Vacation: Tuesday Afternoon

As I mentioned earlier, Flagler was known as a modest man who did not-so-modest things for the east coast of Florida.  Flagler-built hotels can be found from Jacksonville to Miami, and The Breakers in Palm Beach is one of them.

The Breakers is a short walk from Whitehall, but it is located
on the beach so all of the rooms on the east side have a magnificent
view of the atlantic Ocean.

The grounds and fountains of The Breakers are beautiful.

Flagler originally bought a small hotel on the Atlantic Ocean which he renovated to house people who traveled on Flagler's railroads from cold New England to spend "the season" (winter) in Florida. While the season lasted only from six to ten weeks (March through May), anyone who was someone during the gilded age was sure to be seen in the area.  He knew that his hotel was a hit when people requested accommodations "near the breakers at the beach," so when the first motel burned to the ground, he built another in its place.  The Breakers was an instant hit, but after Flagler's death, that hotel, too, was completely destroyed by fire.

The front desk reception area of The Breakers.

Flagler's heirs knew a good thing, however, so in 1925 they built the current day Breakers which is still a destination of choice for those who can afford to stay there.  (Rick and I are not two of those people!)  The hotel is stunning, from the ornate ceilings, the gold-leaf crown moldings, the parquet inlaid and marble floors, to the seven 15th and 16th century tapestries that hang on the walls.

One of the lounge rooms, today used for special
meetings and parties, is ornate from floor to ceiling.

Our tour took us through many of the lounges were people met to mingle during the 1920s.  Even the reception area was intimidating, but I could see the Gatsby-type of people coming for the season to enjoy the beautiful Palm Beach weather.

The ceiling of the room shown above illustrates
how much time and money went into each detail of
the rooms in the hotel.

The trip was enjoyable because we do not often get a change to see how "the other half" lived.  While I could not spend the money to stay at The Breakers for even one evening, going there to view its splendor was an enjoyable way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.

The inner courtyard of the Beakers was kept
quite simple to allow the guests to relax.