Palm Beach Shores Resort and Vacation Villas

Palm Beach Shores Resort and Vacation Villas is built for the sort of holiday where you want the coast close, but also want room to organise the day your own way. This is a resort rather than a small hideaway, with all-suite accommodation, family-friendly facilities and enough space to spread out properly after a day in the water.

The practical appeal is straightforward. You have a beachfront setting, an outdoor pool, a restaurant and a bar, while the accommodation gives you a living area and kitchen facilities rather than just a bed and four walls. Couples can keep things simple; families and groups can make better use of the extra space. There is also a fitness centre and a spa and wellness centre for those evenings when the legs have had enough of sport.

You are in Palm Beach Shores, on Florida's Singer Island, directly beside a golden-sand beach. The resort is oceanfront, with sun loungers and parasols on the beach, so the sea is part of the daily plan rather than a drive-away excursion. Riviera Beach is nearby, while Palm Beach is about 0.7 miles away.

The surrounding area gives you a mixture of beach time, parks and accessible day trips. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park is about 2.4 miles away, and Peanut Island is around 3.4 miles away. The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum is about 4.6 miles away, with the South Florida Science Museum and Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park farther south. For a meal away from the resort, Islander Grill and Tiki Bar is practically next door, while Johnny Longboats is about 0.1 miles away.

The useful distinction here is not the room-name gymnastics but the way the accommodation works. The one-bedroom suites give you a separate living area, a sofa and a kitchen set-up with a refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, dishwasher and toaster. That matters when you return hungry, damp and in no mood to negotiate a complicated dinner. A dining table gives you somewhere sensible to eat, and the private balcony adds outdoor space without requiring a trip downstairs.

For a couple, the ocean-view one-bedroom suite is the obvious choice if waking up to the Atlantic matters more than maximising sleeping places. For a family or a larger group, the deluxe suite offers substantially more room and two bathrooms, which is the sort of detail that becomes important very quickly when several people are trying to get ready at once. The one-bedroom and deluxe double options can sleep up to four, while the largest suite can accommodate up to eight.

Air conditioning is available for the warm Florida nights, and the rooms include a flat-screen TV, seating area, sofa and free WiFi. Daily housekeeping keeps the routine simple. There are also interconnecting rooms, family rooms and cots on request for younger children; extra beds are not available.

You have an on-site restaurant and a bar, which keeps the first post-dive decision agreeably short. The available breakfast format includes a full English or Irish breakfast, as well as breakfast to go. That gives you the choice between sitting down properly or leaving with something in hand when the morning has started before your appetite has caught up.

The suites are better equipped than a standard hotel room for anyone who prefers to manage meals independently. A full kitchen area includes a refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, dishwasher and toaster, with a dining area for eating rather than balancing a plate on the edge of the bed. Tea and coffee-making facilities are also provided. If you want to eat out, Islander Grill and Tiki Bar is next door and Johnny Longboats is roughly 0.1 miles away.

The outdoor pool gives you a second place to spend the afternoon when the beach has done its job. Sun loungers, beach chairs, pool and beach towels, a hot tub and sun umbrellas are all part of the leisure set-up, although umbrellas carry an additional charge. Massage services and spa and wellness facilities are available for the muscles that object to repeated days of fins and current.

If sitting still is not quite your style, the resort offers yoga classes, aerobics, walking tours, cycling, tennis equipment and evening entertainment. Bingo, live music and local-culture tours add a more social option, while bicycle hire, fishing, golf and a private beach area are also available as activities. Some of these carry an additional charge, so the sensible approach is to check what is included before committing. For couples, the mix works well: beach or pool first, a walk or massage later, and no obligation to turn every free hour into an organised expedition.

Palm Beach International Airport is about 6 miles from the resort. Private parking is available on site, with valet parking also offered. A concierge, an ATM, a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi throughout the property cover the useful basics, while laundry is available for an additional charge. Lift access reaches the upper floors, and facilities for disabled guests are available.

Check-in starts from 16:00 and check-out is by 10:00. You need to be at least 21 to check in, and photo identification plus a credit card are required on arrival. Children of all ages are welcome; children aged 18 and over are treated as adults, and cots for children up to three can be requested. Pets are not allowed.