounge, and an outdoor playground.

 

The Honey Fitz, a legendary presidential yacht that served five consecutive U.S. presidents, has undergone a historic restoration and is now available for charters and luxury events. The yacht is docked at Pelican Club in Jupiter, and it rose to fame after Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and most notably, John F. Kennedy, enjoyed the vessel.

Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center is expected to debut an innovative seagrass nursery exhibit this spring. The new tanks will serve as an educational resource for visitors, as well as a functioning nursery to facilitate the growth of seagrass, manatee's preferred food source.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center is launching new sea turtle experiences during nesting season this summer. From Sunrise Nest Excavations to Hatchling Releases and Guided Turtle Walks, these new Eco Experiences offer an insightful and hands-on approach to understanding the importance of preserving our ocean and the creatures that call it home. 

 

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, in association with INFINITY Experiences, Felix & Paul Studios and PHI Studio, will present Space Explorers: THE INFINITE funded by William A. Meyer, from June 4 through September 2, 2024. The highly acclaimed experience will transport visitors on a journey as they roam freely inside a state-of-the-art, virtual 3D replica of the International Space Station (ISS), float in space alongside the astronauts, and admire breathtaking sights of Earth that only a handful have ever seen before — all without ever leaving the ground.

Lion Country Safari has welcomed a male southern white rhinoceros calf to its herd, one of the country's largest. “Orion” the calf is a significant addition to the park's rhino herd and to the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national collaboration to save imperiled species from extinction. Guests can see “Orion” and his mother, “Bloom,” from their vehicles in the park's Hwange National Park section of the safari.

 

Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society has welcomed a baby Hoffman's two-toed sloth to mother sloth “Wilbur” and father “Dustin” through a Sloth Species Survival Plan. Guests can see “Wilbur” and her baby in the sloth habitat. In addition, guests can also enjoy a new Bear Experience, which offers an unforgettable experience with the zoo's resident rescued black bear brothers “Lewis” and “Clark.”

 

SEASONAL EVENTS

MOSAIC (Month of Shows, Art, Ideas and Culture) is an annual month-long celebration of The Palm Beaches' art and cultural scene from the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. All during May, visitors can take advantage of special offers such as “buy one, get one” deals and up to 50 percent off discounts on admission tickets, retail purchases, and unique experiences throughout the culturally rich region. Participating organizations range from the beloved Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society to the interactive Cox Science Center and Aquarium and the world-class Norton Museum of Art. Throughout the month, more than 90 artists will participate in Palm Beach County Open Studios on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19 between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. With more than 25 limited-time, one-of-a-kind deals on a wide range of experiences, MOSAIC is the perfect time to visit The Palm Beaches. 

 

SunFest is marking its 40th celebration along the West Palm Beach waterfront May 3-5. The lineup for SunFest 2024 includes Nelly, Cole Swindell, Rebelution, Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, Yung Gravy, The Revivalists, Elle King, Shaggy, Dashboard Confessional, and many more. New this year, SunFest is introducing The Palm, a three-hour all-inclusive VIP culinary experience with views of the Ideal Nutrition Stage and amenities.

 

A Delray Beach Family Affair celebrates freedom, history, and family on May 19 in the backyard of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum. The family-reunion-style event features speakers who will engage the audience with accounts of Florida's history, which includes news of the emancipation of enslaved people that reached the state's citizens on May 20, 1865.

 

The Center for Arts and Innovation in Boca Raton is hosting the “RPBW Exhibition” on display from April 20-May 19. Renzo Piano is a renowned Pritzker Prize-winning architect who spearheaded the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), the company selected to design the center as the new arts and cultural destination in the city.

 

The Pink Retreat is known as “the most colorful girls' getaway in Palm Beach,” and it returns for its fifth year from June 20-23 in West Palm Beach featuring tours, shopping, and more for women of all ages who share a common bond and a colorful closet. There will be many fun activity options, such as a special shopping experience at the Lilly Pulitzer store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach that is exclusive to attendees.

 

Eudēmonia (Greek for "life well lived”) is launching this year from November 1-3 in West Palm Beach. Through a partnership between DTPB and the team that brought Wanderlust festivals to more than 20 countries, this transformational three-day summit is designed to empower guests to cultivate their well-being in all dimensions of life: physical, mental, and social. The event will offer a range of talks from leaders on the frontiers of health and longevity, experiential activities such as treatments, classes, and workouts, an expo hall filled with the latest brands in wellness tech, and daily culinary experiences designed to fuel guests' journeys. Guests can sign up for the newsletter for early access to tickets.

 

TRANSPORTATION NEWS

 

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) has new service to give visitors even more options to arrive in The Palm Beaches. Visitors from Tampa, Tallahassee, and Pensacola in Florida as well as Nassau and Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas can now enjoy daily flights from Silver Airways. Visitors from San Juan, Puerto Rico will soon be able to fly nonstop on Frontier Airlines beginning June 2. Visitors from Chicago will soon be able to fly nonstop on American Airlines throughout the summer.

NEW TRAVEL PLANNING TOOLS

 

To help travelers plan their perfect getaway, DTPB recently introduced an interactive quiz on its official website. This personalized tool highlights the new brand campaign, “The Palm Beaches Collection,” and recommends tailored experiences based on individual interests, offering insights into the destination's diverse offerings and unique attractions, including arts and culture, shopping, sports, spa and wellness, nature and outdoors, or culinary. The website offers free tools to simplify the planning process, including a comprehensive Visitors Guide, direct hotel booking platform, a calendar of upcoming events, dining recommendations, and more.

 

To learn more about The Palm Beaches, visit https://www.thepalmbeaches.com/.

 

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