We went last weekend to Palm Beach for a Private Event with the Elite of Palm Beach. And it downed on me how little I knew about this beautiful Island. We are going to tell you really interesting things about this city
If you want to know about the beaches, real estate, what to do, and where to go, here is a glimpse of a 2-day trip.
The Tideline hotel hosted us for a great weekend ahead.
About the Tideline Hotel:
Great Service, reasonable prices, and spectacular view. Parking was no problem, housekeeping was on the spot, and the breakfast at Brando’s was very good as well.
Exploring the Beaches of Palm Beaches!
The beach property of the hotel was great. We had our bed right in front of the line. To the left of the hotel is the 4 Seasons Hotel with fewer guests than our hotel.
The beach was beautiful. Still, I would give it an 8 out of 10. There was a lot of trace of ‘eww-weed Sargazo all over (I know, not the beach’s fault, but it stinks and makes the sand look ugly.
We went down the Pier, “the famous Benny’s pier” and as we approached that area, we notice it was emptiest in the early morning and starts to fill up in the mid-afternoon. Enjoy a good walk here, as the beach is wide, flat, and clean. It has several restaurant options along the sand strip and is frequented by bathers who come as a family or in a group.
Around Worth Ave, Palm Beach.
As we drove down S. Ocean drive, we had the ocean to our right and the dazzling stars of Billionaire’s Row to our left. Just minutes from the famous shops of Worth Avenue this area opulently encompasses all that is Palm Beach.
Its sheer breadth and grandeur, and beautiful views and sunsets, celebrate views of the Intracoastal Waterway from a dreamland of its own.
Of course, in August, there wasn’t a soul in Palm Beach.
With just over 9,000 inhabitants, and humbly 54 billionaires as residents.
I bet in winter this city hosts the biggest social gatherings with elegant ease befitting its shimmering waterfront. Providing exalted environments to live the most privileged lifestyle in one of the most magnificent settings in the world.
The “old money” of the roaring twenties, represented by tycoons, financiers, and heirs, still has properties in Palm Beach today.
The most elite and successful people in the world have been drawn to Palm Beach, and the other communities in Palm Beach County, for many “good reasons”.
People own 2 boats and one car here.
The average home is worth $1.8, bad news, less than 200 homes are listed for sale.
The summertime is entirely yours… most of your neighbors are not home!
You can have Bahama pretty much in your backyard… (54 nautical miles)
Hey, if you hit the lotto, you can buy your island too! (for only $200 million)
But who made this pretty island so pretty?
So, I started my research from various sources.
Henry Flagler always steals the spotlight when we talk .about Florida But guess that? Sorry Henry, the merit here I owe to someone else. To one of the most appreciated architects in Florida, our beloved Addison Mizner.
“Palm Beach was transformed” as a result of Mizner’s efforts.
Addison Mizner was Florida’s leading architect in the 1920s. By creating his own Spanish and Mediterranean Revival style, He established what became Florida’s distinctive architectural identity.
He created an atmosphere that genuinely altered the landscape of South Florida.
At the age of 46, Mizner traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, for health reasons in January 1918. He was prepared to die young, but he healed instead, possibly unaware that his career was about to soar.
Palm Beach’s existing architecture was made of wood
Both of Flagler’s hotels, the Royal Poinciana and The Breakers (which burnt down in 1925), were made of wood. For Mizner, the architecture at the time was too “wintery fashioned” for Palm Beach, which had hot tropic weather all year.
Mizner was familiar with Hispanic warm climate architecture, having lived in Guatemala. That is the style he picked, and it is more fitting for South Florida.
His structures, made of stone, tile, and stucco, were more adapted to Florida’s semi-tropical climate (and hurricane threat) than the wooden shingle-style resort architecture brought from the Northeast.
Mizner did it all
Mizner’s vision of architecture was that he not only designed buildings but also their interiors and gardens.
In addition, his dwellings were typically one room deep to allow for cross-ventilation, with kitchens in wings to keep heat away from living rooms. Kitchens were also placed away from the eating area.
His homes included courtyards on several levels, complete with arcades and towering galleries; chambers had exposed rafters and vaulted ceilings, and tiled pools and mosaics were claimed to mimic those in Pompeii.
Also, other distinguishing elements Mizner included, were loggias, verandas, clusters of columns supporting arches, French doors, bay windows, barrel tile roofs, fire pits, large stairways, and ornamental ironwork.
His Mediterranean Revival designs drew the attention and support of rich clientele who opted to build their own ocean-front houses.
Today Worth Avenue is a world-class shopping district with some of the priciest shops in the world.
Let’s see what the Via Mizner section of the Worth Avenue shopping Directory has.
Palm Beach residents are also nice people…
Together, these residents of Palm Beach donate more money per capita to charities than any other community in America.
Real estate property taxes in Palm Beach, Florida
Currently, Palm Beach County’s tax rate is $4.78 for every $1,000 in taxable value, a rate that has not changed in seven years. The minimum combined 2022 sales tax rate for Palm Beach County, Florida is 7%. This is the total state and county sales tax rates. The Florida state sales tax rate is currently 6%. The Palm Beach County sales tax rate is 1%.
When someone owns a property or a vacation home in Palm Beach, you have direct access to what the rest of the world desires.
For sports fans, some of the world’s best players have made their homes here.
The golf courses and country clubs are among the best in the country, with immaculate courses, five-star service, and fantastic amenities. The water is a way of life for enthusiastic boaters in this area. Our ocean is teeming with some of the greatest fishing around.
The Town is governed by an elected Mayor and a five-member Council that operates under the Council-Manager form of government and provides a full range of quality municipal services. It has an active historic preservation program, strict zoning standards, high levels of public safety and public works services, 3 miles of public beaches, and a wide array of recreation programs, including award-winning golf and tennis facilities.
Here is also a virtual tour of Henry Flagler’s Museum in Palm Beach
So, what are your plans for this vacation? Get to know the Palm Beaches, an opportunity to relax; relax on its miles and miles of beaches, relax in its bars with a delicious cocktail in hand, or relax while enjoying its exotic nature, but the point is that… relax.