Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida gets $100 million facelift

HOLLYWOOD, Florida- Montrealers who have been going to the iconic Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida (www.diplomatresort.com) will be pleasantly surprised to see firsthand the $100 million transformation of this oceanfront, all-encompassing destination resort.

A gorgeous balcony view of the pool and beach.

From the Atlantic coast to the Intracoastal, the reinvented resort 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.

The Diplomat 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. With 1,000 guest rooms – including a Presidential suite, 515 king rooms and 484 double rooms, with 96 being suites. The Diplomat is the largest hotel in Broward County.  All rooms feature unobstructed ocean or Intracoastal vantage points, while most suites boast 180-degree views of the tropical surroundings

There are no shortage of exceptional dining options here. Let us certainly recommend breakfast at Point Royal (www.pointroyal-fl.com), 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. We recommend the Diplomat seafood platter, featuring six oysters, six clams, an eight-ounce king crab, three pink shrimp, and half a Maine lobster. We also shared some tossed heirloom lettuce, the yellowfin tuna tartare and an order of roasted Maine diver scallops. For dessert you must consider the Black Forest meringue pie.

The delicious seafood platter from Point Royal.

The following night, we also enjoyed a superb meal at Monkitail (www.monkitail.com), which won the top spot for Best Hotel Restaurant in USA Today’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards. After eating there ourselves, we understand why it was selected for this honor. Celebrity chef and restaurateur Michael Schulson is at the helm; Monkitail is his seventh restaurant. 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. Tucked away beyond Monkitail’s main dining room is Nokku, a discreet cocktail lounge with four private rooms, each having full karaoke capabilities.

Our server’s suggestions were right on the mark: the hot Hamachi, toro caviar, the big eye tuna special, the in-house favorite and critically acclaimed 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. For dessert save room for the fruit loop ice cream and almond joy, which comes in mini cones, or the chocolate mousse with miniature brownies, cherries, and ice cream on top.

The expansive lobby area is a great place to relax and unwind.

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 strongly recommend. Be sure to make your spa reservations well in advance as space is limited. You can do so by calling the spa Concierge at 954-602-8400. A credit card is required to secure your appointment.

A beautiful poolside cabana.

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 spent 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. To reserve, call 954-602-8690. When lunchtime came around, we started off with some drinks, followed by our burgers and chips. The orders were delivered in large plastic containers, with serving plates and cutlery inside.

Nestled between the aquamarine shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the peaceful Intracoastal Waterway, The Diplomat is only 10 minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, five minutes from Hollywood’s historic oceanfront Boardwalk, and 10 minutes from world-class shopping at Aventura Mall, and 30 minutes from South Beach.  For reservations please call 1-954-602-6000. For more information, visit www.diplomatresort.com.