Review: White Elephant Palm Beach

Why book? The exclusive island of Palm Beach has a stately (at times stuffy) feel—and, for many, that’s part of the charm. But for those wanting something more modern and approachable, White Elephant Palm Beach presents a stylish yet unpretentious option on the highbrow resort island.

Set the scene: Just off of Palm Beach's original Main Street (now known as Royal Poinciana Way), the White Elephant’s Addison Mizner-style facade speaks to the 1920’s Spanish-Mediterranean Revival roots of the landmark building. It charms at first sight with classic black-and-white striped awnings, terracotta roof tiles, and a seven-foot white elephant statue by Santa Fe-based artist Fredrick Prescott, mirroring the icon in front of White Elephant Nantucket. Step inside, and the lobby feels like an art collector’s cool and cozy living room: your eyes immediately gravitate towards a 54” round acrylic work by Orit Fuchs channeling timeless female beach glamour. (This is but one of 130 art pieces strewn throughout the 32-room property.) An outdoor U-shaped courtyard, capped with blacl-and-white umbrellas, lined with colorful banquette seating and serviced by restaurant Lola 41, commands an all-day and evening social scene of both hotel guests and locals.

The backstory: White Elephant Nantucket defined understated New England luxury when it opened back in 1999. Owners (and snowbirds) Stephen and Jill Karp had long maintained a home in Palm Beach, and, in recent years, Stephen had been looking to possibly expand the luxe-meets-unpretentious White Elephant brand. One fateful day in winter 2018, Stephen was walking on Sunset Avenue between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway when he noticed the Bradley Park Hotel was for sale and in real need of some TLC. That got the wheels in his head turning, and soon he was hard at work converting the four-story, circa 1924 property into the second outpost of the White Elephant. He enlisted the team at Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects and worked with the Town of Palm Beach to create a property true to its destination, at once honoring its architectural roots but also incorporating contemporary elements while adding hints of New England panache.

The rooms: The property is definitely boutique by way of inventory—it has a total of 32 units, 13 rooms and 19 suites—but not necessarily boutique in room size: they range from 400- to 3,000-square feet. The overall design aesthetic skews contemporary conservative, employing a neutral color palette with bright accent colors and patterns. Backboards, desk chairs and throw pillows nod to Palm Beach with palm frond-and-flower print fabric while unique abstract art pieces set each room apart. Tasteful elephant references abound from tusked bronze door knockers to embroidered pachyderm pillowcases. Given the hotel is so small, bathrooms are remarkably large with stone-crafted double sinks and glass-enclosed walk-in showers (sadly, none have bathtubs.) Some of the rooms and suites have their own balconies with a café table and two chairs. The rooms and suites are better suited towards couples while the 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom penthouse suites, Palm Suite and Park Suite give families room to spread out. That said, couches within all suites do convert into queen-sized beds and can accommodate up to four guests. Beyond the top floor stunners, room 313, a corner suite enveloped by windows, doling out prime views over the greenery of Bradley Park, and the two Deluxe One-Bedroom Suites with Balcony which overlook the courtyard and the pool are standouts.

Food and drink: The hotel’s sole restaurant, Lola 41, is an integral part to staying at White Elephant Palm Beach and getting the full Palm Beach experience! It’s hard to decide what’s better—the food or the people-watching. The restaurant, which takes its cues from White Elephant’s Nantucket property, highlights cuisine from the 41st parallel (basically assigning carte blanche for serving everything from sushi to east coast oysters to burgers and Peking duck.) Can’t miss items include: the highly photogenic black truffled-topped, salmon carpaccio in ginger vinaigrette, and the delectable black grouper tacos with yuzu guacamole. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner and also offers room service during corresponding mealtimes. Given Lola’s Nantucket acclaim, the Palm beach outpost draws quite the crowd of locals in addition to guests. But there’s also a buzzing people-spotting and bar scene, attracting a heady mix of Palm Beach power players and stylish out-of-towners.

The spa: The hotel doesn’t have a spa, but it does have a small fitness center on the ground floor with two treadmills, two stationary bikes, yoga mats, and more.

The neighborhood/area: Just about everything on the island of Palm beach is perfectly groomed and manicured and the area around White Elephant Palm Beach is no exception. Expect walks through polished residential streets that commingle Gilded Age and Addison Mizner-era Mediterranean revival architecture. Skip the fitness center and jog the path of North Lake Trail, which lies just one block from the hotel and hugs the Intracoastal Waterway, skirting passed Palm Beach mansions aplenty. There’s also, of course, beautiful wide swaths of beach a few blocks east of the property, idyllic for ambles, morning yoga, or unapologetic sun-worshipping (There’s also a small pool on-property, but it gets limited sun and has limited seating making the beach the better sun-and-swim option.) Also in walking distance is The Royal Poinciana Plaza with restaurants like Sant Ambroeus and high-end shopping boutiques. For a more casual affair, drive across the bridge to West Palm Beach and head to Rosemary Square for health-conscious eats at all-day café Pura Vida, rooftop drinks atop the new four-story, 80,000-square-foot Restoration Hardware, or dinner at popular vegan restaurant, Planta.

The service: White Elephant Nantucket prides itself on excellent service and has transplanted its approach of casual luxury to the Palm Beach location. This definitely isn’t your typical Palm Beach “Yes, sir. Right away, ma’am” kind of place but embraces a more approachable service culture fitting of the hotel vibe. Don’t be surprised if hotel staff know you by name in less than a day and quickly pick up on your favorite cocktails and dishes at Lola. Also, don’t even bother opening your Uber or Lyft app at the White Elephant Palm Beach: there are several complimentary 7 series BMWs for getting around. Valets will gladly take you to/from your on-island destination or you can borrow the keys to go further (Just be sure to request in advance as this service is first-come, first-served).