Location: Palm Beach

Palm Beach measures a mere 3.9 square miles over land, but this petite island makes major waves when in comes to high society real estate, and luxury travel. Sandwiched by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, the city shines as an evergreen of extravagance for both old and new money. Between January and March each year, one-third of the United States’ entire wealth congregates here for a sun-kissed Hamptons-esque hubbub, as the island’s year-round population of 10,000 swells to cover 30,000 and the palatial century-old estates welcome back generations of America’s high society — Rockefeller, Kennedy, Post Vanderbilt, and Kellogg, to name a few.

While most “Billionaire’s Row” and the greater island flaunt a 1920s-style Mediterranean revival architecture pioneered by Addison Mizner, newer incarnations of high design and opulence have “struck a poise” in, around, and across the island’s downy shorelines. In particular, adjacent West Palm Beach is experiencing a rebirth as developers restore bungalows from the 1920’s s and ’20s, historic Spanish Mission-Style and Spanish Mediterranean-style homes alongside new condominiums and estates (in a a far more modest price rather than the island). Ultra-chic restaurants, lounges, boutiques, hotels, and spas are no longer confined to the perimeters of Palm Beach proper, while a growing younger populations finally branding the PalmBeaches’ cool. Thankfully today’s Palm Beaches aren’t solely a winter escape for the elite. Beyond the gorgeous homes, high-society pageantry, and thriving economies, here are just a few more reasons to love the Palm Beaches year-round.

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