The Breakers

The Breakers is what happened when America's Gilded Age looked at the Villa Medici and decided Florida deserved one too. The present building, raised in 1926 after fire destroyed its wooden predecessors, was modelled on the great Renaissance palaces of Rome: twin belvedere towers, a 200-foot frescoed lobby, hand-painted ceilings by Italian artisans and a fountain courtyard that would not embarrass the Borghese. It stands directly on the Atlantic in the heart of Palm Beach, and it remains owned by the descendants of its founder, railway and oil magnate Henry Flagler.

That continuity of ownership shows in the fabric. The resort reinvests on a scale most flagged hotels cannot, so the 1920s architecture coexists with resolutely current rooms, a serious oceanfront spa, a family entertainment centre and a beach club whose pools and bungalows stretch along the shore. Two golf courses—including the historic Ocean Course, Florida's oldest—plus tennis and croquet complete a country-club roster of pursuits.

The atmosphere is Palm Beach itself: seersucker at Sunday brunch, children in the pools, serious money worn lightly. Restaurants run from an Italian seafood room to a celebrated wine cellar and casual beach dining, and the service culture is drilled to a polish that consistently ranks among America's best resorts. It is grand, it is busy in season, and it is one of the few places where 1920s splendour still functions exactly as intended.