“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Sometimes you just need a staycation.When I arrived at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida it was an overcast, yet lovely, winter day. Four years living in South Florida and I still loved this weather. I had been invited to have brunch and tour the facility as part of the Ft Lauderdale Bloggers Meetup. The hotel is vast and beautiful, including newly renovated guest rooms, a brand-new indoor-outdoor hotel bar, and celebrity chef restaurants galore.
I was greeted by two lovely ladies who worked at the hotel, Melinda and Christina, in the newly renovated hotel lobby. The lobby had an amazing tropical feel with real palm trees, sand, plants, and seating with plush, colorful cushions. I was guided with the rest of the bloggers through the lobby and past the huge hotel bar. It was a windy day so it wasn’t opened but the bar is great because you can enjoy cocktails inside with the air conditioning or outside overlooking the infinity pool and the beach.
Brunch was served at Point Royal, a Miami-esque, coastal American restaurant
Created by celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, you could feel the elegant touches by Zakarian before you even sat down to eat. The decor, the warmth, and the mood lighting all added to the ambiance. Brunch was served at the endless buffet featuring an omelet station (with good cheese), a charcuterie board, tropical fruit and yogurt, bagels, waffles, and salad. I couldn’t even get to the brunch line because I was still caught up with excitement over the tea. They had Palais des Thés Big Ben tea! You have me as silly putty in your hands when you serve me good tea #TeaNerd
My favorite part of the buffet was the omelet station and the waffles with fresh fruit and cream. I ate so much that I was wondering how I was going to waddle my way around the property. We got to meet the head chef and enjoy a nice, leisurely brunch before we left to take a tour around the massive hotel property.
Bloggers love to take pictures
One thing I know about bloggers is that we love to take pictures. So it was another fun treat for us to take pictures at the fancy hotel restaurants that are part of the property: Prime is an upscale, boutique steakhouse with black walls and leather chairs; Counter Point is a casual coffee shop for breakfast on the go; Bristols is a fun, laid back burger joint with a free game arcade; and Portico is a beer and wine garden.
Touring the newly renovated rooms was an amazing experience. The rooms are absolutely stunning with a view of the ocean that would make most South Floridians jealous. Standing out on the balcony overlooking the beach I was reminded of the first time I visited Hollywood more than ten years ago. I instantly fell in love with that white sand. There is something about Hollywood, Florida that is not like the rest of South Florida. I realized right then and there that I need to have a staycation at this hotel – The Diplomat Beach Resort – not because I can’t enjoy the beach any of the other 365 days a year, but because I like to travel simply for the joy of going somewhere. Life is too short to not indulge, treat yourself, and just…go.
We ended the tour with some wine and champagne by the hotel pool. The perfect end to the day.
Thank you to everyone at The Diplomat Beach Resort. I had a great time and I would recommend the hotel both to my local friends (for the food or for a quick staycation) or my international friends, for when you want to #TreatYoSelf.
Thanks as well to the Ft Lauderdale Bloggers Union for organizing.
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