Need to know
Rooms
339, including 50 suites and 21 cottages.
Check–Out
12 noon. Check-in is at 4pm. The resort provides wristbands for access to facilities if rooms are not available for early check-in, and luggage storage for guests who wish to leave later.
More details
Breakfast isn’t included but an à la carte breakfast, brunch and coffee can be purchased in Birdie’s Diner or the Market Coffee Shop.
Also
The hotel has a number of ADA-approved rooms for guests with limited mobility and all floors are accessible by elevators.
At the hotel
Four restaurants and a cafe, spa, outdoor pool with separate splash area for kids, tennis courts, golf courses, gym, chocolate store, free WiFi. In rooms: balcony or terrace, LCD HD TV, fridge, free bottled water, air conditioning.
Our favourite rooms
A welcome throwback to the refined glamour of 1960s Palm Beach, rooms and suites feature retro design classics like plush wingback headboards, lacquered bedside tables, statement monochrome palm-leaf wallpaper, and curvaceous pink velvet sofas that would make Austin Powers blush. Heck, there are even palm tree-shaped brass knockers on the doors, just in case you forget where you are. We love the first-floor Resort View rooms with balconies overlooking the tranquil palm-lined lawns.
Poolside
The pool and its bar are open 11am–6pm and overlook the golf course and lake, as well as having a handy view of the adjacent kids’ splash pool.
Spa
If you can imagine it, the spa probably has it: lavish waiting areas with plump, tropical-print cushions and gentle music, all manner of massage treatments (including one just for golfers), mineral-rich pools, Himalayan salt rooms, hot tubs, steam rooms, a beautifully retro hair and nail salon in soft rose pinks, and a 1950’s-style barbershop. Designed by V Starr, the luxury design company founded by Venus Williams, this is one area of the resort where kids are not allowed.
Packing tips
Crisp tennis whites for showcasing your Palm Beach tan (and dazzling your opponent) on the courts and a golf visor to lessen the likelihood of slicing your ball into the rough under the blazing Florida sun. Although, if you do forget yours, both are available in the resort’s pro shops.
Also
There’s a gym big enough to get lost in, plus two aerobics studios packed with state-of-the-art equipment. Over 70 weekly classes run the gamut from meditative morning yoga to fast and furious aqua zumba. Tee off at any of the six golf courses here.
Pet‐friendly
Medium-sized dogs up to 30lbs are welcome. There’s a fee of $150 for the first pet and an additional $75 if you’re bringing two. See more pet-friendly hotels in Florida.
Children
Little Smiths will be in clover at PGA National Resort, with their own pool and kids’ club, plus a chocolate shop, fun mid-century-style American diner and extensive facilities for racquet sports among the many family-friendly highlights.
Best for
Ages four and up are well catered for here thanks to the kids’ club and sports facilities for older children.
Recommended rooms
At nearly 400 square feet, Resort View rooms with two queen-size beds can accommodate parents with up to two kids. Suites offer a little more space to stretch out and adjoining rooms are available in most categories.
Activities
It might be quicker to list the children’s activities they don’t have, but here goes. There’s a kids’ club for ages 4–12 with a jungle-styled play area and stacks of fun games. There’s a gaming arcade, a splash pool and an actual ice cream store. Active types can join yoga classes, play volleyball by the lake, try their hand at lawn croquet, or get involved in the junior academies on the golf ranges and tennis courts.
Swimming pool
There’s a shallow splash pool for younger kids, and those able to swim are welcome in the adjacent main pool.
Meals
Children are permitted in all three restaurants, with Birdie’s Diner’s burgers, fries and syrup-drenched pancakes sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Babysitting
Can be arranged on request.
No need to pack
Clubs are provided for mini golfers at the junior golf clinic. Likewise racquets at the tennis club. However, kids are requested to bring their own bathing suit, change of clothes and sunscreen along to the Banyan Buddies Kids’ Club.