In times of Covid, an escape feels like sunshine in our lives, a new encounter, a potential adventure, a social experience, a special treat or an exciting rendezvous.

Palm Beach felt like this to me when I travelled to this sunny place from a snowy New York City day for the Haute Victoire trunk show at EARIN.

The Breakers

The Breakers was my destination. Built on a long strip of an island in late IXX century by tycoon Henry M. Flagler, the hotel was designed by Shultze & Weaver who brought artisans in from Italy to recreate a palazzo with intricate ceilings and paintings, sculptures and imposing chandeliers.

Start your day with a walk on the beach, one of the nicest shores of South Florida. Then head for breakfast to the hotel rotunda, which reminds me of Villa D'Este in Lake Como.

Shopping and Culture

Though Palm Beach has been the winter home for a happy few for almost a century, it's having a "resurgence" as Aerin Lauder says in TOWN&COUNTRY March issue. Head to Worth Avenue for a high-shopping experience, explore the beautiful Vias on each side of the avenue and don't miss my favorite store, AERIN, on Via Mizner.

Architect Addison Mizner, who is said to have invented the Palm Beach style, has his villa nearby where he lived from 1924-1933 in a Venitian-Moorish style palazzo.

Then take a break for an European style lunch at the new Bilboquet.

Time for an Aperitif

When it's time for an aperitif, head to The Colony hotel, the best representation of the new Palm Beach style, with its pink ambiance, lush wallpaper and rattan furniture. A drink by the pool feels like life is somehow back to normal.

Under the Stars

For dinner, my favorite place is the outdoor dinning of Sant Ambroeus, around a basin and under the palm trees. It can't get better !

My last stop before heading to bed is a magical patio at the Breakers where you can enjoy the wind in the trees and the stars in the sky.

After a few days of work, socializing and lounging on the beach it was time to head back home to NYC on another snowy day... I was grateful for this window and was reminded by friends in Paris - who were on the verge of being re-confined because of the pandemic - that "time has come to light the stars again", Apollinaire.

Fin.