Excellent beaches, great shopping, a bit of celebrity-spotting, interesting buildings and of course, good food make this an ideal travel destination. With its stylish homes and buildings, Palm Beach is an architectural delight and much of the credit is due to Addison Mizner who created the Mediterranean Revival Palm Beach Style.

Palm Beach was established in the 1890s by Henry Flagler, the railroad tycoon who built two luxury hotels here. Since the beginning, celebrities flocked here, charmed by its relative isolation and the peace and quiet it offered. The Kennedy’s established their base here in 1933 and several other society bigwigs have their home here.

In Palm Beach, visit the Henry Flagler Museum at Whitehall, the opulent home he built for his third wife and now a museum housing an art collection, original furnishings and artifacts.

Also, take a look at the hotel The Breakers he built here in 1926. Modelled on an Italian palace, the hotel is the ultimate word on luxury and ostentation.

Walk along Worth Avenue towards the south of the island, filled with upscale boutiques, designer stores, art galleries and restaurants and offering some unforgettable shopping. Dining out in Palm Beach, though expensive, is a great experience -- most restaurants, especially those on Worth Avenue are done up extravagantly and the food is superlative. There are a few cheap diners and delis around the island.

You can fly into Palm Beach International Airport at West Palm Beach on most domestic and international carriers. If you wish to drive down, two major routes I-95 and U.S 1 connect the Gold Coast to Miami in the south and Jacksonville in the north. From West Palm Beach, take the Okeechobee Boulevard or Route 704 to Palm Beach. Greyhound buses and Amtrak have a service to West Palm Beach.

Winter is the best time to go to Palm Beach -- most visitors come during November to May as the weather is ideal and there are plenty of social events such as balls, charity dinners and even polo to look forward to. In summer, Palm Beach is cheap to visit and is less crowded.

Accommodation on the island is expensive and you will be hard pressed to find cheaper lodgings here. However, there are many reasonably priced motel chains and inns along U.S 1 and I-95. Palm Beach has some B&B accommodation to offer. Beachwear, sunglasses, sun block and good walking shoes are essential things to bring to Palm Beach. Palm Beach offers some great sporting opportunities -- go diving into the Atlantic, cycling on the 10 mile Palm Beach Bicycle Trail along the banks of Lake Worth, and golfing. Palm Beach also has a spa.