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Interested in this prestigious resort but wondering how family-friendly it really is?

When my friend and I arrived at The Breakers (888/BREAKERS) during the hot summer season, I was a bit surprised by the number of guests there. However, I was really astonished by the number of tiny travelers I saw. Almost every adult was carrying a child, holding the hand of a child, or both. The Breakers has always been well regarded for its quality of service, and families have discovered it.  After the completion of its 10-year $145 million renovation, that exceptional treatment now extends to its tiniest guests. The Breakers was awarded Child Magazine's #1 ranking among "Ten Best Family-Friendly Resorts" in May 2006.

The Breakers is a beautiful, Italian Renaissance-style hotel situated on 140 acres on the island of Palm Beach, Florida. It has two 18-hole championship golf courses, a beautiful luxury spa, fitness center, Mediterranean-style beach club overlooking one-half mile of private beach, five swimming pools, 10 tennis courts, a variety of water sports, eight restaurants, and numerous high-end boutiques.

Many of the rooms at the Breakers have balconies with a full or partial view of the Atlantic Ocean. Each room has high-speed internet access, in-room movies, and CD players, as well as all of your basic amenities. (For those traveling on business, there is also a “business center” open 24/7 that has laser printers, photocopiers, receiving, shipping, and courier services; you can also rent computers, modems and laser printers). Though luxurious, the rooms feel comfortable rather than hotel-like, and the concierge will readily provide anything that can make your stay more enjoyable and relaxing.

Childproofing and Childcare

Our room was childproofed upon arrival, which meant that the plastic bags in the garbage pails were removed, all sockets and sharp edges were covered, and surfaces were cleared. The resort prepares your room according to your children’s ages and your preferences. Because of my assignment, our guestroom was equipped with a crib with bedding, a three-tiered changing table with extra towels, a diaper disposal, a bottle warmer, highchair, and baby seat. Our bathroom also had a footstool, a training-potty, a bath-seat (to prevent drowning), and a protective cushion over the bath spout. That’s what I call preparation!

The Coconut Crew is the name of the fee-based Breakers’ day camp. Children ages 3-12 can attend for a full day (9am to 3pm, or morning or afternoon half-day sessions with all options including lunch. On the day that I visited, the four counselors divided the 18 children into two groups according to age. My group played hot potato and duck-duck goose on the lawn while the other children played on the Coconut Crew’s playground on the beach. Afterwards, our group played a game in one section of the secret garden while the other group played in another part. The secret garden was designed especially for children: it has butterfly-attracting flowers, animal shaped bushes, and even a hedge-rimmed maze. The maze leads to a gazebo if done properly, and to other surprising (yet safe) dead ends if not. I was told the garden and its surrounding grounds are monitored by security guards 24/7, but I didn’t see them during either of my visits there, so I suppose they are secret too.

Both groups joined inside, where we decorated fish-shaped keepsake boxes with markers and sequins. Then it was time for lunch, and children ate what their parents had pre-ordered for them that morning. A typical lunch would be a juice box, water, or milk, sandwich (practically anything on any kind of bread), fruit (choice of in-season fruits), chips, and a cookie. I didn’t stick around for the afternoon but was informed that the afternoons are usually spent swimming in one of the 3 child-friendly pools. Counselors are fully trained in CPR and first aid and there are lifeguards on duty daily until the evening hours.

Even if your children don’t participate in the camp, there are still plenty of ways for them to have fun in the children’s activity center which contains a playroom with plenty of toys and a crafts area. Across the hall is the TV/computer room where there are flat-screened computers offering plenty of child-friendly games and large flat-screened TVs hooked up to three Playstation2s and X-boxes each. (In addition, every Breakers hotel room is equipped with its own Playstation2.) There is also a small movie theatre in this room, for casual viewing or for one of the movie nights the center holds.