The Omphoy Resort Opens In Palm Beach

Palm Beach has taken its hits over the past year in the wake of Bernie Madoff but now the elite Florida enclave has a new place to welcome guests. The Palm Beach Post reports on the opening of The Omphoy Oean Resort which is a narly $100 million resort on the location of a former Hilton hotel. The resort is designed to combine a peaceful retreat with a bit of South Beach style- an infinity pool and flatscreen televisions contrast with ebony pillars in the lobby and a lounge area with a row of gongs. The restaurant is run by chef Michelle Bernstein who has been denoted as one of the best chefs in the South by the James Beard Foundation. The spa is run by Exhale and offers massages, facials, yoga and more. This hotel is the first major oeceanfront one to open in Palm Beach in a while and the idea is to create a resort that is a newer and more hip option than the venerable grand dames of Palm Beach: The Breakers, The Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton. The Omphoy has just 134 rooms and offers more of a boutique hotel experience. The resort has an opening deal that starts at $149 a night (rooms will run in the $400 to $700 range in the winter).