Journey Friday: Boca Raton and Palm Beach

Happy Journey Friday! This week we're heading to South Florida, to Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Both have great hotels, golf, boating and plenty of history, and a few spots you may recognize from the screen.

Cruising from Palm Beach

You can sail right from the Port of Palm Beach. Margaritaville at Sea Paradise sails from there, including a 3-night Nassau itinerary: a day at sea, then a full day in Nassau. It works as a quick getaway or an add-on to a Florida stay.

The Breakers Palm Beach

Henry Flagler opened the oceanfront hotel in 1896 as the Palm Beach Inn. It was renamed The Breakers after an expansion in the early 1900s, and it is still owned by his heirs. If you want classic oceanfront Palm Beach with a long history, this is the one.

The Colony Hotel

The pink Colony Hotel opened in 1947 in the middle of Palm Beach. Its poolside restaurant, Swifty's, is known for its lively atmosphere and entertainment.

The Boca Raton

Architect Addison Mizner opened the original Cloister Inn here in February 1926, so the resort is celebrating its 100th year. It's a good fit for travelers who want a resort with history and a lot to do on property.

PGA National Resort

PGA National is in Palm Beach Gardens, a bit north of Boca Raton. It has five championship courses and 79 holes of golf. The Champion course hosts the PGA TOUR's Cognizant Classic each spring and includes the Bear Trap, a three-hole stretch designed by Jack Nicklaus. Not a golfer? There's a 40,000-square-foot spa with outdoor mineral pools and a racquet club with 16 tennis courts.

Peanut Island

Peanut Island is a county park at the Palm Beach Inlet, good for boating, fishing and a beach day. There's a campground, and you can get there by your own boat or by water taxi from Riviera Beach. The island is also known for the former John F. Kennedy bunker.

Dining

Both areas have plenty of options, from casual waterfront spots to dressed-up dinners. Two places worth knowing about: Swifty's at The Colony, and Al Fresco on the Palm Beach par-3 golf course, which has Atlantic and Intracoastal views.

Seen on screen

A few well-known titles connect to this area. Where a story is set and where it was filmed are not always the same.

• Caddyshack (1980): the story takes place at the fictional Bushwood Country Club. The golf scenes were filmed at Rolling Hills (now Grande Oaks) in Davie, near Fort Lauderdale. The Fourth of July dinner and dance scene was filmed at The Boca Raton resort.

• Baywatch (2017): the movie is set in the fictional Emerald Bay, Florida. It was filmed in Florida and Georgia, including a party scene at The Boca Raton resort and the opening beach scene at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton.

• Palm Royale (Apple TV+): the series is set in Palm Beach in 1969. Most of it was not filmed in Palm Beach, apart from a few aerial shots.

  
  

If Boca Raton or Palm Beach is on your list, send me a message and let's talk about what fits your family or group.