Jason and I love living in Washington, but there’s something about the dreary pre-cherry blossom March weather that makes us want to get away.  

Enter Palm Beach: our destination for a quick long weekend stay to relax, reset, and soak up the sunshine.

We stayed at The Colony Palm Beach Hotel, aptly known as the Pink Paradise, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.  The property’s design pays homage to the rich history of the region, beautifully blending Mediterranean influences with classic American glamour and a whole lot of color… primarily pink!  I’m still dreaming of the intricate moldings, whimsical wallpaper, art and accent pieces, and the exquisite fabrics and furnishings.

If you’re considering a stay, our premium guest room with a king size bed was on the smaller side, and it is generally a very busy property during the winter months.  We knew this in advance, so that wasn’t a problem.  I’d also recommend The Colony if you’re looking for easy access to shopping.  The shopping scene on Worth Avenue, just steps from The Colony is incredible.  Not only will you find countless luxury boutiques all centrally located and among fantastic restaurants, but these shops also have great inventory—something I have not found at luxury store locations in most other parts of the world.  I only wish we could have stopped in to The RealReal.  The timing, unfortunately, didn’t work out, but we enjoyed popping into stores like Stubbs & Wooton and Ralph Lauren.  Next time, I’d like to check put some of the stores a little north of Worth Avenue like Zimmermann, Stoney Clover Lane, and Love Shack Fancy.

Our trip wasn’t all about shopping.  We also enjoyed meals at Swifty’s which is by the pool at The Colony, Café Boulud a romantic, French restaurant in The Brazilian Court Hotel with lovely outdoor seating, Bice Ristorante, and finally La Goulue Palm Beach.  As my brother would say, La Goulue was our “sleeper pick.”  The quality of the food far exceeded our expectations, especially given that it was more casual and less expensive relative to other spots on the island.

Although we stayed at The Colony, we also got drinks at The Breakers and had lunch and a couples massage at the Four Seasons.  While we did see some little ones at The Colony, there were way more families with young kids at the others.  The Four Seasons and especially The Breakers are also much larger properties.

We also attended mass at Saint Edward’s (a stunning parish!), and relaxed on the beach.  The Colony has the most adorable pink golf cart to take guests to and from the water along with a beach butler.  I did get perhaps the worst sunburn of my adult life, but that was on me for underestimating my sunscreen needs, and other than that, I truly have no complaints.