Please note – The links I use throughout this blog post are affiliate links, which means I make a (small) commission if you use my link and then make a purchase. This includes images that are links. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I use LTK, so you’ll notice the affiliate links have a rstyle.me URL if you hover over the link.
Hi there, fashion lovers! I started this blog during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I haven’t done any traveling up until this trip. So, I’m learning as I go here when it comes to travel and blogging, but I thought it would be fun to share a recap of my trip – what I wore, what I wish I had packed, and places I went while in Palm Beach! I will link my outfits, options I wish I had packed, and the restaurants throughout the post.
I think it makes sense to start with travel day outfits. Normally, I opt for comfort when it comes to flying (I’m talking sweatpants in the winter and Lululemon leggings in most other weather), but I knew I wanted to look a little more put together for Palm Beach given it has a reputation for being a place where people tend to dress up. For the flight there, I wore this green dress with comfortable espadrilles, and I put my hair in a top knot with a twilly as a headband to (hopefully) make myself look a little more put together! I know I could have worn something even more comfortable for the flight and just changed at the airport, but it’s a quick trip from Washington down the east coast to PBI Airport. Next time, I will opt for a similar outfit or even a dress that is a little shorter – it was actually really hot just walking around while we waited for our room, and I could have gone for something even more lightweight!
For the flight home, I wore a linen tshirt (I link this top all the time but linking again – I am going to need to order more because I basically live in this top), jeans, and espadrilles. I carry my hat on the plane, too! You are probably wondering why I would pick denim for a flight out of Florida in June, but we decided to stick close to the hotel the morning of our flight. I kept one of my linen button up dresses out to bop around in in the morning, and I was able to change into the outfit below just before hopping in the car for the airport. Basically, the answer is because I was in air conditioning!
Shop the Looks
The first morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast from the coffee shop attached to the hotel and headed to the beach. We only had two full days, but we were super lucky with the weather and spent most of the time during the day at the beach. The water was the perfect temperature and you could see straight to the bottom, so I enjoyed just floating in the ocean (mostly without fear of what might be lurking around)!!
As for beach attire, my swimsuit is sold out, which is such a bummer, but it is from last year. I shared similar options below at different price points. But, my coverup that I’m wearing below is available. I actually wore this linen dress as a coverup. It is really one of my favorite dresses this summer – in fact, I bought it in this neutral color after I bought the navy because I loved it so much. It’s machine washable, steams really easily, and it goes over a swimsuit just as easily as it goes with a nice pair of sandals. As for my hat.. I love straw hats in the summer, but I really go for a waterproof baseball cap when I’m at the beach – it stays on regardless of wind, and I can wear it in the water!
Shop the Look
Once we left the beach for the day, we typically had time until dinner that we used to walk around Worth Avenue and on another day, the Royal Poinciana Plaza – then we would go back to the hotel to change for dinner. For shopping/ afternoon coffee trips, I wore my navy linen button down dress one day (linked above) and biker shorts with a linen button down the other. Palm Beach is definitely a place where people like to dress up for most things, which is fun (especially after basically being in sweatpants for over a year), but can’t say I was exactly prepared for it – I would probably leave my biker shorts at home next time and wear a dress like the one below. This outfit is one that I wore to dinner one night, and honestly, it was probably more appropriate for shopping and lunch depending on where you are having dinner.
Shop the Look
On the second day there, we needed an afternoon cappuccino to refuel and stumbled upon a gorgeous restaurant, Le Bilboquet, on Worth Avenue. It was a tasty cappuccino and while we were not there for very long (and they were between lunch and dinner service), the courtyard filled with rattan furniture and greenery on the courtyard walls was idyllic.
For dinner on our last night, we ate at Renato’s, an Italian restaurant that was recommended to us by a friend. The wine and food were both very good. My favorite part of the meal was the caprese salad, which was bufala mozzarella, heirloom tomato, basil oil, and aged balsamic – we get caprese salad whenever it’s available, and this one was delicious! This restaurant was jacket preferred for men, and I wore a red jumpsuit with espadrille heels (sorry I don’t have a photo of that outfit!)
I’m sharing below a photo of what I had planned to wear to dinner that night, but I ultimately changed into the jumpsuit outfit because I thought it was more appropriate for the dress code. I love these pants and this top though, and I can’t wait to wear it again! Mosquitoes love me, so lightweight, summer pants or jumpsuits are often my go-to when I think I’m going to be dining outside.
Shop the Look
This is the area near Renato’s! It’s absolutely stunning. It feels like you’ve been transported to Europe, and these beautiful corners are everywhere right off Worth Avenue.
On our last full day, we headed over to the Royal Poinciana Plaza to look in the shops and grab an afternoon coffee – we noticed there weren’t many options for just coffee shops so we asked around for recommendations. Someone recommended Sant Ambroeus to us, and it did not disappoint! Their coffee menu had plenty of options, and we also ordered the tiramisu. (Sometimes dessert before dinner is just a good idea!) My husband and I both thought the tiramisu was the best one we’ve had! I highly recommend it.
Last but not least, we ate several meals at the Colony’s restaurant, Swifty’s. My favorite meal there was definitely lunch as they have an absolutely delicious cheeseburger. You can pick from a few sides to go with it, and I picked the Swifty’s coleslaw every time. If you’re a coleslaw fan, then you should definitely order this too! The beverages at Swifty’s were also very good. I don’t typically drink chardonnay but opted for it with my burger. One of the things I loved about Swifty’s was the ambience – everything was bright, and it felt very summery. In addition to some really cute rattan chairs that I didn’t manage to take a picture of, many of the indoor tables at Swifty’s have these fabulous benches.
Shop the Look
The hotel also has a little coffee shop in it that we ate at twice for breakfast because we just wanted to get to the beach! My favorite thing on the menu was definitely the berry smoothie – it was delicious and also super filling! I typically headed down to the coffee shop (just off the lobby) in a cotton dress or shorts – very casual and that was completely fine!
So, what do I wish I had packed?! I’ll be honest, I consider myself to be pretty good at packing what I need for any trip, but I could really tell that I hadn’t traveled anywhere for over a year when I was packing for this trip (and it showed when I got there)! Next time, I will pack a few nicer options for dinner – jumpsuits to wear with summer heels or nice flat sandals, midi dresses or mini dresses that you think of for dinner options as opposed to something you would wear during the day, and one or two more cotton dresses to wear out for lunch, an afternoon coffee, or shopping. If you love pink, green, or any bright colors and fun patterns, Palm Beach is the perfect place to wear those dresses or fun tops!
Shop “What I Wish I Would Have Packed” for Dinner
Shop “What I Wish I Would Have Packed” for Daytime
We stayed at the Colony Hotel Palm Beach, which is a block away from the ocean and right around the corner from Worth Avenue (full of shopping and restaurants). The hotel is pink on the outside and full of gorgeous pastels and rattan furniture inside – I generally found the decor to be fun and chic. Our room was hot pink and had the cutest armchair with white, pink, and green plaid. I had hoped to book a bigger room, but the size was not an issue for the three nights we were there. The closet had plenty of space and hangers, and there was plenty of space in the room for our things. The one thing I did wish for was a bigger bathroom. I also saw one of the bigger rooms while I was walking in the hallway, and it looked really nice.
The service at the hotel was great. The front desk was very helpful and greeted us with champagne while we waited for our room. The Colony also offers a fun golf cart shuttle to the beach, and they have a Volvo SUV that will take you/pick you up anywhere within 2 miles (I believe it’s 2 miles) for free! This service was perfect for when we wanted to go across town to Poinciana Plaza. The staff at Swifty’s were all welcoming and professional.
I’ve only been once, but Palm Beach is now one of my new favorite places, and I can’t wait to go back!
