Stay & Play

The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida

by Alexandra Cohen

From the Atlantic coast to the Intracoastal, the reinvented Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida pays homage to the hotel’s storied past as a social hub, with a modern take on design and amenities, including a luxurious spa and more than 10 new culinary concepts.

Fresh off a magnificent $100 million transformation, this oceanfront, all-encompassing destination resort is now part of Curio Collection by Hilton, a global set of upscale hotels handpicked for their unique character. We stayed in a gorgeous Oceanview Double Deluxe Room with a balcony, providing a beautiful and completely unobstructed view of the ocean.

There are no shortage of exceptional dining options here. Let us certainly recommend breakfast at Point Royal, a coastal restaurant also open for lunch and dinner. This is a large dynamic buffet filled with almost every breakfast option imaginable, from house-made pastries and an inventive cereal bar, to egg dishes, salads and grains Our first dinner was also at Point Royal, part of famous chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s approachable American cuisine, complete with indoor/outdoor seating and a grand yet modern Raw Bar. From the Diplomat seafood platter, a fabulous yellowfin tuna tartare, roasted Maine diver scallops and must try Black Forest meringue pie, this dining establishment is topnotch. The same can be said for Monkitail (https://www.monkitail.com), which won the top spot for Best Hotel Restaurant in USA Today’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards. The menu is a contemporary take on the classic izakaya, featuring sharable small plates and sushi as well as an array of specialty cocktails and saké. Surrounding an open robatayaki kitchen in the heart of the restaurant is a private dining area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean: hot Hamachi, toro caviar, the big eye tuna special, Edamame dumplings, Robitayaki lobster tail, skirt steak and short rib skewers, a duck scrapple bao bun, a tempura shrimp taco, an aged New York strip and broiled sea bass with aioli and snap peas headline some of the choices to go with the fruit loop ice cream and almond joy for dessert.

In addition to the two beachfront pools, there is also jet skiing, ocean kayaking, paddleboard rentals, and the property’s newest addition, the Dip + Slide water play area. Pool amenities include complimentary towel service and full-service poolside lunch and spa services, Conveniently, both pools are open from sunrise to sunset. I had the opportunity to experience a 50-minute Diplomat Signature Spa Treatment, which I must strongly recommend. Be sure to make your spa reservations well in advance as space is limited.

Exclusively designed for The Diplomat, specialty cabanas created by fashion designer Trina Turk are available for rent on the lower floor of the pool deck, providing a relaxing and stylish oasis for the day. We ordered lunch from Playa, a Beachfront Nuevo-Latina restaurant and bar featuring an extensive rum and tequila selection.

We were thrilled to discover that The Diplomat partners with the award-winning Boucher Brothers Management to pamper guests during their day on the beautiful Hollywood Beach. We got to spend a day lounging in private daybeds and relaxing on a chaise for a luxurious take on “fun in the sun.” The team from the Boucher Brothers team could not have been nicer in setting us up, and they in fact came back several times over our stay to adjust the umbrellas and make sure everything was okay. Lunch and drinks were available right at our chairs. This service is available daily from 9 am to 6 pm.

www.diplomatresort.com