The Breakers in Palm Beach; heavenly brunch...Jim's deals of the day
PALM BEACH, Florida - I don't think there is such a thing. But I hereby nominate The Breakers hotel for the Sunday brunch hall of fame.
Wow. It was quite the spread on the weekend. There's the usual breakfast stuff; pancakes and waffles and eggs benedict (not in a million years for me) and sausages and bacon and all that, plus bagels and toast and made-to-order omelettes and even chocolate or glazed donuts. That's pretty standard. Then they had lamb chops done to perfection, several types of sushi, king crab legs as long as Chris Bosh's arm, lovely shrimp, broiled grouper, moist, tender, honey-glazed ham and beef tenderloin in a pepper crust that I actually cut with the BACK of my butter knife. There were two or three types of pasta, and two types of caviar, which the Eastern Europeans snapped up by the bucketful.
On top of that, you get all the refills you want of champagne or champers and o.j. or bloody mary's. And it's all served impeccably in a giant, circular dining hall with enormous arched windows, a stunning chandelier and painted frescoes of Mediterranean scenes. Oh, and a guy playing the harp.
You'd think it would be formal, but there were folks dressed in NFL jerseys and shorts and flip-flops, as well as a woman in a pink cowboy hat who looked to be dining with a cast member of the Sopranos. Delightful and fun and absolutely the most incredible display of food I've ever seen.
Oh, forgot to mention the desserts; flourless chocolate cakes and ice cream with sprinkles and creme brulee on a spoon and the best of the three varieties of key lime pie I tried on the weekend in south Florida. And a lot more I'm forgetting about. Just crazy. If you can manage it someday, it's definitely going to be a culinary highlight of your life.
The hotel, of course, is a stunner, and no, that's not my car in the above picture. I'll have more on the resort in future pages of the Star. Suffice to say that even with not-so-great weather, I managed to enjoy myself thanks to the remarkable amenities on site. It's a truly classic resort in a great part of Florida.
Didn't get much of a chance to see Palm Beach due to rainy conditions, but I did have a nice lunch and a brief stroll around the City Place development; kind of a shopping mall but laid out in a grid with lovely landscaping and a big fountain and all.
There was a bit of a scare at Miami airport on the way home owing to a suspicious package, and they wouldn't let Air Canada workers go to the check-in counter until two hours prior to the flight. But we took off only 20 minutes late and arrived more or less on time.
So why is it that it took the bozos at Pearson 27 minutes to get the first piece of luggage onto the carousel? The airport was practically deserted and customs was a breeze, yet it took nearly a half hour to get our bags. Honestly, guys, you have the WORST baggage service of any major airport I've ever flown into. Not sure if it's Air Canada or the GTAA, but somebody is doing a TERRIBLE job.
JIM'S DEALS OF THE DAY - brought to you by travelalerts.ca
http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=2272
http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=2273
For anyone interested in Jamaica for vacation I would first suggest that you not spend the ridiculous amount for all-inclusives, even though they tell you about the great savings. who is really going to eat and drink that much? Come on, and then you have to pay crazy amounts for the activities they offer. I suggest a nice bed & breakfast or hostel. There are pretty nice ones in the Ochi Rios area.
I personally stayed at Paradise Jamaica (you can search for it online) and it was really nice. I mean nothing will really compare to thebig hotels, but when you are going on vacation you just want somewhere nice and comfortable to fall asleep. You will save sooooooo much by going this route, and have a chance to really experience what Jamaica has to offer, rather than the fakeness and pretending that goes on in some of those big hotels.
Posted by: Kerri-Ann | February 27, 2010 at 07:37 PM