Florida’s golf capital is Palm Beach, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the county has over 160 picture-perfect golf courses. A stay at the PGA National Resort would be the pinnacle of that golfing experience given that the hotel is nestled among no less than six championship golf courses. However, you will also find out, they have something to offer everyone with a world-class wellness centre and award-winning dining options, too.
Hotel
Just over 20 minutes by car from Palm Beach International Airport, the resort is situated in the leafy neighbourhood of Palm Beach Gardens. The hotel has recently spent around $100 million in renovations to elevate its hospitality experience to be one of the finest offerings in Florida. Their new design harks back to the days of 1960s Palm Beach chic, think tropical prints accentuated by splashes of pink and green that highlight the South Floridian spirit.
Of particular interest is the redesign of their 40,000-square-foot spa. They tasked Venus Williams and her firm V Starr with the reinvention of the spa area and the updated warm neutral palettes are very much in keeping with the rest of the hotel. It is elegant without being ostentatious, charming without being arrogant. The sprawling design does require time for navigational research, especially when trying to locate the spa for the first time, however, it also means you never feel congested walking around the resort, even when they are hosting private events.
Room
With around 366 guestrooms, cottages, suites and vacation homes, there are options for all kinds of budgets and needs. The rooms are very spacious even for their entry-level, resort view room at 392-square-foot.
On the other end of the spectrum is their commodious Champion Suite, which is around 1,017-square-foot. It features three balconies, a luxurious living room, two 42’’ LCD HD TVs, a dry bar, an executive desk, and two full spa-style bathrooms. The latter is particularly slick with custom illuminated mirrors, white terrazzo tile floors, and black porcelain wall tile. From your balconies, you can savour the golfing action from the Fazio driving range or admire the sunset with the pool or lake as a backdrop.
Food and drink
There are three dining options at the resort, consisting of The Butcher’s Club, Honeybelle and Birdie’s Diner. The former is their showcase restaurant headed up by celebrity chef and Floridan, Jeremy Ford, a James Beard Award nominee and winner of Top Chef Season 13.
The menu is akin to the greatest hits of the surf ‘n’ turf world, so expect to see plenty of oysters, Florida stone crabs and Key West shrimps. Carnivorous diners can tuck into anything from a 10oz wagyu skirt steak to a 50oz ‘Tomahawk Experience’ from Carrera Farms. Everything is naturally more voluminous in Florida, so you’ll see colossal blue crab mac and cheese along with glazed jumbo asparagus on the menu.
Birdie’s Diner is where you would head for a more casual experience and it’s also where you can eat breakfast. This is where you can try their famous So-Flo breakfast burrito – scrambled eggs, mojo pork, fried onions, peppers, and spicy aioli.
Spa
With their expansive spa offerings, this is somewhere you could conceivably spend most of your day. Salt plays a key part in the experience; they have outdoor therapeutic mineral pools that have salt deposits from all over the world including France and Israel. They also have two Himalayan salt rooms for guests to relax in.
Their treatment menu includes wide-ranging options such as a golfer’s CBD massage to a cryotherapy slimming wrap and in the main swimming pool area, there are private cabanas for hire with fans and private mini-fridges to keep you chilled and hydrated throughout your stay.
The resort has placed particular importance on men’s haircare and grooming at the resort. They’ve opened a 1950s-style salon in conjunction with groom guys to ensure you always look immaculate before heading out the golf course. The classically trained barbers offer everything from a professional beard trim to even nose hair waxing.
To do
PGA National Resort might be surrounded by championship golf courses, but golf lessons that cater for all levels can be taken here. Beginners are particularly encouraged to take part and state-of-the-art technology is used to video your swings and compare them with professional golfers. And of this is all sent back to you as a video post-lesson, so you can remember all the techniques you’ve picked up during the lesson.
Plenty of top golfers such as Tiger Woods stay at Jupiter, which is a short distance from the hotel. It is also an area where you’ll find some of the best restaurants in town, including the likes of Beacon. Not only sourcing the very best of ingredients, with seafood being a particular standout, Beacon’s dishes are also thoughtfully paired with ingredients to enhance the flavours. Their charred octopus sourced from Spain is paired with blistered tomato, aji avocado purée and red Sorrell, whilst the lobster bucatini has extra umami-richness as it is topped with a lobster broth. Their world-class desserts are guaranteed to induce food envy with neighbouring tables, with the dark forest being a particular showstopper.
Their sister company, Love Street Outdoor Center runs a boat cruise around the Jupiter Inlet Aquatic Preserve and is the perfect pre-dinner entertainment.
In a nutshell
Yes, The PGA National Resort is a haven for golfers, but it is a fantastic wellness centre, a mouth-watering culinary retreat and a great base to explore the rest of Palm Beach.
Factbox
The PGA National Resort offers rooms from $229 per night.
Address: 400 Ave of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418, United States.
Phone: +1 800-863-2819
Email: reservations@pgaresort.com
Website: pgaresort.com
