West Palm Beach hotels

One of the best hotels in West Palm Beach, The Ben is a centrally-located boutique hotel just steps from the Intracoastal Waterway. Here you’ll find locals lining up for sunset happy hour at the rooftop bar Spruzzo and guests joining them in stylish swimsuits. Head up for a drink, and you’ll understand why it’s so popular. The views over the Intracoastal and Palm Beach Island are stunning, and look even better from the rooftop pool.

I love working from the lobby, which feels like setting up your laptop in an eccentric, wealthy relative’s living room, where zebra print and old books sit in front of comfy, oversized furniture. The rooms have sliding bookcases that hide windows into the shower – a playful touch for anyone who wants to enjoy their room’s view while they wash. The on-site restaurant Proper Grit is also fantastic, serving an impressive selection of bourbon and Southern food staples.

Of all the best hotels in West Palm Beach, the Canopy is the most centrally located. Hilton’s lifestyle hotel brand brings an urban loft vibe to downtown West Palm, where exposed concrete ceilings and minimalist chic rooms provide a relaxing place to retreat at the end of the day. The coolest thing about Canopy is its rooftop pool and bar, where you can order a local craft beer while enjoying a panorama of the skyline and Intracoastal Waterway.

The Canopy also has a bike hire programme, so I like to grab one and go explore as far as my legs will take me. Nearby, the Norton Museum is my pick for the best art museum in South Florida. After touring there, I'll ride over to the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden and relax in the shade, then cross the bridge and explore Palm Beach Island.

One of the best hotels in West Palm Beach, The Hilton Downtown West Palm Beach is like a full-service resort in the heart of the city. Even as a local, it's a fun place to pretend you're on holiday by the lagoon pool with a fruity cocktail in hand. It's also a short walk to CityPlace, Restoration Hardware, the waterfront or really anything you’d want to do in downtown West Palm Beach.

Rooms are bright and clean, with large desks and plenty of space to unpack if you’re in town for business. It’s also next door to the Palm Beach County Convention Center, convenient if you’re attending a conference there. If you've got kids with you, I highly recommend spending some quality time at the poolside splash pad. It'll keep them smiling—and completely tire them out so they're ready to sleep at bedtime.

The Breakers isn’t just one of the best hotels in West Palm Beach. It’s one of the best luxury hotels in West Palm Beach. The iconic Henry Flagler creation began as the Royal Poinciana, the largest hotel in the world when it opened in 1894. It eventually spurred a waterfront offshoot called The Breakers. The version that lives on Palm Beach Island today has been standing on the same ground since 1926.

Today, The Breakers is among the most historic hotels in America, a true look back into Gilded Age luxury with ornate ceilings, tapestries on the wall, and elegant appointments. The lobby's HMF cocktail bar is a place to see and be seen, where you’ll spot well-heeled locals sipping Martinis next to celebrities and visiting dignitaries. I'm a big fan of dressing up and starting a night out in West Palm Beach with a drink here.

If you’re going to be in town for a while and need a little more space, the Aka is one of the best hotels in West Palm Beach to go for. It offers rooms, suites, and studios more akin to small apartments, but with all the hotel amenities. These sleek, modern spaces are filled with white fixtures, clean lines, and black tile, boasting stainless steel appliances including dishwashers. I like to take advantage of the full kitchen and walk to Publix nearby to save money and prepare meals at ‘home’.

The hotel is delightfully pet-friendly, too, and if you’re bringing your four-legged friend there’s a pet spa on the property. If you’re considering moving to West Palm Beach, the Aka gives you a pretty good idea of what downtown life is like. So, it's the best place to stay in West Palm Beach for living like a local.

Everything about The Colony feels very Floridian as if Lilly Pulitzer and the set designer from the Golden Girls went on a Worth Avenue shopping spree and decided to open a hotel. From the moment you step into the lobby, you’re immersed in a wonderland of pastels and wicker rattan, leading out to a mid-century glam pool.

Rooms are done up in colourful wallpaper and custom-designed furniture, which means all 89 rooms are different, making this one of the best hotels in West Palm Beach for design lovers. The Colony is also only a couple of blocks from fabled Worth Avenue, the original South Florida destination for upscale shopping. While the hotel is delightful, maybe my favourite thing about it is its proximity to Buccan, my pick for the best all-around restaurant in South Florida.

Despite the abundance of beautiful luxury hotels on Palm Beach Island, its lone 5-star, Five Diamond is the fabulous Four Seasons. This is one of the best hotels in West Palm Beach for families, and I always suggest this resort to those looking for a luxury experience, as it makes travelling with children seamless thanks to its anticipatory service and oversized guest rooms.

What really sets this hotel apart is how it can facilitate almost any Palm Beach experience you’re looking for. If you want to rent a yacht for the day, it’s easily arranged. Or if you want to learn how to play polo, the Four Seasons is one of the only hotels in the world with a staff polo pro. The pro can teach you how to play the game and even share a picnic lunch with you after.

Nantucket's White Elephant Hotel's owners opened this second location in the 1920s-era Bradley Park Hotel building, bringing their brand of laid-back luxury to Palm Beach. The Mediterranean revival building harkens back to the area’s Addison Mizner era, but it’s the only thing about the place that seems old. The art is avant-garde and the food at the on-site restaurant Lola 41 runs the gamut. My go-to's are the poke nachos and Korean beef bulgogi.

One of the best hotels in West Palm Beach, the coolest thing about the property is the fleet of 7-series BMWs that’ll chauffeur you around. Though personally, when staying here I like to put on a pair of trainers and wander the streets nearby. They’re filled with some of the most lavish mansions in America and make for a truly unique morning run.

If you're looking for a beach hotel near West Palm Beach at a relatively affordable price, look to the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island. Here, the ocean-facing rooms feel like you’re sleeping right on top of the water, making this one of the best hotels in West Palm Beach for its beachside location. The Marriott is a total escape. The kind of place where you can check in on a Friday, hit one of the two pools and forget about reality until you check out.

My favourite part of the holiday vibe here is ordering food and drinks to my poolside lounge chair, then wandering out to the beach with a cocktail. If you're up for cooking while on holiday, book one of the resort's Residence Suites, where full kitchens enable you to prepare your own meals—perfect if you're travelling as a family.

The best fancy hotel in Palm Beach for wellness is Eau Palm Beach, a former Ritz-Carlton set on the beach in Manalapan, just south of Downtown West Palm. As part of the hotel’s rebirth, designer Jonathan Adler was chosen to reimagine the rooms, and his playful touches give the place an air of light-hearted fun. The crowd is upscale and stylish, and if that’s your tribe then the Eau is your spot.

Whatever you do, don’t miss a meal at Polpo Palm Beach, the seafront Italian eatery that incorporates fantastic local seafood into its entrées. You can opt to sit inside or outside – as long as you’re not here in the summer, choose to eat al fresco.

Nothing relaxes me more after a long day on the beach than kicking back in the Eau spa’s 42,000-square-foot space, which is among the most opulent wellness centres in Florida.