Why did this hotel catch your attention? What's the vibe? Filing along with the Porsche, Audi, and Bentley valet arrivals, we pulled up in our Kia minivan at Eau's porte-cochere and were made to feel equally welcome along the moneyed travelers who vacation in Palm Beach. This is Florida's true gold coast, and you step from the covered outdoor arrival area into a lobby that strikes a balance between formal and fun, drawing eyes immediately outside to the star attractionโthe Atlantic Ocean, which takes on a luminous turquoise hue along this stretch of Florida.
My first impression was one of glowing sunlight and ocean breezes. It's not an open-air lobby, but the views make it feel like one.
What's the backstory? Jonathan Adler redesigned all the rooms when it debuted as Eau, and it looks totally different from before. While Palm Beach is in the property's name, Eau actually fronts a stretch of beach called Manalapan on the southern tip of Palm Beach Island , located roughly nine miles south along the coast from Palm Beach's tony retail corridor, Worth Avenue.
The hotel is a whimsical, playful alternative to The Breakers , Palm Beach's most storied and historical hotel to the north, and draws its own share of celebrities and glittering charity balls during the busy winter season.
Tell us all about the accommodations. Any tips on what to book? My husband, our two toddlers, and I checked into a second floor, two-room oceanfront suite with connecting bedrooms and immediately slid both floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors in the bedroom and living room wide open to let in the views and salty air. There's a yacht-like feel here, almost as if you're on a balcony at sea.
