The Brazilian Court Hotel

The Brazilian Court is the best place to stay in Palm Beach. The hotel accommodations are superb, the breakfast and dining were great, and the cherry on top was the complimentary 2-hour boat ride with Magic Mike! Our service dog Frosty even enjoyed the beautiful scenery. So much better than The Breakers!!

A hidden gem in the heart of Palm beach

Great location. Friendly and helpful staff. Great dining facilities (Daniel Boulud, after all).

Checked in; no working HVAC. We were told at 4 pm and again at 9:30 pm that it would be fixed At 11:00 pm we abandoned the freezing cold property and found a room across the bay in West Palm Beach. The managers Dane and Stephanie also promised us we would be refunded the prepaid fees - this did not happen and we are forced to dispute with the credit card company after 20 days.

I had posted an earlier review about our bad check-in experience, but since then have discovered many wonderful things about the Brazilian Court and its restaurant, Cafe Boulud. Beginning with our experience as hotel guests: the rooms were spacious and clean with wonderful views from the 100-yr-old windows (of course, the architecture is priceless). Unfortunately, the only soft seating was a love seat, so on a rainy day one of us sat there to read and the other sat on the bed to read - too small to comfortably accommodate two people, although there was more than enough space for a couch and two upholstered chairs. But that really didn’t matter in the overall picture. The bed was firm but comfortable, with sheets changed every morning, as well as turndown service at night. As hotel guests, we were invited to take a complimentary cruise on the hotel’s boat. It was a remarkable 2-hour excursion past mansions and megayachts. A beautiful morning on the water with an informative captain. Each morning we had breakfast at Cafe Boulud, as well as two dinners. Dining inside is very noisy, but if that is the only seating available, it’s still worth it. The food is exceptional and the waitstaff is truly first rate. We will definitely return to the Brazilian Court.

Check in was extremely painful. With only one group ahead of us, we had to wait for a half hour while the one check-in staff member also gave personal recommendations for dinner, made reservations for them (is there no concierge service here?), and chatted away, knowing there was a growing number of people waiting.

The Brazilian Court Hotel is unfortunately quite dated, and the service was largely nonexistent during our stay. Considering we were paying $3,000 per night, the experience was extremely disappointing. After requesting that our room be made up, we left for about four hours and returned to find it still dirty. Later that evening, there was no turndown service either. Throughout the property, we noticed dirty dishes sitting in the hallway for more than a full day without being picked up. At one point there were even random room keys thrown in a corner that remained there for over 24 hours with no staff addressing it. The bar service was also very poor and inattentive. The only consistently decent service we experienced was from the valet staff. If not for the hotel’s great location, the overall experience would have been much worse.

When we entered first time to our suite the feeling was freezing. It feeled very cold. We adjusted the A/C temperature higher but the temperature did not change at all. An engineer came to fix it. We left to dinner and when we returned we noticed that the temperature was still freezing low. We had to change our suite. Both 2 br suites were elegantly furnished and both had a large bathroom and a separate guest toilet. Beware that check-in time is 4 pm (not usual 3 pm). The noice from air planes arriving and departing PBI is somewhat disturbing outside at the pool or restaurant.

The food was spectacular and we dined for lunch and breakfast. The servers were not necessarily on point and we had to ask for things several times at both lunch and breakfast. The hotel has a cozy feel to it and everything is close by and not complicated. It is a place to see and be seen. The rooms need to be updated for sure. They are dark and the mattresses are not comfortable. When you go into the bathroom, you have to close the door otherwise it’s in the way. For the price that you are paying the rooms are definitely not worth it. The service everywhere else was spectacular. Just not in the dining rooms. I would stay there again only if the price were half of what I paid which was $1500 roughly. But they really do need to do something with the bedding.