From June 21st-23rd, I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual Pink Retreat in Palm Beach, Florida! This long-awaited 3 day event full of wonderful new friends & lots of Lilly Pulitzer did not disappoint! Whether you partied with us in Palm Beach or are hoping to attend next year; this post is for you! Let’s recap the memorable weekend & answer all your Pink Retreat questions!
Day 1: On Friday, my BFF and I flew into Palm Beach International airport early in the morning! We took a 10 minute Uber ride to The Colony Hotel where we were staying, and the home to most of the retreat activities! After checking in & dropping our bags off in the room, we walked about 5 minutes down Worth Avenue to the Lilly Pulitzer flagship store! Registration took place at the juice bar inside the store, where we received our name-tags & “swag bags” courtesy of Lilly Pulitzer & a few other shops! The store was buzzing with excitement as ladies from all over poured in to grab a drink & shop the new Summer Remix collection! We waited in long lines for the fitting rooms & to check out, but no one minded a bit because we were all getting to know each other and having a blast!
Later that evening, Lilly Pulitzer hosted a Happy Hour event (which was really about 3 hours long!) around the pool & solarium area at The Colony Hotel! This was my favorite event of the weekend! Everyone was dressed to the nines in their most favorite Lilly pieces, some even in gorgeous vintage Lilly! The area was decorated with Lilly Pulitzer table runners, throw pillows, and poufs! Our gracious sponsors also gave away 2 tickets to Beach Bash & a custom shift dress courtesy of Lilly Pulitzer! We had the best time meeting our online friends in person, taking endless Instagram-worthy photo’s & clinking champagne to our new found Lilly Family! I also had the honor of meeting Michelle Kelly, the CEO of Lilly Pulitzer! We snapped a photo together & chatted about when I used to work for the company; she was absolutely lovely! Lilly Leas Ferreira, Lilly Pulitzer’s granddaughter, also joined in on the fun! It was truly a magical evening!
Day 2: On Saturday morning, we could participate in pool-side yoga at The Colony Hotel bright & early wearing our Lilly luxletic, of course! Later in the morning, we met our guide, Rick Rose, at the Lilly Pulitzer store where we would begin a 1.5 hour tour of Worth Ave! Rick is so incredibly knowledgeable and shared tons of information about the high society social lives of Palm Beach’s residents both past & present! He spoke with us about the beautiful architecture throughout the town, and how Palm Beach became the high profile destination it is today! Rick also took us on a journey through fashion history on Worth Ave, all while wearing a custom-made printed Lilly Pulitzer suit jacket! The tour concluded back at the Lilly Pulitzer store where you could pick up a copy of his book & have him autograph it as well! He was such a delight & so fun to talk with! I highly recommend his walking tour!
After, we grabbed some Starbucks & went inside to cool off for a bit! We changed into our swimsuits & headed to the pool at The Colony Hotel! (I highly recommend staying at this hotel for a number of reasons I’ll chat about below in the “Tips” section!) As soon as we walked out to the pool we were greeted by lots of Lilly ladies who were also out to soak up some sun! We spent the whole afternoon lounging & sunning in the pool together! This is truly where we all made the best connections; just hanging out and enjoying drinks together in the pool! We talked for hours about prints, our favorite pieces & ALL things Lilly!
Later that evening, we headed to Uptown Art where we created our own step-by-step Lilly print inspired paintings! The painting was inspired by the recent release called “Floradita” which features LOTS of flamingos with bright green & mint backgrounds! Everyone’s painting came out totally original; you can see mine below! Throughout the paint night, over 20 Lilly items were raffled off courtesy of Fairy Godmother Travel, as well as hors d’oeuvres & sips from the mini bar selection!
Saturday evening was left open for “Girls Night Out” which could be whatever you wanted! We grabbed our “swag bags” from “Prep Obsessed” at the hotel, which included flamingo Tervis’s and more fun preppy goodies, and then headed out on the town! Some ladies opted for a pool party, while others went downtown for tacos & dancing! It was a great time to just relax and let loose with your Lilly girls! We had an absolute blast & made so many new friends this evening!
Day 3: The morning of our last day kicked off with an informal farewell breakfast where we snuck in a few goodbye hugs and grabbed light food to go! We also had the opportunity to attend a Print Inspiration Tour with 2 Lilly ladies who design pieces & hand-paint the beautiful prints! While some ladies headed home early, we were there for the entire day Sunday! (Some ladies even stayed an extra day or 2!) So we decided it was the perfect day to explore the world renown Palm Beach resort, The Breakers. You cannot believe how incredibly huge & gorgeous this private club & resort is! The photos are beautiful but don’t do it justice! Visitors can walk the grounds, walk on the beach, dine in the restaurants & shop in the several signature stores they have on site; these include Lilly Pulitzer, Ralph Lauren, and more! We decided to check out the Seafood Bar which featured an aquarium bar top & picturesque views of boats bobbing up & down in the bright blue water. Food & drink at The Breakers are definitely top dollar, but in my opinion, you have to do it all at least once to get the full experience! It was such fun to feel like a socialite for the afternoon!
After our afternoon at The Breakers, we picked up our luggage and headed to the airport to catch our flight home! To our delight, there were 4-5 other Pink Retreat ladies on our flight! We all sat together & kept the party going all the way home!
If you’re considering attending next year, take my advice and do it! The Pink Retreat is so much more than shopping; you truly cannot believe the level of sisterhood vibes that you will come home with! I will be forever grateful to Lilly Pulitzer & to our fearless leader Tosha Davis Williams for bringing us all together & giving us friendships that are sure to last a lifetime!
See you all in 2020!
My Tips for Attending The Pink Retreat:
- Stay at The Colony Hotel, especially if you are traveling alone. Most ladies stay here, and the majority of the events will take place here as well! It’s super easy to meet new Lilly friends just by hanging in the lobby or around the pool!
- Take a bottle of water on the Worth Avenue walking tour! I didn’t and I super regretted it! Stay hydrated all weekend, the heat and humidity are killer!
- Shop at the Worth Avenue store on Day 1, early! There are SO many ladies that attend the retreat; if you’re looking for something specific SHOP EARLY! A lot of newer items were sold out in store pretty quickly!
- Starbucks can be tricky to find, but its super close by! It’s located directly behind The Colony in the shady pass-through by the Gucci store!
- Utilize the included transportation services that The Colony offers its guests! The golf cart will take you anywhere within 3 miles of the hotel, and the Escalade can take you anywhere further! (There may be an extra fee if your destination is especially far from the hotel.) Just ask one of the valets for assistance!
XO, Kara
Great tips! I hope to use them next year.
Hi! I’m So jealous of everyone that got to attend the pink retreat and would really love to go next year! Can you give me an idea of how much the hotel was as well as any additional fees for events you attended? I will be driving so airfare isn’t necessary. Thank you!
The hotel was about $250 per night with the group rate! The additional events were $10-$20 each! The paint night is all different prices depending which program you do! I did the paint a Lilly print bigger class & that was about $40! All the additional events are totally optional! The Happy Hour and shopping events are free! 🙂
I’m booked at the Colony and flights booked today. This is a bucket list of mine so I’m over the moon excited. Thanks for your fabulous blog.
YAY! I’m so excited for you!! Let the countdown begin!