Pink Palace
Party under the palms at newly refreshed The Colony Hotel in sunny Palm Beach, Florida
“Take a picture with the pool behind me. I want people to know that I’m at The Colony,” says the woman at the table next to me to her dining partner during a leisurely lunch at Swifty’s. The restaurant’s airy terrace edging the hotel pool buzzes with conversation as guests dine under fairytale hanging gardens and chandeliers, while servers carrying bottles of rosé and champagne are on a constant march to refill glasses.
The Colony Hotel, situated on the posh island of Palm Beach, Florida, is a longtime destination for jet-set vacationers, snowbirds and local socialites who are drawn to its happy spaces and sociable atmosphere. Now in its 75th year, it’s continuing to transform. Think of it as your tropical Barbie Dreamhouse where playful design inspo is at every turn. The hotel’s facade gleams in a fresh rendition of its hallmark pink hue, a Farrow & Ball custom paint color appropriately dubbed Colony Pink, and guest rooms have been refreshed by design stars that nail the quintessential Palm Beach style. Rooms and suites are wrapped in sweet details, from scalloped headboards to rattan and faux-bamboo furniture by Society Social, as well as Schumacher patterned wallcoverings and fabrics dashed in pink, green and blue colors exclusive to the hotel. Uniquely, if guests fall in love with their room, they can shop the details through the hotel or their design partners’ websites to re-create the look at home. (Even dreamier? They’ve partnered with Petite Plume to fashion custom pajamas so you can sleep like you’re at The Colony.) It’s also worth taking a peek at each floor’s individual de Gournay hand-painted murals. The lobby’s living room and every elevator landing portrays a different mural story, including underwater scenes with drifting turtles and bright corals, The Colony’s mascot monkey Johnnie Brown riding a bike along the waterfront, to Florida’s lush foliage.
These scenes will inspire vacationers to enjoy the area’s beauty that’s right outside the hotel. Early in the morning, zip off on the pink-and-green bikes for a scenic ride along the Lake Trail that weaves past moored yachts, vintage condos and rows of bright-pink bougainvillea. The hotel is within walking distance to Worth Avenue’s uberluxe shops, as well as The Royal Poinciana Plaza, another high-end shopping destination; and art lovers should spend a few hours at the Norton Museum of Art. Return to the hotel to sunbathe by the pool, where there’s always great people-watching, or hop on their golf cart to be whisked away for a beach day with chairs and umbrellas swathed in the hotel’s signature colors. In the evenings, gather in the sociable Living Room to listen to a guitarist play, and if you’re there on a Sunday or Monday night, mingle with locals at the hotel’s beloved game nights at Swifty’s.
The property is bursting with partnerships and programming that caters to an A-list crowd of islanders and guests. During high season, which loosely runs from December to April, the hotel hosts resident celebrity trainers like Isaac Boots, and a guest room is transformed into a peaceful oasis for Dr. Barbara Sturm’s covetable glow-inducing facials. The rich programming is meant to make guests and locals feel at home, and that familiarity is why vacationers have been flocking there since the 1940s. And now you can leave with pieces from your stylish stay to bring back home. thecolonypalmbeach.com