Welcome to the Hotel Royal Poinciana

The Largest Wooden Structure in the World!

2015-04-13T22:19:00.006-04:00

The HRP (Hotel Royal Poinciana), circa 1900. The main entrance to the hotel was here on the west side facing the lake. This picture was taken from the south end of the hotel, renowned for the colorful gardens that gave winter visitors a respite from the frozen north. Henry Flagler's "Whitehall,' completed a year or so after this picture was taken stands just behind where the photographer stood. Click to enlarge! (Library of Congress photo)

There were 1,150 guest rooms. The main dining room could feed 1600 guests at one time. With seven miles of corridor running throughout six stories, the Hotel Royal Poinciana was the largest wooden structure in the world. The wealthiest rich and famous flocked to Henry Morrison Flagler's "Newport of the South" to make the Royal Poinciana their Winter home. Thousands of local citizens were employed to keep the hotel operating. Both Palm Beach and West Palm Beach owne their existence to Flagler's vision.

The mammoth Hotel Royal Poinciana opened in 1894 and stood on the shore of Lake Worth for just over forty years. It survived major hurricanes and the 1925 fire that destroyed the Breakers and Palm Beach hotels. But it couldn't recover from the economic bust that started with the market crash of 1929 or the changing tastes of the times.

In a sense, the Poinciana became one more victim of the 1925 fire when the new Breakers Hotel reopened less than a year later. The aging Poinciana was no match for this new masterpiece of Italian Renaissance style that was not only "fireproof" but offered a bathroom in every guest room. The end came fast for the Hotel Royal Poinciana.

Just a decade after the Breakers reopened the last pieces of the hotel were hauled away. More than 500 homes and at least one church were built from the scrap.
We know more about Titanic than the Poinciana! (con't)
Photographs of Titanic, her passengers, staterooms, cabins and public areas abound. Not so with the great Hotel Royal Poinciana.

In the fever to develop Palm Beach- a sprawling condo complex stands on the site of the Poinciana today- the most significant building in the town's history was quickly erased from sight and memory. All that remains of the original building is the Slathouse in the Royal Poinciana Plaza (also facing demolition to make way for condos.)

Exterior photographs of the hotel are easy to find but they don't reveal much. There were good photographs of the interior taken by professional photographers but they are of the public areas- the Rotunda, the ballroom, dining rooms, a reading room etc. The architectural details these photos reveal are priceless.

What's missing are photos of guests inside. There are no known photos of the guest rooms. None of the front desk, the Doctor's office, the elevators, the stores that lined the main hall. There are hand colored photos of the dining room and ballroom that match written descriptions. Written descriptions are even harder to come by than photographs!

Still- there is enough information out there to do a pretty decent rebuild of the Hotel Royal Poinciana.

Help Raise the "Titanic!"

Please share what you have- photos, ephemera etc.

2012-02-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

A crowd gathers to inspect power boats at the Poinciana docks. Boat races were a popular form of entertainment during the season.

Early Ballroom

2012-02-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

A rare view of the Hotel Royal Poinciana depicting the east side of the Ballroom (center) and a fleet of bicycle chairs and drivers.

Big Fish

2012-02-07T11:19:00.002-05:00

The pier originally served as a port where ships unloaded cargo onto railcars. The tracks spanned the island to West Palm Beach. The tracks were used as the trolley line after the bridge was moved from the north side of Whitehall to its current location on Royal Poinciana Way.

The Hotel Royal Poinciana looms in the distance (center.) The pier was destroyed in the 1925 hurricane. Remnants are still visible on a clear day.

The Front Walk

2012-01-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

A view of the grounds taken in 1903 before the east/west Piazza was built. The picture shows a view of the walk leading from the main entrance of the hotel (to the back of photographer Burr McIntosh) looking west to the docks. The portion of the walk on the right leads to the north along the front of the hotel.

This photo from the University of California, shows the same walk, about mid-way, taken from the opposite direction.

Henry Flagler- The Movie

2012-01-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

The gentleman in this stereograph from the University of California collection is unidentified. Of course we know it's Henry Morrison Flagler sitting in front of his newly completed mansion "Whitehall." The marble bench is still there, just inside the entrance gate.

Gibson Girls

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Three young ladies, looking straight out of a Charles Dana Gibson cartoon pose on the Lake Trail in 1903. Henry Flagler's 60,000 square foot Gilded Age masterpiece, Whitehall, completed a year earlier, looms in the background.

Photo by Burr McIntosh

Dancing With the Palms

2012-01-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

In this photograph, taken in 1903 by actor/photographer Burr McIntosh, hotel guests are seated around the dance floor in the Cocoanut Grove listening to a concert performed by the hotel band.

On the Jungle Trail

2012-01-01T13:11:00.003-05:00

Since learning my new trick I can't resist creating little two-frame movies from stereographs. This card depicts what appears to be a family- father and attractive daughter in the front with Mother and son close behind. The drivers, wearing tunics and badges on their caps, work for the hotel. This area appears to be the Jungle Trail- a winding, zig-zagging path that was located south of the middle bridge near the Society of the Four Arts. Alligator Joe's attraction was conveniently located at the south end of the trail where Worth Avenue is located.

The Boating Party

2011-12-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

The docks were situated on the south side of the north bridge where the Royal Poinciana Theater now stands. In this animated stereograph, guests from the hotels (the Hotel Royal Poinciana is in the background) embark on a sightseeing trip.

Boat Party

2011-12-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

The original stereograph comes from the University of California and is captioned "Party on the boat, Palm Beach, Florida. Taken ca. 1900, once you get past the past the flashing movement you really get the feel of being a passenger.

The Party's Over!

2011-12-31T13:40:00.000-05:00

As the party boat hasn't met a Titanic-style disaster, "women and children" disembark in reverse order.

Looking For the Bar?

2011-12-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

Turn left at the pillar. You can get there via "Hypocrite's Row." Just look for the door inside the men's room.

Pictured here is an animated gif of this stereograph. I'll be adding more gifs this week.

Dining Area

2011-12-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

This picture, courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, is a bit of a mystery. It is simply labeled "dining area" and appears to have been taken late in the life of the hotel- some time in the 1920s. I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact location on the floor plan. My best guess is the area shade in blue and labeled "2nd officer's dining room" or one of the parlors at the lower left of the floor plan just outside the entrance of the massive dining room.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that the ceilings are of different heights. The second floor plans of all the dining areas have rooms above them which doesn't work for the room in the foreground.

The picture is rich in detail. The room looks to be set up for a high tea. Note the elegant lace tablecloths and curtains. A string surrounds the table beneath the sconce (center left) to keep guests away from some very fancy glass and china.

The china on the table to the right is white with green and orange trim. Examples are on display at The Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum located in the restored courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida.

Ragtime

2011-12-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

A clipping of a newspaper rotogravure page showing a view of the lobby taken from the same spot as this one, in a different year. The picture was a mystery to me until I realized that the printer had flopped it horizontally causing the shadows to go in the wrong direction. The light source comes from windows on the west (left) side. The windows at the end of the room are store windows on a hallway leading to the front desk and main lounge (see floor plan.) Guests were treated to music throughout the hotel- there was at least one more piano, placed just outside the Garden Grill.

The floor plan depicts the spot where the photographer stood, to the left front of the piano and shot into the room toward the store.

Photogravure courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.

I'll Wait For You in the Lobby.

2011-12-05T00:59:00.001-05:00

"The garden effect is carried to the interior interior decorations, where palms, ferns, crotons and other foliage plants are banked around the rotunda. The floors are carpeted in moss green and the walls are tinted in pale green and delicate pink. Even the furniture, in white and gold gives the place an air of summer that can not be erased from the mind. This is perpetual summer, with electric lights casting a glow over the scene , the opening Wednesday at dinner, was a pretty sight."

Palm Beach Daily News, Jan. 17, 1902.

These photos, which come courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, show two adjoining public rooms. Both were labeled "lobby" by the photographer.

The same room, taken from the adjoining room but on a different day (or year.) The pattern on the wicker furniture is different. The details of design in the carpeting as well as the pottery are crisp. Click to enlarge.

The Dining Room, Appetizer

2011-12-04T23:52:00.001-05:00

After a second wing was added in 1902, the main dining room was capable of serving 1700 guests at once. The Head Waiter had thirty-two assistants and five hundred waiters who served meals to from twenty-three hundred to twenty six hundred people three times a day. 150 cooks and an equal number of assistants worked in the kitchen. Guests looking for a more intimate meal could always have it at the Palm Grill.

This rare photo- taken shortly after the hotel opened- shows waitresses and other staff lining the center aisle of the dining room. The ladies are wearing dark shirtwaist dresses and full length aprons. This is one of a very few pictures of the hotel staff in existence.

A heavily retouched photograph of the dining as it looked when it opened in 1894. The main aisle where the staff is standing in the top photo is just past the arches at the right.

The picture is taken from a rare angle that almost gives a "diner's eye view" of the table. It includes lots of great detail; from the water carafe, glasses, napkins and condiment servers to the arrangement of the silver and design of the chairs. Click to enlarge.

The Hotel's print shop produced thousands of menus every day topped with an elegant engraving of the hotel logo.

A colored postcard gives a hint of a later color scheme. The arched doorway at the entrance found a second life as a garage door at a Palm Beach home after the hotel was demolished.

The dining room doubled as a ballroom when parties featuring upwards of two thousand guests couldn't be accommodated by the octagonal ballroom.

Rotunda- looking south

2011-11-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

A rare view from inside of the Rotunda. Most views are taken from the opposite direction across the Rotunda. In this picture the main entrance is to the right.

The picture was dated 1900- the same year the picture at the top was taken. The wicker furniture has a natural color- later the furniture was painted white. The hallway ahead leads to the Doctor's office, elevators and writing room.

Poinciana Blue

2011-11-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

This is a rare cyanotype taken of the HRP shortly after it opened in 1894. The building is only half its ultimate size and the great piazza that extended from the porch west toward the docks hasn't been built yet.

The famous gardens haven't been planted offering an unobstructed view of the porch and ground floors.

Click to enlarge- note the arched entrance to the lobby at the top of the porch. Pass through that door. You are standing in the Rotunda.

The Rotunda

2011-11-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

At the top of the steps of the main entrance you'll pass through one of three doors into the Rotunda. The ceiling rises straight up to the great cupola. It's furnished with white wicker furniture and spittoons.

To your left is a long hallway leading to smart shops featuring the latest in fashion, jewelry, souvenirs and candy. Just to the right is a writing room where you can send postcards just like this one to your friends and family in the frozen north.

The stairway straight ahead takes you to the mens (to your left) and ladies (to your right) lounges. A secret hallway leads from the men's toilet to the bar. The passage is affectionately called"Hypocrite's Row." A floor plan will be posted shortly to get you there.

Click to enlarge.

Palm Beach 1906- The Gift Shop

2011-10-07T12:56:00.000-04:00

Support this blog! Visit the gift shop!

A few products, designed by artist Pat Crowley are available here with more designs on the way.

Souvenir Vendor

2011-04-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

An extremely rare picture of a souvenir vendor in Palm Beach. The picture was taken by a hotel guest in 1899 or 1900 on the Breakers beach. Note the pier in the background. There are lots of great details in this picture. Hanging from the top left of the rack are hats matching the one he's wearing.

This photograph was taken just in front of the Poinciana on the famous Ocean Walk facing east. The trolley tracks run parallel to the walk just out of view on the left. The souvenir vendor has moved from the beach to try his luck at the hotel with the aid of a friend. A bicylechair driver stands at the ready in tunic and cap (no. 41.) Click to enlarge.

In this view we are standing on the Walk facing west towards the Poinciana. The steps to the entrance on the southern side of the hotel are in clear view. Two men are standing in the same spot as the cocoanut head vendors. It appears that Ask Mr. Foster, travel guide and purveyor of photo albums and framed souvenir pictures had his first store inside the hotel. It later moved into the bank of stores on the west lawn of the Poinciana. The ? sign served as Foster's logo.

Guest Photo

2011-04-10T11:51:00.000-04:00

A rare view of the hotel taken by a guest in 1899 or 1900. The picture was taken with a Brownie style camera from the first bridge linking West Palm Beach to Palm Beach. The bridge stood between the hotel and the site of Henry Flagler's future home -Whitehall. When Whitehall was completed a few years after this picture was taken, Mrs. Flagler asked that the noisy railroad bridge (note the tracks on the left of the pedestrian walk) be moved. It was- to the spot where the north bridge stands today.

At the time, this rail line dropped guests off right at the hotel and could continue on to the pier next to the Breakers hotel. The line was also used for the Palm Beach Trolley.

Here's the trolley, taken by the same photographer, carrying guests west to the Poinciana from the Breakers hotel. The hotel burned to the ground a few years later in the summer of 1903 and was quickly rebuilt . The hotel was once again destroyed in a devastating fire in 1925.

The Casino and Pool

2010-03-05T23:52:00.002-05:00

The Casino saltwater pool viewed from the inside, west end looking east. Note the spectators sitting on the east end top deck.

The Casino seen from the southeast looking northwest. Same spectators on the top deck. Click to enlarge. Note the signs above the doors reading Mens Tickets Only and Womens Tickets Only. Hotel guests could change into rented bathing suits here. To the right (north) of the Casino are the two wings of the Breakers hotel. North of the hotel are the "cottages" available to guests who required more spacious accommodations.The guest cottages were torn down and replaced by condominiums. One cottage "Seagull" was spared and moved across the island next to Flagler's Whitehall. It recently underwent a complete restoration.

Caddyshack

2010-03-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

A triptych featuring the Hotel Poinciana Hotel golf course. Click to enlarge! A man tees up at the first hole while friends and players wait in the shade. The hotel looms in the background. This was Florida's first eighteen hole golf course. Henry Flagler didn't play the game and thought it was a colossal waste of time and space. But that didn't stop him from denying his guests the pleasure.

The course and the Pine Walk (background) still stands today.

(Photo- Library of Congress/Detroit Publishing Collection)

The Bathing Hour

2010-03-05T22:56:00.005-05:00

Children on the south side of the Breakers pier.

The Breakers pier served as the first Port of Palm Beach. At one time it had train tracks to the end of the pier where ships unloaded cargo. The same track served later as the mule trolley line linking the Breakers to the Hotel Royal Poinciana. The hurricane of 1928 destroyed the pier. The remnants are a popular destination for local divers.

These ladies opt out of wearing the long, heavy woolen bathing costumes of the day. Alert lifeguards kept a watchful eye on the women in particular who risked being dragged under the waves by the sheer weight of their wet bathing dresses.

A cropped version of this picture was a popular postcard of the day on which lucky vacationers could boast of swimming in the dead of winter. There's a lot going on in this richly detailed photograph featuring all manner of resort fashions ca.1905 (click to enlarge.)
The sign in the center reads: "The bathing hours on the beach are 11 to 1 during which expert Life Guards & Boatmen are provided for the safety of Casino Guests. Please be guided by their advice when entering the water. Geo. E. Anderson Supt."
In the foreground, a messenger from Alligator Joe reminds the tourists of his daily performance at 3:30.
The shoreline is lined with beach chairs topped with awnings (for the less adventurous.)
(Photos- Library of Congress/Detroit Publishing Collection)

The Bicycle Chair

2010-02-18T20:09:00.001-05:00

The bicycle chair- sometimes called the "Afrimobile" or "Palm Beach Cab" was the only wheeled conveyance (other than a railroad or trolley car) allowed on Palm Beach at the turn of the century. The hotels employed drivers by the hundreds during the season.

The Palm Beach Hotel, which stood on the lake front about a half-mile north of the Royal Poinciana provided guests with this handy price list. Click to enlarge!

Paradise Found

2010-02-18T12:27:00.001-05:00

A striking panorama featuring the famous gardens of the Hotel Royal Poinciana. The architecture of the building was a relatively modest Colonial design. The interior decoration, featuring grass-green carpets, soft pastels and wicker furniture amid potted trees and plants suggested an eternal Spring- to the delight of guests escaping the harsh northern Winter. Click to enlarge! (Library of Congress)

The Palm Walk

2010-02-18T12:07:00.002-05:00

The Palm Walk ran parallel to the mule trolley line from the Royal Poinciana to the Breakers- about a half mile. A fashionable lady strikes a pose ca. 1905. (James D. Phelan Collection)

The native sable palms cast a lovely lattice-work of shadows on the walk. Portions of the trail still exist a century later! (Library of Congress)

Afternoon Concert

2010-02-10T16:28:00.002-05:00

Guests enjoy tea in the Coconut Grove while the hotel band serenades them from
the end of the Piazza that extended west from the front entrance. The bands played all day between both the Royal Poinciana and the Breakers hotels. This appears to be the 4:30 p.m. concert. Click to enlarge! (Library of Congress)

Note the bottom of the program- The "Colored Sextette" (or sometimes a banjo quartette) provided late night entertainment for the younger crowd in the Palm Room just across the hall from Hypocrite's Row.

A Tour Of The Rotunda

2010-02-10T14:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Palm Beach. Your train arrived at the little station (where the Royal Poinciana Plaza stands today) where you were whisked away to the hotel by bicycle chair. You make a mental note to be one of the lucky few admitted to Col. E.R. Bradley's Beach Club casino tonight. First order of the day- check in.

You are standing on the lawn of the hotel, facing southeast. Just past the hotel and to your right, stands Henry Flagler's magnificent winter home, Whitehall. Head up the steps through one of the arched doorways. (Click to enlarge.) Views are marked on floorplan below.

B) The first thing you see is the great rotunda. Straight ahead is the stairway to the men's and ladie's lounges. In the men's washroom, follow the secret hallway (called "Hypocrite's Row) from to the bar and pool tables! The bar itself still survives and was last seen at the recently closed Hoboken Grill in West Palm Beach. To the left , a hallway leads to the shops. To the right are the elevators, doctor's office and writing room where postcards like these were written.

C) Just off the Rotunda and looking north you can see the long hallway leading to the shops featuring the latest in New York fashion, jewelry and souvenirs. Handy spitoons scattered around the parlor (lower left) saved the weary guest a trip outside.

D) Take a few steps back- same view at a slightly different angle. Just behind you are the elevators.

E) Now take a few more steps to your left. Directly behind you is the doorway to the writing room. Stationary and lots of desks provided. Winter guests were delighted with the
potted plants and wicker furniture that filled almost every room in the hotel. Most of the interior was painted cream with green trim.

Strictly Ballroom

2010-02-07T23:16:00.003-05:00

This rare view of the Ballroom (Florida Historical Society collection) shows the entrance (center) as you enter from the top of the stairs in the Rotunda. Looking west, down the entrance hall you can see the center front entrance door of the hotel (bottom, viewed from the outside.) In the picture below (courtesy Historical Society of Palm Beach County) the steps are partially obscured by what appears to be the same plant.

The doors were framed with leaded glass. A piece of wicker furniture is visible just inside the doorway. Note the cuspidors scattered around the room- a measure to keep the grass-green carpets clean.

In the top picture, the Ballroom (more here) is decorated with Japanese lanterns- a very popular motif of the day. Flagler's hotels staged three important balls every season: The New Year's, George Washington Birthday and St. Patrick's Day Ball.

Eventually the parties got so large they were moved into the massive dining room (below.)

All Aboard! From the Hotel Royal Poinciana To The Breakers

2009-12-14T02:45:00.001-05:00

The top photograph shows the trolley track at the south end of Royal Poinciana. Guests had the choice of walking across the island to the Breakers, middle, or taking the mule trolley. For years the only vehicles allowed on Palm Beach were the train, trolley or bicycle chairs. Click to enlarge! (Library of Congress)

From the Breakers to the Hotel Royal Poinciana

2009-12-14T01:39:00.005-05:00

A stunning triptych taken by a Detroit Publishing photographer in 1900. This scene was taken from a perch on the Breakers casino looking west towards the Royal Poinciana Hotel. Click to enlarge!

The track, originally a rail line from the pier, (bottom picture) served as a trolley line for the popular mule-drawn trolley car. Guests could choose to walk along the Australian Pines (south side of the track) or among the palms (north side.) Click to enlarge!

(Library of Congress)

Hallway

2009-12-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

This is a hi-res scan of the hallway outside the Garden Grill. It's hand-colored but a pretty accurate look at the color scheme of the hotel. A piano sits at the end of the hallway- one of several scattered throughout the hotel. Off to the right were the staff dining rooms and barber shop. Behind you is a large lounge and the front desk.

Souvenirs

2009-11-25T13:51:00.001-05:00

TOP: Silver spoon with alligator motif. A scene from the Lake Trail, just south of Whitehall, is etched into the bowl. SECOND: This spoon , featuring a pineapple in the handle, was available throughout the state. The word "Palm Beach" is etched into the bowl giving it a local flavor. THIRD: Another view of the Lake Trail, south of Whitehall featuring a sailboat. "Lake Worth" refers to the region. BOTTOM: A sterling silver spoon featuring an image of the Hotel Royal Poinciana on the backside of the handle purchased from the Greenleaf and Crosby store located inside the rotunda of the hotel.

The Garden Grill

2009-11-25T12:45:00.005-05:00

The Garden Grill was located on the first floor just east of the front desk. The restaurant was "the most unique in America, with its hanging garden and patterres of flowers on every hand" (Palm Beach Life.) The Grill was a much more manageable size than the main dining room which could serve 1600 guests at once and covered 2/3 of an acre.
The top three pictures, A-C on the map, offer views of the restaurant from just inside the west entrance. The bottom picture- D on the map, offers a rare view of a public lounging area. A piano can be seen at the end of the hall.

Hypocrite's Row

2009-07-07T12:12:00.006-04:00

A rare HRP survivor is the bar. Now located at Don Ramon's Restaurant (535 25th st. West Palm Beach) it served for many years at the late, great This Is It Pub.

Gentlemen (the bar was closed to women) could enter the bar from the hallway separating the first floor of the octagonal ballroom. Tea was served in the Palm Room for the ladies. There was a stockbroker's office and billiard room in addition to the bar for the men.

The discrete tipler could reach the bar via a secret hallway, affectionately dubbed "Hypocrite's Row," off the men's toilet.

May I Have This Dance?

2009-03-22T12:13:00.007-04:00

The octagonal Ball Room had two levels. The first level- just up the stairs at the east end of the lobby, provided a hidden bar for the men - access could made by a secret corridor from the Mens toilet. Wags called it "Hypocrite's Row." More on that later.
Women met for tea and cakes across the hall in the Palm Room.

This is a very nice view of the Ball Room. The entrance is beneath the balcony/bandstand center. Note the electric lights trimming the ceiling. Today, worshipers at Memorial Presbyterian Church on Olive St. (West Palm Beach- a block north of the Norton Museum of Art) might be surprised to learn they are kneeling on this floor! The exterior of the church was built from bricks salvaged from the chimneys of the hotel after it was demolished. (Source: Palm Beach by Richard Marconi and Debi Murray.)

View of the Octagonal Ball Room from the southeast side of the hotel. Guest could step outside on the porch for a bit of privacy or fresh air.

Wish You Were Here

2009-03-12T18:05:00.010-04:00

A rare view of the interior of the hotel. This is the Writing Room where guest can write letters and postcards to the folks back home.

The window to the right looks out over the piazza and Lake Worth. The "doorway" at the end of the room is actually a mirror. The camera is visible just outside the doorway (north end of the room.) A portion of a rotunda wall is visible behind the camera. Click to enlarge.
(Photo: Historical Society of Palm Beach County.)

Note the alligator motif of the flower vase! Click to enlarge.

Letterhead

Envelope

What better image to send home to friends and family in the frozen North? The pier stood just at the south side of the Breakers and served as the area's first port.

Rooms With a View

2009-03-02T00:58:00.012-05:00

The HRP as seen from the West Palm Beach docks at the turn of the century. Just out of sight at the far right is Flagler's Whitehall mansion. Midway between the north wing of the hotel (left) and the first flag is where the Slathouse stands today.

The north bridge, just out of view, was for trains only. It later opened to pedestrians and bicycle chairs. Passengers were carried from the little train station at the north end of the hotel to the main entrance by bicycle chair.

Send in your pictures!

2009-03-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

There are no known pictures of the guestrooms of the Royal Poinciana Hotel. I'll be posting a number of photos of the public areas of the hotel but interior snapshots- the kind taken by the guests- are the Holy Grail.

Did your grandparents stay there? Share your pictures and ephemera and let's bring the Ponce back to life!

The Cocoanut Grove- Strike Up the Band!

2009-03-01T23:31:00.004-05:00

Northerners thrilled at the sight of magnificent palms of every kind covering the island. Here guests are enjoying tea and pastries in the Cocoanut Grove located on the southwest corner of the Ponce.

On the upper deck of the piazza, (top two photos) the hotel band serenades the guests with one of several daily concerts. Click to enlarge.