Home » Weekend Staycation at The Diplomat Beach Resort

Weekend Staycation at The Diplomat Beach Resort

August 26, 2019

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NOTE: The restaurant, Monkitail, has since closed.

Disclosure: I was invited to stay as a guest of The Diplomat Beach Resort and dine at Monkitail, Point Royal and Diplomat Prime in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

South Florida is a vacation destination for many, but it’s also filled with staycation opportunities for us locals too. There’s no better feeling than casting away all your worries for a weekend and simply sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the tropical paradise that we live in.

That’s exactly what Roger and I did while we stayed at The Diplomat Beach Resort, A Curio Collection by Hilton™ and South Florida’s ultimate beachside resort, voted one of the top 10 resorts in Florida by Condé Nast Reader’s Choice in 2018 and Four Diamond rated by AAA.

The Diplomat is conveniently located in Hollywood close to the airports in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and has incredible amenities like private cabanas surrounding the infinity pools and beachside lagoon, a kid-friendly Dip + Slide water play area and kids’ camp and eight culinary concepts on site — more on those to come! There’s also 209,000 square feet of meeting space, 4 ballrooms, 39 breakout rooms and outdoor special event areas perfect for hosting your corporate events and conferences — there’s a reason it was voted one of the Top 10 Meeting Hotels in the U.S. by Cvent!

We arrived at The Diplomat eager to start our weekend staycation, only to find that it was going to be much better than we could have ever expected. Visit my Instagram and check out the Highlights section to see a full tour of the suite we had. This place was HUGE, with a perfect view of the ocean, the Intracoastal, and the whole city.

Our mouths, and suitcases, fell to the floor the moment we opened the door. Huge windows brightened up the spacious living and dining area featuring an entertainment wall with a 60″ HDTV, a dining table and even a desk area. The only thing missing was an actual kitchen — although Roger and I imagined where it could be built as we envisioned ourselves actually living in this place.

The master bathroom had a glass-enclosed shower and huge tub, plus C.O. Bigelow bath amenities and comfy robes to lounge in. The master bedroom also had floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a private balcony. A second room could act as a study or lounge area, or even a second bedroom as it had a pull-out sofa bed.

If you want to staycation in style, The Diplomat Beach Resort is the place to do it. And just in case you want to reserve our exact room when you visit (which you will after watching the video on Instagram), it was Suite 3230!

Now let’s talk about the food we indulged in all weekend! That is certainly something The Diplomat is well known for, with a top-of-the-line steakhouse, celebrity chef-owned seafood restaurant and an Asian concept from iconic Philadelphia restaurateur Michael Schulson, you are bound to have a good meal no matter where you dine.

Our first night was spent at Monkitail, an Izakaya-style restaurant specializing in shareable small plates and sushi. The atmosphere is dark and intimate, making it a top choice for date night at The Diplomat.

Pro-tip: When dining at Monkitail, order a couple appetizers to share (the crispy Brussels sprouts are SO good) and then get a bunch of a different things from the Robatayaki section of the menu. Robatayaki is a Japanese style of cooking similar to barbecue — all the food is cooked on skewers and slow-grilled over hot charcoal. The prices range from $3-13, depending on the protein/vegetable, and includes one skewer, so it’s great for those who like to order a lot of different things to try. I picked the truffle shiitake mushroom, swordfish, skirt steak and smoked bacon. Roger got the lobster claw, Kobe beef, short rib and quail.

Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Monkitail

If you happen to be dining on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday and finish up after 9pm, hop next door to Monkitail’s cocktail bar and lounge, Nokku — and if you’re feeling up for it, snag one of the four private rooms set up for karaoke!

For breakfast, you can either enjoy a sit down buffet or a la carte menu at Point Royal. We went for the buffet and piled up our plates with things like smoked salmon, applewood-smoked bacon and pork and chicken sausages. Another option would be to grab something to go from Geoffrey Zakarian’s extension of Point Royal, Counter Point, where you can get espresso drinks, coffee or tea, and choose from a daily selection of house-baked breakfast pastries, salads and sandwiches.

Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Point Royal

We spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool, refreshing cocktails in hand from Playa, the poolside, beachfront bar and restaurant featuring a variety of dishes along with a traditional rum and tequila bar. We had a little alfresco lunch at the bar too — grilled fish tacos for me (didn’t eat the tortilla) and Caesar salad with tuna for Roger.

After a nap in our new condo, err…our suite at The Diplomat, it was time to be wined and dined at Diplomat Prime, the resort’s fine dining restaurant with top-notch steaks and seafood options.

Pro-tip: At Diplomat Prime, let your servers guide you through the wine list. Their suggestions are always on point with whatever you are ordering. I started off with super fresh and delicious jumbo lump crab cocktail and Roger got the local burrata and caviar with uni and roasted tomato puree. For our entrées, it was all about the filet. I kept things simple with chimichurri sauce and a side of roasted mushrooms. Roger went super rich and decadent and added roasted bone marrow to his, along with a bordelaise sauce and a side of creamed spinach. Our glasses of Pali Wine Company Alphabets Pinot Noir, recommended by our server, paired absolutely perfectly.

Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Diplomat Prime

Our last and final day at The Diplomat was spent being pampered at The Diplomat Spa + Wellness. There are a variety of spa services offered, as well as a two-story fitness center with everything you could ever need to get in a good workout during your stay. You can also become a member of the Diplomat Beach Club and get 25% off all spa treatments, 15% off at the restaurants, and 30% off cabanas at the pool and beach chairs and umbrellas on Diplomat’s private beach.

Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Private Beach

We checked out of our amazing room (so sad) and headed down to the spa for our Couple’s Massage. Everything about The Diplomat Spa is so serene and comforting. You can’t help but feel relaxed as soon as you hear the soothing music and breath in the aromatic scents, and of course, the massage itself does the trick.

It was the perfect way to end our incredible weekend at The Diplomat. It was a truly memorable experience, and I will honestly probably never be able to look at a hotel the same way again. Diplomat, you have completely spoiled me — and I am not mad about it!

The Diplomat Beach Resort is located at 3555 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood. Restaurant hours are as follows:

Monkitail: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Open for dinner Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6-11pm, Friday and Saturday from 6pm-12am
Nokku: Open Thursday through Saturday from 9pm-2am
Point Royal: Open for breakfast daily from 7-11am, lunch daily from 11am-2pm, and dinner Friday through Tuesday from 5:30-10pm
Counter Point: Open daily from 6am-11pm
Playa: Open daily from 11am-6pm for food, and the bar stays open until 7pm
Diplomat Prime: Open for dinner daily from 5:30-10:30pm

Hello! I’m Shaina – a Delray Beach, Florida resident, foodie, and lifestyle blogger. I love exploring South Florida and beyond, and sharing everything from my favorite restaurants, products and more with you! See more by following along on Instagram: @takeabiteoutofboca