The Breakers' serious competition. The beachfront position, Florie's by Mauro Colagreco, and the Four Seasons service standard make it Palm Beach's most complete modern luxury resort.
The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach is a beachfront Five-Star resort at the quiet south end of Palm Beach island. A 2018 redesign by Martin Brudnizki, Florie's by Mauro Colagreco and a Forbes Five-Star spa make it the island's most complete modern luxury stay, and the Breakers' closest rival. We score it 9.4 overall.
Stay here if you want the beach and the dining rather than the ballroom grandeur of a landmark. The resort sits at the southern end of Palm Beach island, the quieter stretch well away from the Worth Avenue crowds, with direct ocean access and a low-rise, contemporary design that deliberately contrasts with the Breakers' historical scale. Its just-over-200 rooms and suites keep the ocean sightlines open across the public spaces, so the mood is a relaxed beach resort rather than a formal grand hotel.
A two-phase renovation completed in 2018 handed the interiors to the London designer Martin Brudnizki, whose palette of soft pistachio and rose, tropical art and mid-century-glamour furniture gave the resort a lighter, more current identity. The Gulf Stream runs close to this stretch of coast, keeping the water several degrees warmer than the beaches further north, and the private-beach service, the towels, the chair placement, the food and drink delivered to your lounger, is among the best-run in Florida. Guests regularly cross from the Breakers for the beach experience specifically.
Book an oceanfront category for the view that justifies the rate. The rooms and suites that face the Atlantic directly are the reason to be here, and they command a premium worth paying for a short stay. Two standout categories came out of the renovation: the Ocean View Studio Suites, which channel mid-century glamour, and the first-floor Cabana Terrace Rooms, which trade a little privacy for expanded terraces with direct access to the pool deck and the beach.
For a special-occasion trip, a beachfront suite gives you the space and the terrace to make the ocean the centre of the stay. If you are travelling with children or want the easiest path to the sand and pool, the Cabana Terrace Rooms are the most practical choice on the property.
Dining is the resort's headline. Florie's is the Mediterranean restaurant that marked chef Mauro Colagreco's first opening in the United States; his flagship, Mirazur on the French Riviera, was named the World's Best Restaurant in 2019 and holds three Michelin stars. Florie's pairs live-fire cooking from an open kitchen with Florida farm produce, and it is one of Palm Beach's most sought-after dinner reservations in season. Seaway, the beachfront bar and grill under a canopy of native seagrape trees, handles the casual side with Floridian seafood and cocktails by the sand.
The spa carries a Forbes Five-Star rating and runs to 11 treatment rooms plus a program of beach-focused wellness, which makes it one of the most complete hotel spas on the island. Between a serious spa, a serious restaurant and a well-staffed beach, the resort can hold you for several days without ever feeling that you need to leave.
Against the island's best, the Four Seasons is the modern beach-and-dining choice rather than the historic landmark. The table below places it beside three of its main Palm Beach rivals so you can match the hotel to your trip.
| Hotel | Best for | Character | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Seasons Palm Beach | Beach, spa and dining | Contemporary, south end | Florie's, Forbes Five-Star spa |
| The Breakers | Landmark grandeur and golf | Italian Renaissance, since 1896 | Private golf and beach club |
| Eau Palm Beach | Family resort further south | Manalapan beachfront | Big pools and kids' club |
| The Colony | Design and social scene | The pink hotel, in-town | Jonathan Adler interiors |
The most repeated praise is for the beach and pool operation and for a level of service that stays warm without tipping into stiffness. Guests single out Florie's and the spa far more often than resort amenities usually earn, and the south-end location gets credit for feeling calmer than the busier heart of the island. Returning guests tend to describe the staff by name, which is the clearest sign a Four Seasons is running well.
The consistent counter-notes are about price and pace. In peak season the rates are firmly at the top of the Palm Beach market, and a few guests find the contemporary styling less characterful than the Breakers' historic rooms. Others note that the quiet southern position, a plus for most, means Worth Avenue shopping and the town's restaurants are a short drive rather than a stroll.
For an anniversary, the combination of a beachfront suite, a Florie's dinner and a couples treatment at the Forbes Five-Star spa is the most complete package on the island, and the quieter south end makes it the more private choice. For a wellness-led stay, the spa, the Gulf Stream-warmed ocean for morning swims and the beach-walking infrastructure line up naturally; the warm water is arguably the most effective wellness amenity on this coast. See all anniversary hotels → or all wellness hotels →
They win on different things. The Breakers is the historic grande dame with private golf; the Four Seasons offers a quieter beachfront setting, a more contemporary feel, Florie's by Mauro Colagreco and a Forbes Five-Star spa. For beach and dining, the Four Seasons edges it; for landmark grandeur and golf, The Breakers.
At 2800 South Ocean Boulevard, at the quieter southern end of Palm Beach island, directly on the Atlantic with a private beach, a short drive south of Worth Avenue and about 15 minutes from Palm Beach International Airport.
Florie's is the resort's Mediterranean restaurant, the first US restaurant from chef Mauro Colagreco, whose Mirazur was named the World's Best Restaurant in 2019. It pairs live-fire cooking with Florida produce.
Yes. It holds a Forbes Five-Star rating and offers 11 treatment rooms plus beach-focused wellness, among the most complete hotel spas on the island.
December to April is peak season with the best weather and the highest rates. The shoulder months trade summer heat and humidity for warm water, lower prices and more availability.
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