Shades of Kennebunkport

Florida's Delray Beach has some sunny similarities

Author: By Charles L. Mitsakos, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, November 15, 1998

Page: M5

Section: Travel

Not Kennebunkport, Maine, but the Kennebunkport-like community 1,500 miles south of it. My wife, Stella, and I were strolling along the Atlantic Ocean in Delray Beach. The town does have its own Colony Hotel, Dock Square Clothiers, and Snappy Turtle Gift Shop, just like its northern counterpart. George Herbert Walker Bush summers in Kennebunkport, Maine, but the former president has a major thoroughfare named in his honor in this Florida community.

Unlike Palm Beach or Miami Beach, Delray Beach is not ostentatious and is not dominated by high-rise properties. It has the casual elegance of a cozy conservative New England town that makes it so popular each winter with folks from the Boston area just as Kennebunkport brings those same people to Maine each summer.

Folks from the North have been coming to this area of south Florida for more than 100 years. Originally settled by a group from Saginaw, Mich., and African-American families from the Florida panhandle, Delray Beach was incorporated as a town in 1911. It got caught up in the Florida land boom of the '20s and was the centerpiece of Florida's ``gold coast,'' attracting writers, artists, and other seasonal visitors who enjoyed staying at the recently opened Colony Hotel.

Delray Beach is situated directly on the Atlantic Ocean just north of Boca Raton in southern Palm Beach County. It is 50 miles north of Miami and just 15 miles south of Palm Beach International Airport. Its subtropical climate attracts most Northerners from December through March making accommodations an especially good value from April to November.

One important advantage that Delray Beach has over Kennebunkport is its three miles of beachfront for swimming, sunning, sailing, snorkeling, or diving. We especially enjoyed just strolling along what many people call Florida's finest beach. The only problem is that wandering along this extensive public area is so relaxing that we don't realize how far we've wandered until we have to walk back.

Just 150 yards from the south end of the public beach in 25 feet of water is Delray's major underwater attraction, the SS Inchulva. This steel-hulled ship built at the turn of the century to withstand heavy seas and violent storms seems to be getting even more attention because of the motion picture ``Titanic.'' The Inchulva had sailed from Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 6, 1903, carrying wheat, lumber, and cotton bound for Newport News, Va., and Hamburg, Germany. The 386-foot ship broke apart in gale force winds and huge waves. Today, the ship is a popular destination for snorkeling and diving among the tarpon, lobster, coral, and stingrays who all call it home.

Our golf and tennis friends can't say enough about the course at Delray Beach Golf Club designed by Donald Ross and the courts at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. But we were content simply to drive along route 1A in Maine or route A1A in Palm Beach county. The views are spectacular.

In Kennebunkport, we enjoy staying at the majestic Colony Hotel that's built on a promontory on the mouth of the Kennebunk River overlooking the craggy Atlantic coast. So it was a rare treat to stay at Delray Beach's Colony Hotel and Cabana Club. A family business for more than 60 years, the resort is managed by Kennebunkport's Jestina Boughton.

Boughton and her cadre of ``hospitality nomads,'' as she calls them, leave Kennebunkport for Delray Beach, where they operate the resort from Nov. 1 to April 30 before heading north for a new season in Maine. Boston's own Gerry Riley joins them as head bartender at both properties.

Although Delray Beach's Colony is not situated directly on the ocean, it overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and provides a shuttle to the Colony Cabana Club a few minutes away. The club has its own beach and a heated salt-water pool. It was fun watching the flying fish and pelicans battle it out .

Stella, an interior designer, has remarked at how similar the personalized service is at both resorts but how unique the architecture and interior design are to each hotel's location. Both are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Delray Beach's focal point for shopping and dining is Atlantic Avenue. Running perpendicular to the beach and Intracoastal, Atlantic Avenue reminds us of downtown Kennebunkport with its mix of antique shops, art galleries, boutiques, and clothing stores. Both Dock Square Clothiers and Snappy Turtle display some of the items one would find in Maine, but most are specially suited to south Florida. We can't seem to walk out of either store empty-handed. Stella says the antique shops on Atlantic Avenue have incredible collections at relatively modest prices.

Perhaps Stella's favorite Delray shop is Baobob, with an eclectic mix of handmade wood carvings, exclusive chess sets, and a high-end line of soaps, lotions, and candles. They also carry hard-to-find international fragrances such as Creed, Floris, Czech & Speake, and Comptoir Sud Pacifique and a diverse selection of ethnic music. Well-traveled owners Sanjay Sood and Gregory Skory offer input on everything from the most perfect scent to the ideal gift to bring back to New England. Stella chose Creed's Spring Flowers.

A trip to Delray Beach wouldn't be complete without a pilgrimage 30 miles south to Sawgrass Mills, with its more than 100 outlet stores. Sawgrass Mills seems to have them all under one roof, from the Neiman-Marcus Clearance Center to Character Premiere, the only off-price Walt Disney outlet in the world.

There are many fine restaurants on Atlantic Avenue, ranging from the elegant 32 East to the casual Goodness Gracious Cafe with its al fresco dining. Readers of South Florida magazine gave 32 East their vote for the best martini. Locals also seem to feel it has the best upscale dining in the region. We could understand why after sampling the creative contemporary American cuisine prepared by chef Wayne Alcadie. Next door, exceptional Japanese food is the fare at Yama. Koz, the sushi chef, creates the most colorful blend of the freshest fish available. The truly British Blue Anchor pub was rebuilt in Delray Beach after being taken apart on its original English site. Its authentic English pub menu and live band are a lot of fun. Our favorite restaurant, however, is just over the bridge on Palm Trail.

With its bright West Indian colors and original art work, Charlie Tobias's Pineapple Grille is as Caribbean as you can get without going to Antigua or St. Lucia. The macadamia nut crusted crab cakes with a key lime honey mustard or locally caught sesame seared yellowfin tuna served with stir-fried greens are fabulous. But we were also just as happy with a curried chicken salad and Red Stripe beer.

The Morikami Museum, with its 200 acre park, is the only Japanese cultural history museum in the United States and provides a unique perspective and keen insight into the Japanese people. Old School Square and Cornell Museum of Art and History, which has thousands of miniatures, were well worth a visit.

There is another connection between Delray Beach and New England that we never miss: Boston's On the Beach, on A1A's South Ocean Boulevard near the intersection with Atlantic Avenue. Boston's replicates Boston's Back Bay. We enjoy the entertainment while sitting at the base of a replica of Fenway Park's ``Green Monster'' and checking out the full-size street signs, block by block, starting with Arlington Street along Commonwealth Avenue. There is other Boston memorabilia as well, along with fresh seafood and homestyle dishes.

Staying there: A major renovation project to the former oceanfront Holiday Inn situated where Atlantic Avenue meets the beach has produced the ``new'' full service Delray Beach Marriott. More than 100 rooms were added to this Mediterranean-style building along with a tropical free-form pool and waterfall. Tennis courts and a health club complement the water sports program available.

The Colony Hotel and Cabana Club offer two bedrooms and bath in historic deluxe accommodations. The rates drop one-third in late March. Breakfast and dinner packages are available.

More information: Call the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce at 561-278-1380.