PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The joke goes something like this: While bluebloods trace their lineage back to the Mayflower, the real upper crust of society waited for the second boat -- the one that sailed for Palm Beach.
Not exactly true, of course, but if it was, chances are the place the second boat landed was The Breakers. This 560-room, Italian Renaissance-style resort is the pinnacle of Old Florida wealth and gracious living, located just down the palm-lined street from Worth Avenue, where for decades designer stores such as Gucci and Cartier have lured the rich, famous and infamous.
Donald Trump's famed Mar-a-Lago, once home to cereal heiress Marjorie Meriweather Post, is a few miles south on County Line Road, as is the compound the Kennedy clan once used as its winter playground.
The Posts, the Kennedys, the Donald, all of them and many more are part of Palm Beach lore. But when people really think about Palm Beach, chances are they think about The Breakers, with its half-mile of private beach, poolside cabanas, retail shops, nine restaurants and lounges and $25 million Spa and Beach club.
To get to know The Breakers is to get to know the rich (pardon the pun) history of Palm Beach County. In 1893, railroad magnate Henry Morrison Flagler, a partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil (now Exxon) purchased 140 acres of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth. The next year Flagler opened the Royal Poinciana resort.
In 1896, Flagler built the Palm Beach Inn to hold the overflow crowd from the Royal Poinciana. That same year he also built the Port of Palm Beach, so his guests could travel by steamship to such locales as Key West, Nassau and Havana.
Also in 1896, Flagler hired Alexander J. Findlay to build what is reputed to be the first nine holes of golf in Florida.
The Palm Beach Inn was renamed The Breakers in 1901 because so many guests asked for rooms "down by the breakers."
The original Breakers burned to the ground on June 10, 1903, but Flagler replaced it with an even more ornate hotel. The "second" Breakers, however, burned down March 18, 1925, about 13 years after Flagler's death.
Flagler's heirs built the existing Breakers resort in 1926 at a cost of $6 million. The hotel opened during a hurricane on Dec. 26. Over the years, The Breakers has become a favorite destination on Palm Beach Island, not only for guests but also for tourists curious to get just a taste of its luxury.
Security discouraging such sightseers is tighter than in the past, but still, it's not unusual, especially in mid-afternoons during the winter, to see tourists wander the huge public areas under Venetian chandeliers or have their pictures taken in front of the Florentine Fountain in front of the hotel.
Seemingly every area of the resort tells a story. The twin Belvedere towers, for example, were designed after the Villa Medici in Rome; the Florentine Fountain is similar to the one at Boboli Gardens in Venice; the hotel's huge main lobby was inspired by the Great Hall of the Palazzo Carega in Genoa.
And then there is the Circle Dining Room, where guests have breakfast under a hand-painted 30-foot ceiling with eight murals that depict Renaissance landscapes. Oh yes, the Circle Dining Room also has an ocean view. There's no better way to start the day.
The centerpiece of The Breakers today is the Spa and Beach Club, a 20,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor facility with 17 massage and treatment rooms, men's and women's locker rooms (each with steam and sauna) and a four-lane lap pool and fitness center.
The Beach Club has four pools, including one directly on the beach, as well as a children's pool. There are also 13 cabanas in addition to the 56 beachfront cabanas. A tropical restaurant featuring casual fare and spa cuisine has become a favorite because guests can dine indoors or outdoors while overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
And golf? The resort has a pair of courses for guests. Earlier this year, the resort opened The Breakers Rees Jones Course, the renovated version of Willard Byrd's original Breakers West course about 30 minutes off Palm Beach Island. Jones added bunkers and contouring -- primarily on the back nine -- as well as nearly five acres of new lakes in areas previously inhabited by non-indigenous trees.
"The Open Doctor" kept native trees, including 450 relocated sable palms and 400 new pine trees. Jones also transplanted 39 oak trees and another 40.
"The way we staggered some of the bunkers really make you think about what you're capable of doing, so in that way the course plays a little bit longer" than its 7,100 yards (par 72), Jones told PGA.com. "You might not want to hit driver every time. This is like a neo-classic golf course now. You have to think your way around it instead of trying to just go from Point A to Point B."
Findlay's Ocean Course (6,167 yards, par 70) begins next to the hotel and crosses South County Road. The crossing provides a good glimpse of Palm Beach lifestyle as Rolls Royces, Jaguars and the occasional Bentley pass in front while you wait for the traffic light to change.
Joe Lee renovated the Ocean Course in 1992 and Brian Silva did the honors in 2000. Silva's renovation showcases the random bunkering of Findlay's original design. He also reworked most of the greens, tee boxes and fairways to where the Ocean Course (adding around 150 yards) now plays as a much tougher test of golf than ever before.
In addition to simply being convenient for resort guests, the Ocean Course is a good way for resort guests to get to know the game without the intimidation of a championship-length 7,000-yard course.
"What better way to get to know golf than on a short course?" Director of Golf Tim Collins said. "If you want to play championship golf, go play at Breakers West. But if you want to learn the game, and want to learn how to play placement golf, this is where you can do it."
And there's no better place better than The Breakers.
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