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The Sushi Bar at the revamped Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. Photo provided

Related story: Boca hotel remodeled with history, water views up front

By Mary Thurwachter

Luxury hotels can’t rest on their laurels and Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa can’t be accused of doing so. The Manalapan resort next to Lantana’s public beach is wrapping up a multimillion-dollar renovation.
The project’s designers were focused on the hotel’s restaurants and bars, updating the pool experience and reimagining the kids club.
“We’ve prided ourselves in offering guests a Forbes five-star, AAA five-diamond experience and one of our goals with the renovation was to update our social spaces,” said General Manager Tim Nardi. “We want to offer a modernized look and continue to elevate guest experiences.”
Palm Beach County-based Bilkey-Llinas Design was tasked with putting that vision to work.
Eau’s two palm-fringed pools and the landscape around them have been redesigned to create a new focal point. Featuring neutral and organic materials, the new lounge furniture and sitting areas are located beside the sea wall.
Landscaping design firm EDSA did the garden palette, which is made up of lush palms, sea grass, palmetto and tropical floral.
More flexible event space can now be found on a new deck reconfigured near the lawn. And more wedding space, overlooking the ocean, has been added on the north side of the resort.
The adults-only Tranquility Pool on the south side of the hotel has added a seated bar with cold-pressed juices, creative cocktails and an all-day menu. New cabanas and daybeds are ideal hangouts for guests seeking champagne mornings or afternoon swims. Bluetooth headphones with a wide choice of music and podcasts and other VIP poolside services are provided.

The family-oriented splash pad on the north side of the resort has a turtle theme.

On the hotel’s north side, a redesigned family pool features cabanas and a turtle-themed splash pad next to the redone kids club. The area has been fitted with sections for crafting and culinary activities. The club has a beach resort feel with underwater images and a wall mural, an arcade with games and machines and direct access to the splash pad.
An interactive wall with a laser projector and sketch aquarium allows children to design sea creatures and watch them come alive on a giant screen. Other points of interest include a photo station, a cinema with tiered seating shaped like sand dunes and a theater stage.
A team of teachers and caretakers curates a program of activities taking full advantage of the Atlantic Ocean as the playground. The club’s educational component includes a collaboration with the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, a turtle hospital with which Eau already had a partnership.

The kids club has sections for crafting and culinary activities.

Besides the new kids club, Eau has six culinary outlets. Four of them are new — a coffee shop, ice cream parlor, spa café and the Sushi Bar.
Oceana at Eau Palm Beach is the new coffee bar near the entrance to Eau Spa. Coffees from Palm Beach County-based Oceana Coffee, house-made pastries and light bites are on the menu.
The ice cream and frozen yogurt parlor is adjacent to the kids club, taking the place of the previous Sun Shop. Popular ice cream styles and signature house-made selections are served, and the shop, due to open in February, has an outdoor seating area next to the splash pad. 
The Sushi Bar, led by Eau’s head sushi chef, Chris Cantrel, offers a modern take on sushi, sashimi and nigiri. The food is sourced with local ingredients and served at both communal and individual tables.

Polpo, an Italian-inspired seafood restaurant scheduled to open in February, has taken the place of the oceanfront Temple Orange at the revamped Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.

Polpo, an oceanfront restaurant with an upscale ambiance and an emphasis on Italian seafood, has taken the place of the former Temple Orange bistro and will open early in February. Arched windows, a marine-themed wall mural and a bar are key features of the indoor-outdoor floor plan.
The resort’s famed Eau Spa has its own café, the Spa Terrace, with sunset views, waterfalls and lush gardens. A selection of fine wines and champagne are offered along with tea presentations and spa cuisine. The menu is driven by health-conscious dishes such as locally sourced salads, wraps and fresh-pressed vegetable juices.
Nardi said renovations at the 309-guestroom resort were substantially completed by Dec. 31, with planned celebrations to follow.

La Coquille Club
While there are no new design changes at La Coquille Club, located on the north side at business center level, members who have access to all the resort’s amenities are certain to appreciate the upgrades, says club manager Ian Kirby.
Creative things are happening at La Coquille.
“We are redesigning experiences surrounding dinner service and drink service,” Kirby says. “The goal is every single dining option is an experience in and of its own. So, we have smoked cocktails which come to your table and bring up the smells of campfire memories.
“We have interactive drinks such as one where there’s an orchid in an ice cube. We also have another type of martini where the ice cube is shaped like a diamond and when the drink is poured into the glass it swirls with gold dust. It’s a nice little presentation. A beautiful display of what we can do with culinary talent.”
Kirby says he wants members to bring their friends to the club and be proud of what it offers and how unique and interesting it is. “It is a dining experience I want to be consistent and great,” he says.
“We have tons of special events that started with the opening party on Jan. 14, which was an opening party to remember, especially a year after COVID.”
Other events include a Greek cuisine night on March 5, “That ’70s Night” on April 2, and “Butcher’s Block” with whiskey and wine pairings on April 30. Dates have yet to be determined for the “World Famous La Coquille Seafood Buffet,” intimate cabana date night, family golf night at Drive Shack and “A Night with Sinatra at La Coquille.”
Anyone who owns a home in Manalapan is entitled to a complimentary membership to the private club, but others can apply to join. For details, call 561-540-4909 or visit www.lacoquilleclub.com.
For more information on the resort, which has a 5-diamond rating from AAA and 5 stars from Forbes, call 561-533-6000 or visit www.eaupalmbeach.com.