Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf & Nicholas Wolf
Rejuvenation in the Palm Beaches
Season 23 Episode 12304 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
What renewal and rejuvenation means at some of the world's top vacation resorts.
What does it mean to feel renewed? Burt and Nicholas travel to the Palm Beaches to discover how visitors restore energy and spirit through golf, pickleball, spas, or simply a walk on the sand. They uncover why this destination continues to draw travelers seeking vitality and balance.
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Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf & Nicholas Wolf is a local public television program presented by WKNO
Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf & Nicholas Wolf
Rejuvenation in the Palm Beaches
Season 23 Episode 12304 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
What does it mean to feel renewed? Burt and Nicholas travel to the Palm Beaches to discover how visitors restore energy and spirit through golf, pickleball, spas, or simply a walk on the sand. They uncover why this destination continues to draw travelers seeking vitality and balance.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- [Announcer] "Travels & Traditions" with Burt and Nicholas Wolf is is made possible by Goldbelly.
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Anywhere Nationwide.
Goldbelly.com And by Swiss International Airlines.
Flying to over 100 worldwide locations.
Trully Swiss made.
Swiss International Airlines.
And by YP Foundation, helping those in need through education and improving life skills.
Guided by the principles of good deeds, charity, and public welfare, YP Foundation.
And by Five Star Travel, Inc.
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since 1985, Five Star Travel has been developing and delivering detailed itineraries for trips, cruises, and vacations to destinations around the world.
Five Star Travel, Inc.
(uplifting classical orchestral music) - [Announcer] Travels & Traditions with Burt & Nicholas Wolf" is a classic travel journal, a record of their search for information about our world and how we fit into it.
They travel to the source of each story, trying to find the connections between our history and what is happening today.
What they discover can improve our lives and our understanding of the world around us.
(bright orchestral music) - The word rejuvenation is used to describe an activity that brings back a youthful vigor.
And as you might expect, everybody has their own idea of what that rejuvenation activity should be.
And I will not tell you what mine is, so there.
Palm Beach County in Florida is an epicenter for activities designed to help you with your rejuvenation.
People come here from all over the world to take part in those activities to rejuvenate their mind and body.
I find taking a walk along the beach in the early morning or late afternoon rejuvenating.
I make an effort to avoid thinking about anything that would be stressful.
I look at the ocean, the shallow waves coming in.
If I pass someone reading a newspaper, I look the other way.
At my age, I should be part of the rejuvenation crowd.
But there are some distinct advantages.
I don't have to take my shoes off at the airport screening.
When I get to a restaurant, they rush me to my table.
Actually, I'm in pretty good shape, but I love the extra attention.
Beam me up, Scotty.
Spas are one of the most popular ways people like to rejuvenate.
Spa is an interesting word.
It's the name of a town in Belgium, and in ancient times, Roman soldiers who were on break from a battle would go to Spa, sit in the warm water, and relax and be rejuvenated, which is what everybody's doing over here.
To learn more about spas, I met with Amanda Hittinger at the Amrit Resort and Wellness Spa in Singer Island.
Spas have been around for thousands of years.
Why, what makes them so popular?
- Spas are so popular because they're just a great way to have that mindful benefit in your life.
It's a great way to feel good.
It's a great way to just have a moment for yourself and take some peace and relax in an everyday busy life.
So people just love to enjoy a little moment of self-care.
- When people come here, what services are they looking for?
- We have a beautiful four-floor spa.
So as you can see behind you, there's ocean views in almost all of our treatment rooms.
So you come here to rejuvenate.
You have yourself a day.
It's meant to be more than just coming in for a massage.
You come in, you spend some time in the relaxation lounge, you use our ayush, which is Florida's only ayush.
You get your treatment, you hang here, you spend an entire day, and you just help yourself feel a little bit better and you work from the body in and out.
- They have a Scandinavian sauna, a 4D-experience shower, various pools, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
Thanks a lot.
That was really quite wonderful.
You know, the team at NASA is marvelous.
They took me up into space.
We flew around the earth, we landed here.
And sandwiches were wonderful.
Thanks.
A dry floating bed, an experience shower, and my favorite, a gentle massage, specifically designed for television journalists who need a break.
Oh, that feels good.
Who used to sing that song?
♪ I feel good ♪ Wow, I feel good ♪ I knew that I would now - There's something about the southern part of Florida that attract the spa customer.
What do you think they're interested in here?
- Who wouldn't want to come to South Florida?
Especially for a spa.
I mean, you have the ocean views, you have the sand, you have the beach.
It's very relaxing on its own.
And then you add in that spa element and you really do have like the ultimate vacation here.
- South Florida, here I come.
♪ Hey (upbeat music) (water splashing) - I have a friend who lives in the Palm Beaches of Florida and he's a great fan of a sport called pickleball, which is played with a lightweight paddle and a ball full of holes.
And if you're really good at it, you're rewarded with a jar of pickles.
Pickleball, the sport that sounds like it was named after a kitchen mishap.
It actually has a history as interesting as its name.
In 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, three dads were trying to entertain their kids who were bored with the usual games.
They combined existing sports equipment, ping pong paddles, a badminton court, and a perforated plastic ball.
These days, pickleball is more popular than ever.
- Pickleball became so popular because you can have fun playing it on your first day.
There's not a very long learning curve, and everyone can have fun on their very first day competing.
You definitely are improving your health playing pickleball because you're always using your lower body, your core, and your upper body as well.
And you're getting a cardio workout at the same time.
Pickleball is a very social sport as well.
I see friendships being made every day.
People playing, people getting to know each other, people going afterwards for dinner or drinks.
- Okay, show me how to pickle the ball.
- [Bassel] Okay, Burt, so first let's start by standing behind the white line, which is called the kitchen line.
- It's called the what line?
- That's called the kitchen line because- - Kitchen?
- Because over here, this is the kitchen.
- Oh.
What are you cooking?
- (laughs) No, nothing today.
- Oh, pal, I'll see you later.
Okay, so I stand behind this line?
- Yes.
And now let's- - Okay, now what happens?
- And now let's hit the ball back and forth to each other.
That's called dinking.
- Oh, okay.
Let's try.
- Good shot, Burt, good shot.
And again.
That's all right.
(upbeat music) Very nice, Burt.
- Wow.
- That's a great shot.
Now, let's try to take it on one bounce.
Excellent.
Okay, that was awesome.
Getting better all the time.
Three in a row, Burt.
That's awesome.
Four.
Keep going.
Excellent.
And that's exactly why pickleball is fun for everyone.
- It's gotta bounce once.
- Yes.
Yes, yes.
- Okay, I can do this.
Let's have a new- (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (groans) I think I'm going to be spending my summer in a remedial pickleball class.
Since my attempt at pickleball was a failure, I decided to explore the location where we were filming at.
It's called Life Time.
It's a mixture of a gym, pickleball court, spa, lounge, and a country club.
My form of rejuvenation was sitting at their bar and drinking a Bloody Mary.
Much more rejuvenating.
(mellow music) It looks like modern golf developed in Scotland during the 1200s, but didn't become very popular until the late 1800s when it was taken up throughout the British Empire and the United States.
The game consists of hitting a small ball with a stick until you knock the ball into a hole.
The player who achieved this with the lowest number of strokes was considered the winner.
In 1389, the ruler of the Dutch city of Haarlem set up a field where people could play golf.
The field was outside the city because it was considered too dangerous to play within the city walls.
Personally, I'm not much of a golfer myself.
I prefer driving the carts around.
My son Nicholas is a golfer, so I sent him to learn more.
He's going to play at The Park, which is one of the best public courses in Palm Beach County.
- So The Park as a facility, we are open to all.
And we have every possible thing that you can imagine as a golfer.
We've got an 18-hole championship golf course.
We've got a 9-hole par three course, putting course, and a driving range with Toptracer technology.
You have to understand that golf is a challenge and it's supposed to be a challenge and relish in being able to challenge yourself, challenge the course, challenge your friends, and enjoy the competition of it.
- I'm here at The Park in West Palm Beach with Jake Valentine.
Jake is a young, talented golfer proving that golf isn't just a sport for retirees.
He made the winning putt for his high school golf team at the state championships and later was featured on "Golf Digest."
So the original plan was for me and Jake to play head to head, but unfortunately, last night I sustained an injury walking from the couch to my bedroom.
So we have a surprise challenge from one of our producers today.
Pretty scary.
All right.
All right, Jake, so your personal record is 34 through 9.
- Yeah.
At Park.
- If you can break that today, you don't have to play through.
- All right, let's do it.
- It's a pretty good incentive, right?
- It is.
- Let's go.
(bright music) (sighs) All right.
Jake, what's your game plan?
34?
That's a tough number to beat, so.
- It's quite windy, so I'm gonna try to keep the ball a little lower today, make sure I get it in the fairway, and then hopefully make some putts.
- What do you love about this course?
- Well, one is, I like how wide open it is.
It's always kept very, like very neat, very nice.
- Golf is a sport that can meet you where you're at.
If you're 3 years old, if you're 85 years old, it doesn't matter, so long as you can physically stand and hold a club, and even if you have to sit into a chair or if you're on one leg, it doesn't actually matter.
So long as you can hold a golf club, you can play.
(upbeat music) - Right down the middle.
So Jake, I'm gonna let you in on a secret.
I didn't actually hurt my leg yesterday.
I just thought it would be kind of unfair, you know, if I blew you away and like won every hole, for the host to do it, it's just not very good television, you know what I mean?
- Right.
(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Jake, we're pretty far out.
- Well, let me get a number on it quickly.
- Yeah, good call.
It's a little windy out too.
- I have 233 to the flag.
- You gotta go for it, you know.
- Yeah.
- That 34 is not gonna beat itself.
(upbeat music) That is pure.
How many feet do you think we are here?
- Ooh, I'd say about 20 feet.
- Just in his groove there.
(upbeat music) Little tap-in birdie.
Not a bad hole, Jake, you know, but that eagle would've been nice.
(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) Ninth hole right now.
If you par this, okay, it's not a bad outcome.
You tie your record.
However, if you birdie this, you beat it, 33, new course record through 9.
(upbeat music) Jake, if luck's on your side, you might be on the green.
- Yeah.
Oh, I actually see it, it's about- - [Nicholas] It's pretty close.
Oh, wow.
- [Jake] It's about 15 feet away for eagle.
- (chuckles) That's pretty impressive, Jake.
And there's no editing going on, I'll tell you that.
So, wow.
(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Pretty impressive stuff.
Didn't even need the putter.
- There we go.
Shot a 32, 4 under.
- Yeah, not a bad thing to go brag about now.
- No.
- We made pretty good television there with some good shots.
You know, producers are going home happy, so that's all we want.
- Yeah, it's hard to handle wind, but managed to shoot a good nine holes.
- For sure.
- In my opinion, we're the best public facility in South Florida.
A lot of the ratings prove that.
And we have a championship world-class facility that is open to all.
So with that, that makes us a little bit different.
The beautiful thing about golf is that you get a chance to dictate your own experience.
It can be whatever you want it to be.
If you want it to be competitive with your friends, it can be that.
If you wanna close a deal on the golf course, it can be that.
If you wanna go get two hours of walking and cardiovascular exercise in, it can be that.
One of the things we're really big on here at The Park is walking the golf course.
Gil Hanse, our golf course architect, designed the golf course to be able to be walked.
It's a really approachable, enjoyable walk.
It's not overly strenuous.
There's not too many uphills.
There's not too many downhills.
Almost all of the hills are gentle, and it allows you to get out, get some exercise in, and be with friends.
(upbeat music) (vocalist whistling) - There are two essential facts that I would like to share with you.
First of all, when I was six years old, I began sailing on a nearby lake in a little dinghy called an Optimist.
And I fell in love with the sea.
(upbeat music) (vocalist whistling) (bell dings) As I got older, I began going to sea in different kinds of craft.
Magnificent sailing yachts, riverboats hotels designed to cross oceans, and U.S.
Navy subs.
(submarine horn blows) Most of my early sailing was done on Long Island Sound off the coast of Connecticut.
In the evening, we would anchor in a small cove along with about 10 other sailboats.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, two teenagers would sail around offering packages of smoked salmon, bagels, and cream cheese.
They had about 50 packs, and within an hour, they had sold all of them.
Sometimes wonder what happened to those very entrepreneurial teenagers.
I can see them now running a national chain of bagel shops.
(bright music) Second essential fact, for 20 years I was the food editor for CNN.
I traveled around the world reporting on the history and culture of food.
I am pleased to report that I have discovered a yacht that combines the things I love, sailing and eating.
It's called the Food Yacht.
Clever, huh?
It's a 40-foot yacht that's really just a floating restaurant.
(bright music) It was started by Chef Justin Lindemann and began as a floating food truck for boats anchored in the area.
Eventually it became a popular charter service for private dining events.
It cruises along the Jupiter Intracoastal Waterway and offers guests a way to relax while having a bite.
- Food Yacht is basically your own private floating restaurant.
You come aboard, you get your entire boat to yourself, you get a great chef, you get a great view, and you get an amazing evening.
- [Burt] You can request food, but I prefer to leave it up to the chef's vision.
- The water, everyone's relaxed when you get on the water.
I don't know what it is, if it's psychological, but as soon as you step on the water, it just calms you down.
There's no traffic, there's no lines, there's no wait.
You've got your own music, you've got your own private, basically island that just floats you around and just gives you an amazing meal and an amazing experience.
The location's perfect.
One, we have the beautiful Jupiter Lighthouse.
150 years it's stood guard and welcomed sailors back.
You have the crystal-clear Bahama blue water.
You've got wildlife, you know, pelicans, manatees, spotted eagle rays.
It's dinner in motion.
Yeah, dinner is such a stationary activity.
You sit there, you know, and we decided to like, let's make dinner move.
The whole environment, the whole scene is changing constantly while you're moving around.
- My stepmother really has no excuse for her, uh, (clears throat) weak cooking.
These guys are cooking on a moving boat, and everything turns out perfectly.
(bright music) (lively music) My last stop on this rejuvenating journey was The Breakers.
I've filmed and stayed there a number of times.
The Breakers' architectural style resembles the grand Italian palaces of the Renaissance Revival era.
It has many amenities designed to help guests and overworked TV hosts relax and recharge.
(bright music) - Good morning.
- Good morning.
Nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.
Pleasure.
- Over the years, the guests who have come here have become accustomed to a certain series of amenities, and that includes me.
And I was about to undertake my favorite when my producer told me the bar didn't open till 5:00 PM, so I'm gonna spend the afternoon at the spa.
(bright music) (bright music continues) - When our guests come to The Breakers, it's about rejuvenation.
It's about reconnecting.
When you come to the spa, it's parallel.
It's the same thing.
So our guests come in because they want to spend time on themselves.
It's self-care, but also time together as a family, with friends.
And we have services that address all of that.
You can't help but notice when you come to the spa at The Breakers, as soon as you enter the door, you can hear the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks.
(waves crashing) So when we talk about our spa, we remind people of our sense of place, right?
We're right on the ocean.
We're a 20,000-square-foot spa.
We have indoor-outdoor experiences.
We have a beautiful private courtyard that our guests can use, sauna, steam room, and ice fountain experience.
We have two lounges and locker rooms and amazing coed space for guests to enjoy together.
When you come in for a massage at The Breakers, the temperature in the room, the oil, we use beautiful Shankar oils, there's an option of four different selections, the music, and the modalities are all customized.
And when it comes to modalities in our custom massage, our highly trained massage therapists are trained in performing Swedish, deep tissue, aromatherapy, sports, and reflexology.
So our guests can choose from any of those modalities within their massage.
- And my favorite, a gentle massage for television journalists who definitely need a break.
- Within the Guerlain facial, it's all about the Orchidee Imperiale.
So what is special about the Orchidee Imperiale is Guerlain has invested over 20 years of research just into orchids.
They are 30,000 species that they have studied, and the benefit of them, it's about the prolonged impact of the collagen life in the skin.
It slows down the signs of aging.
And you truly leave here feeling your skin is brilliant.
(gentle music) Spa Petite at The Breakers is for our petite spa guests.
It's exclusively that.
We honor our families that come in and bring their children in, and we have services in our salon that kids can enjoy.
We have an Ice Cream Manicure & Pedicure.
We have hair services where they can get hair tinsel or a specific Breakers Braid or a Breakers Bun.
And when they come in for their service, they also receive a voucher to enjoy an ice cream at Mary Lily's.
So when you come to The Breakers, you experience rejuvenation from a vacation standpoint, right?
So you're here with the intention to rest and relax.
And what better place than coming over to the spa at The Breakers?
And that's ultimately what our highly trained skilled team members want to do, is provide a service that is personalized, and they ask strategic questions from the start so that we can make sure that when our guests, when they travel here from all over the world, we want to meet their needs.
And when they leave here, we wanna make sure that our guest benefits are met.
(bright music) - Palm Beach is filled with endless ways to rejuvenate, for the mind, body, and soul.
There's always something here that will make you feel refreshed and renewed.
So until next time, keep working on your rejuvenation.
And as Humphrey Bogart would say, here's looking at you, kid.
For "Travels & Traditions," I'm Burt Wolf.
But wait, there's more.
For daily reels featuring interviews and stories filmed during "Travels & Traditions," visit @NicholasWolfTV on Instagram or @BurtNicholasWolfTV on YouTube.
(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - [Announcer] "Travels & Traditions" with Burt and Nicholas Wolf is is made possible by Goldbelly.
Shipping stone crabs, pizzas, birthday cakes and more from manny of Americas restaurants.
Anywhere Nationwide.
Goldbelly.com And by Swiss International Airlines.
Flying to over 100 worldwide locations.
Trully Swiss made.
Swiss International Airlines.
And by YP Foundation, helping those in need through education and improving life skills.
Guided by the principles of good deeds, charity, and public welfare, YP Foundation.
And by Five Star Travel, Inc.
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since 1985, Five Star Travel has been developing and delivering detailed itineraries for trips, cruises, and vacations to destinations around the world.
Five Star Travel, Inc.
(bright music)
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Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf & Nicholas Wolf is a local public television program presented by WKNO















