By Michele McIntyre –
After two days in a heavily air conditioned conference center near Orlando, I nearly sprint to my rental car to make the two plus hour drive to the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It’s an easy drive – nearly the entire trip is via the Florida Turnpike – but it’s a snoozer. Miles and miles roll by with few exits and little evidence that I’m even in Florida! But the moment my trusty GPS guides me off the highway and I turn onto the Avenue of the Champions, I’m rewarded by the true Florida: pristinely manicured lawns and gardens, palm trees and a deep blue sky. What’s notably absent is the oppressive humidity I left behind in Central Florida.
The vibe: Noticeably high energy. Karen Cantor, the Public Relations Manager at PGA National, tells me that a generous portion of the resorts business comes from group sales meetings and other business functions. Sales meeting? These guests are having FUN! How could you not in this absolutely paradisiacal setting? The cocktail-serviced pool scene was the place to be on a recent hopping Tuesday afternoon. Still, you can find quieter nooks if poolside peace and relaxation is more your thing.
Each week, the resort hosts fun events for guests and locals like the popular Girls Night Out at IBAR, lively happy hours and sports-themed events.
The food: Ironwood Steak and Seafood, PGA National’s premier restaurant, is known for simply seasoned prime steaks broiled under the Vulcan 1200 before being brushed with herbed butter and shallots. But the seared diver scallops with dulce de leche (shown in slideshow), creamy grits, popcorn rice and chili oil catches my eye and doesn’t let go, mainly because of the chef’s use of bold and unexpected ingredients. Meals begin with a tempting trio of breads and spreads that you’ll have to push yourself away from because there is much more to come. First, a round of irresistible roasted beet salad with heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese coated in chopped pistachios in a tangerine dressing. Shared appetizers of jumbo shrimp cocktail and creamy crab set the tone for a meal that isn’t for the diet conscious. Handcrafted inventive cocktails fuse classic with modern while rich, dreamy desserts polish off the culinary offerings.
When lunch arrives, I nibble on a generous Mediterranean platter of hummus, tapenade, tabbouleh accompanied by pita wedges, crispy flatbread and tangy olives. Perfect! Poolside! Lunch! Dessert is a popular frozen yogurt parfait layered with berries, granola and dried fruit. The poolside service is an impressive and memorable trifecta of friendly, efficient and attentive. I’m in heaven and I never want to leave.
Renovations: The PGA National Resort & Spa has recently undergone $100 million in renovations to bring the resort up-to-date and ahead of the curve. Guest room renovations are complete and there is a definite WOW! factor in the rooms and public spaces. This is more than just your standard freshening up.
Worth Mentioning:
Specialty suites:
The golf: My experience with golf is limited to a few lessons with my girlfriends in my early 20’s, followed by a few cocktail-infused rounds on amateur courses. One particularly memorable golf outing was characterized by bees following us and our sweet pink lemonade with vodka all over the course. You get the idea. Even a non-golfer would be hard pressed not to notice that PGA National is at its core a premier golf resort. With 4 onsite courses and 1 nearby, you can mix it up on the fairways with a different course every day of your stay. The problem? PGA National does everything so well (dining, bars, the spa, the pool scene), that even a hard-core golfer might be tempted to stray a bit.
If you go:
400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 33418 – (800) 863-2819