Delray Beach has it all: Discover the ideal destination for your next Florida vacation
While often overshadowed by its glitzier South Florida neighbors, Delray Beach is a small town with big reasons to visit — yes, the retirees were on to something way before the current cool crowd.
Drop-dead gorgeous beaches, tropical-meets-luxury resorts, loads of natural attractions and restaurants bragging generous happy hour deals combined with elevated fare.
It’s safe to say Delray hits all the marks. For the second consecutive year, Delray Beach earned a prestigious ”Blue Flag” designation, and the coastal town also snagged USA Today’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Award for the No. 1 Best Beach in Florida.
Where to stay in Delray Beach
Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa
With a prized perch surveying the blue-green water at the corner of Ocean Boulevard and buzzing Atlantic Avenue, the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa reigns as a resort queen of Delray Beach. Recently renovated and dripping in coastal-chic touches, the resort’s lobby instantly grabs attention with a striking water feature topped with potted trees, swinging chairs that inspire photo ops, and a giant skylight that floods the space with beautiful light.
Choose from an array of retouched guest rooms — including junior suites, studio suites and separate condo-style villas for extended stays. You’ll be spoiled for life in the lavish presidential suite, which feels like an opulent beach condo with a separate living, dining and kitchen area and boasts a huge corner terrace that peers over the ocean. It’ll be hard to leave the terrace, where you’ll wake up to the sunrise and then cozy up on a lounger at night to listen to the waves.
Bounce between the resort’s two pools, sunbathe on a beach chair, and unwind with a cocktail at breezy Elevate Skye Bar & Lounge. Enjoy dinner at stunning Drift restaurant, where nightly specials shine a light on locally caught seafood and signature dishes like the pan-seared grouper or crispy flatbreads from the stone oven. Sit outside on the terrace to continue soaking up those beach breezes.
For an enviable vacation glow, don’t miss a few hours of pampering at the two-floor Tammy Fender Holistic Spa, a serene sanctuary for a rejuvenating massage, body treatment, or one of Fender’s lauded facials. Fender, a renowned holistic practitioner, has quite the following in Palm Beach for her natural, plant-based skincare line featuring essential oils sourced from around the world. These aren’t your ordinary facials; they fuse potent masks and light therapy with indulgent massage and reflexology. Guests are greeted with lavender-scented towels and healthful smoothies and snacks, and the spa taps into the hotel’s surroundings with an oceanfront terrace for utter relaxation.
Crane’s Beach House Boutique Hotel & Luxury Villas
Discover a secret paradise at Crane’s Beach House Boutique Hotel & Luxury Villas, a beach house-style oasis tucked away in a neighborhood one block from the beach and Atlantic Avenue. With a more-for-your-money attitude, Crane’s caters to families, couples and solo travelers who hate resort fees or the cleaning fees of an Airbnb stay. Nestled behind lush, tropical plantings and packed with old-Florida character, the property is dotted with trickling fountains, peaceful seating nooks, and two salt-water pools that are edged by sandy beaches (including one with a waterfall and a tiki pavilion). It’s quiet, and you’ll often feel like you have the property to yourself.
Studios, expansive suites and villas feel more like a home than a hotel, with spacious living areas and kitchens or kitchenettes so you can make dinner when you don’t feel like eating out. Sink into beds with luxurious linens and hang out on your room’s balcony, patio or private hammock. Crane’s is dog-friendly and also offers perks like beach chairs and yoga mats.
For a dopamine surge, walk over to the colorful Snappy Turtle boutique for binge shopping before you leave.
Best dining in Delray Beach
Delray Beach’s dining scene ranges from the laid back — think early happy hours where $1 oysters star on almost every menu — to sophisticated fare. In a sea of steak, seafood and Italian restaurants on Atlantic Avenue, family-owned Amar Mediterranean Bistro stands out for made-from-scratch dishes crafted from family recipes hailing from Lebanon. Made-to-order pita bread arrives hot from the wood-burning oven and must-order dishes are the creamy lamb hummus, fried cauliflower mingled with harissa tahini, almonds and raisins, and the mixed grill platter for two, which offers a great tasting of favorites like lamb chops and kebabs.
Located at iThe Ray Hotel, Akira Back is known for its incredible sushi rolls (the Hot Mess and the Cow Wow rolls are menu darlings), light-as-air tuna pizza, scallops on the half shell and miso black cod. Delray’s on-trend crowd gravitate to Rosewater Rooftop by Akira Back for cocktails, a quick bite and socializing. Other top Delray restaurants include Rose’s Daughter for Neapolitan pies and modern Italian fare; The Grove for fine dining; and The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar features a hidden speakeasy with live entertainment called Radcliffe’s Speakeasy & Supper Club. Matching Delray’s beachy spirit, Saltwater Brewery is a must for beer lovers and brags a tasting room and beer garden.
Best things to do in Delray Beach
Beyond its award-winning beach and always-buzzing Atlantic Avenue lined with restaurants, art galleries and boutiques, Delray Beach will surprise you with its charming and unexpected things to do. One of the area’s treasures is Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, where you can roam six distinct gardens inspired by significant gardens in Japan — think bonsai trees and lakes filled with koi fish — and a museum with roving exhibitions.
For more cultural immersion, check the schedule for workshops like a centuries-old Sado Tea Ceremony (you’ll learn how to make a bowl of tea and serve it), and lively taiko drumming. Insider tip: have lunch at the museum’s open-air Cornell Cafe to savor a Bento box brimming with sushi, dumplings and more.
For a wild yet peaceful experience in nature, head to Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, located at the northernmost end of the Everglades.
Explore trails meant for hiking and biking; you can fish, kayak and canoe — and there’s a good chance you might spot alligators, birds and more wildlife like a bobcat. Bring a camera because you never know what you might see. The park is particularly beautiful at sunset.
Families love the Sandoway Discovery Center, a nature center housed in a historic building fronting the ocean. Wander the fragrant butterfly garden and then head inside to roam its two floors edged with touch tanks filled with sea creatures, displays with resident animals like a skunk and screech owl, and an impressive gallery with seashells from around the world. The highlight for most: outdoor tanks teeming with sharks and rays, where feedings happen Tuesday through Sunday.
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If you’d like to discover what’s under the sea, swim out from the south end of the municipal beach to the SS Inchulva shipwreck that’s located about 150 yards offshore; you can rent snorkeling gear at Delray Beach Water Sports on A1A and Casuarina Road.
If you prefer surfing, family-owned Island Water Sports on Atlantic Avenue rents boards by the hour, day and week, and also offers surf lessons. (Delray Beach can serve up some solid surfable waves, especially in winter.)
We won’t judge if you simply chill on Delray’s award-winning beach.
This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 5:51 PM.
