In new Apple TV+ drama Palm Royale, an outsider is desperate to join the smart set in Palm Beach. But what’s the appeal of this Florida hotspot?
Katie Bowman - 12 March 2024
I knew The Palm Royale – the most exclusive club in the world – was where I belonged,” gushes wannabe socialite Maxine as she sashays on to our screen. Her yearning is understandable. It’s 1969 and Palm Beach, the Florida island town where Palm Royale country club basks, looks ravishing: boulevards of palm trees; twinkling swimming pools trimmed by candy-striped parasols; and tables of second-homers, clinking martinis in celebration of their fabulous lives. It’s all captured beautifully in this week’s new Apple TV+ drama Palm Royale, and here’s the low-down on the show and its location.
A LEGEND IS BORN
Today, in 2024, that retro-tropical aesthetic – nicknamed “Brazilliance” and replicated by interior designers in homes all over the world – is still going strong in Palm Beach. It’s what visitors travel here for, and have done since the 1890s, when oil tycoon Henry Flagler declared Palm Beach “a veritable paradise”.
Flagler built the island’s first hotel and railway line, transporting America’s great and good from mansions on the eastern seaboard. He knew there could never be anywhere else like Palm Beach on earth, let alone the US. That’s because it had only come into existence a decade previously after a wrecked Spanish brigantine, The Providencia, spilt its cargo of 20,000 coconuts here, most of which were then planted. From this a legend grew.
Palm Royale is the story of social outcast Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig), who is so committed to entering Palm Beach’s wealthy world of country clubs and charity balls, she’ll do whatever it takes. The Palm Royale’s steep joining fee is the smallest of hills she must climb to gain entry. Happily, if you, too, become smitten with the island, it’s much easier to immerse yourself in Palm Beach life: flights from the UK whizz you directly to Miami, just 60 minutes’ drive away (alternatively, Orlando and Tampa airports are three hours off).
ARRIVE IN STYLE
If you want to turn heads on arrival in Palm Beach, rent a classic car for your stay – perhaps a 1960 soft-top Corvette Impala or 1968 Pontiac Firebird (see drivevinty.com). The most memorable way to reach town is by crossing the Southern Boulevard Bridge onto the island, past Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and then heading north on Ocean Boulevard.
Just as Maxine does in her Rolls-Royce, you’ll cruise past magnificent estate homes on your left and the spectacular Atlantic shoreline on your right. Take a left onto Worth Ave at the Palm Beach Clock Tower and park up – you’ve “reached your destination”, one of the most celebrated shopping streets in the world.
Worth Ave deserves at least a day of your trip. In theory, it’s a glamorous shopping street of luxury brands that each sit in a lovely Spanish-style stone building. However, the real experience is much more thrilling. People-watching here is sensational, from groomed heiresses picking up a Pucci dress for the debutante ball, to out-of-town shoppers making their pilgrimage to local-label Lilly Pulitzer for beachwear. Try to bag an outdoor table at Café Via Flora, order an Arnold Palmer (that’s lemonade and iced tea – you are driving, after all; cafeflorapb.com) and watch the world go by…
KEYS TO THE CASTLE
Your accommodation will shape the social landscape of your trip since hotel bars and restaurants are just as popular with locals as visitors. Remember: pretty much everyone is on vacation in PB, even if it’s their winter home. If you want to be part of the old-money crowd, The Breakers – Henry Flagler’s second hotel, built in 1896 – is where to unpack your silk pyjamas. Its Italian Renaissance styling is committed, to say the least: a Florentine fountain with four sculpted water nymphs cavorting around an octagonal pool greets every guest (better rent that classic car). Frescoes, four swimming pools and 500+ rooms make The Breakers feel more like a private estate than a hotel (thebreakers.com). For a younger vibe, check out The Colony. It’s a pink paradise – literally, as the exterior is coral-coloured – with palm-print wallpaper, vintage cane furniture and extravagant suites that any Palm Royale character would very happily apply her lipstick in (thecolonypalmbeach.com). Its indoor-outdoor restaurant Swifty’s, with swimming-pool views, is the place to be seen over a Key West Pink Shrimp brunch.
ACROSS THE TRACKS
Much of the Palm Royale plot unfolds in West Palm Beach – back then, the neighbourhood was considered sketchier and altogether unrefined. Now though, there are some excellent bars and restaurants and it’s worth making the five-minute drive across Flagler Memorial Bridge. For cocktail hour, head for Harry’s (harrysbarrestaurant.com), a timewarp bar and restaurant with retro décor and fare. Or there’s Rhythm Café, which has taken over the site of a 1950s drugstore and has retained the Formica and linoleum to prove it (rhythmcafe.com). Make like Maxine, order a Grasshopper cocktail and party like it’s 1969!
A LEGEND IS BORN
Today, in 2024, that retro-tropical aesthetic – nicknamed “Brazilliance” and replicated by interior designers in homes all over the world – is still going strong in Palm Beach. It’s what visitors travel here for, and have done since the 1890s, when oil tycoon Henry Flagler declared Palm Beach “a veritable paradise”.
Flagler built the island’s first hotel and railway line, transporting America’s great and good from mansions on the eastern seaboard. He knew there could never be anywhere else like Palm Beach on earth, let alone the US. That’s because it had only come into existence a decade previously after a wrecked Spanish brigantine, The Providencia, spilt its cargo of 20,000 coconuts here, most of which were then planted. From this a legend grew.
Palm Royale is the story of social outcast Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig), who is so committed to entering Palm Beach’s wealthy world of country clubs and charity balls, she’ll do whatever it takes. The Palm Royale’s steep joining fee is the smallest of hills she must climb to gain entry. Happily, if you, too, become smitten with the island, it’s much easier to immerse yourself in Palm Beach life: flights from the UK whizz you directly to Miami, just 60 minutes’ drive away (alternatively, Orlando and Tampa airports are three hours off).
ARRIVE IN STYLE
If you want to turn heads on arrival in Palm Beach, rent a classic car for your stay – perhaps a 1960 soft-top Corvette Impala or 1968 Pontiac Firebird (see drivevinty.com). The most memorable way to reach town is by crossing the Southern Boulevard Bridge onto the island, past Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and then heading north on Ocean Boulevard.
Just as Maxine does in her Rolls-Royce, you’ll cruise past magnificent estate homes on your left and the spectacular Atlantic shoreline on your right. Take a left onto Worth Ave at the Palm Beach Clock Tower and park up – you’ve “reached your destination”, one of the most celebrated shopping streets in the world.
Worth Ave deserves at least a day of your trip. In theory, it’s a glamorous shopping street of luxury brands that each sit in a lovely Spanish-style stone building. However, the real experience is much more thrilling. People-watching here is sensational, from groomed heiresses picking up a Pucci dress for the debutante ball, to out-of-town shoppers making their pilgrimage to local-label Lilly Pulitzer for beachwear. Try to bag an outdoor table at Café Via Flora, order an Arnold Palmer (that’s lemonade and iced tea – you are driving, after all; cafeflorapb.com) and watch the world go by…
KEYS TO THE CASTLE
Your accommodation will shape the social landscape of your trip since hotel bars and restaurants are just as popular with locals as visitors. Remember: pretty much everyone is on vacation in PB, even if it’s their winter home. If you want to be part of the old-money crowd, The Breakers – Henry Flagler’s second hotel, built in 1896 – is where to unpack your silk pyjamas. Its Italian Renaissance styling is committed, to say the least: a Florentine fountain with four sculpted water nymphs cavorting around an octagonal pool greets every guest (better rent that classic car). Frescoes, four swimming pools and 500+ rooms make The Breakers feel more like a private estate than a hotel (thebreakers.com). For a younger vibe, check out The Colony. It’s a pink paradise – literally, as the exterior is coral-coloured – with palm-print wallpaper, vintage cane furniture and extravagant suites that any Palm Royale character would very happily apply her lipstick in (thecolonypalmbeach.com). Its indoor-outdoor restaurant Swifty’s, with swimming-pool views, is the place to be seen over a Key West Pink Shrimp brunch.
ACROSS THE TRACKS
Much of the Palm Royale plot unfolds in West Palm Beach – back then, the neighbourhood was considered sketchier and altogether unrefined. Now though, there are some excellent bars and restaurants and it’s worth making the five-minute drive across Flagler Memorial Bridge. For cocktail hour, head for Harry’s (harrysbarrestaurant.com), a timewarp bar and restaurant with retro décor and fare. Or there’s Rhythm Café, which has taken over the site of a 1950s drugstore and has retained the Formica and linoleum to prove it (rhythmcafe.com). Make like Maxine, order a Grasshopper cocktail and party like it’s 1969!
Why not look at our holidays in America? Click here to get a taste of Palm Royale life >>