Richly rewarding

Author: By Ellen B. Klugman, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, November 16, 1997

Page: M13

Section: Travel

He built several fancy hotels and, in a pre-automobile era, a railroad to transport the likes of the Vanderbilts and Astors there.

Palm Beach has been a magnet for money ever since. According to James Jennings Sheeran, author of ``Palm Beach Facts & Fancies, Caprices & Curiosities,'' 87 percent of current residents have net worths of $1 million or more.

Of course that's pocket change for some Palm Beach residents like Metromedia owner John Kluge (at $7.8 billion, the seventh richest person in the United States, according to the most recent annual countdown of the Forbes 400, and Amway founder Richard DeVos (at $2.4 billion, ranked a humbling 57).

Money isn't everything, however, even in Palm Beach. Status is. And it's not easy to come by. Especially when your neighbors are folks with nationally known names like Pillsbury, du Pont, Firestone, Pulitzer, and Whitney. Pass the Grey Poupon, please.

Naturally, if you can't afford to live in Palm Beach (or neighboring Manalapan, at its southernmost tip, as multibillionaire DeVos does) you can always visit. The key, of course, is knowing where to go and then looking like you belong there, once you arrive. So grab your navy blue blazer and Docksiders (without socks) and follow me.

Palm Beach is 2 miles at its widest point and 14 miles long. As the easternmost part of Florida, it sits closer to the Bahamas (about 58 miles away) than to Miami (about 68). Lake Worth separates Palm Beach from Florida's mainland, and a series of bridges connects the two.

Palm Beach addresses currently include Donald Trump's pad, the former Marjorie Merriwether Post estate-cum-private-club called Mar-a-Lago (1100 S. Ocean Blvd.); ex-wife Ivana's home (102 Jungle Road); RC Cola king Nelson Peltz's Montsorrel, put on the market in 1994 for $75 million and still waiting to be sold (548 N. County Road); Ron Perelman's Casa Apava (1300 S. Ocean Blvd.); and the former Kennedy compound, called, La Guerida (on the beach at the crossroads of North Ocean and Monterey -- best approached by walking the beach northward).

Taking a bike ride along Lake Trail, located on the Intracoastal side of Palm Beach, is a great way to snoop. Flagler built Lake Trail in 1894 as a promenade for hotel guests and residents. Its 5-mile pedestrian walkway passes directly in front of estates bearing curiosities like Victorian tea houses and (in the case of one former foreign diplomat to Asia) a pagoda.

Lake Trail also features local landmarks like Flagler's first home, the Sea Gull Cottage (built in 1886), a huge kapok tree whose ribbonlike roots look as if they were manufactured in a taffy factory (8 South Lake Trail), and a white marble mansion called Whitehall, Flagler's wedding present to his third wife.

Whitehall, now the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, affords visitors a peek inside America's Gilded Age, from gold leaf ceilings to Flagler's own private railroad car (Cocoanut Row and Whitehall Way; phone 1-561-655-2833; $7 adult admission, $3 children ages 6-12; closed Mondays).

Bike rentals and maps are available from the Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop (223 Sunrise Ave.; 1-407-659-4583; $7 per hour). The Breakers, a 100-year-old Palm Beach institution built by Flagler's third wife, offers its guests guided bike tours for $20 per person. A better bargain for Breakers guests: free historical tours of this elaborate Italian-style seaside palazzo Wednesday afternoons (The Breakers, 1 South County Road; 1-800-833-3141).

Nearby Worth Avenue is the Palm Beach equivalent of Beverly Hills's Rodeo Drive -- but it wasn't always so. When sewing machine heir Paris Singer and his amateur architect friend, Addison Mizner, first arrived in 1918, Worth Avenue was a dirt road in the middle of a swamp. Singer and Mizner tried to open a World War I veterans' rehabilitation center there but couldn't get anyone to come. In desperation, they turned the building into a private social club called the Everglades. The Everglades became terribly successful and terribly elitist, a reputation that hasn't diminished with time.

The smell of money emanating from the Everglades attracted merchants hoping to profit from setting up shop nearby. Today, Worth Avenue finds Tiffany & Co. sitting side by side with Hermes, which shares a common wall with Louis Vuitton, which sits right next door to Van Cleef & Arpel.

Worth Avenue's real cachet, however, stems from its eight European-flavored ``vias'' (intimate alleyways and courtyards overflowing with bougainvillea, an occasional fountain, surprise sculptures, and bits of handpainted Spanish tile).

When you're done browsing Worth Avenue, you may want to visit the newly reopened Norton Museum of Art, whose prestigious permanent collection features an outstanding collection of French Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces. In January, the Norton completed the first phase of a $23 million expansion, including nine new or newly reconfigured galleries (1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; 1-561-832-5194; hours vary; adult admission).

Of course, even rich people eat. When it comes to dining, Ta-boo is the place to see and be seen in Palm Beach (221 Worth Ave.; 1-561-835-3500; reservations strongly recommended). Bring along a copy of Town & County (or the local newspaper) so you can keep track of who's who. Dinner entrees at Ta-boo range from $6.95 for a 6-inch pizza to $24.95 for a veal chop and arugula.

Chuck & Harold's (Sunset Via, Royal Poinciana Way; 1-561-659-1440) offers decent food, a retractable roof, a live combo, and a small dance floor at prices similar to Ta-boo's.

The Restaurant (that's its name) at The Four Seasons Resort boasts a five-diamond rating thanks to signature dishes like chef Hubert Des Marais' yellowtail snapper with watermelon relish, lemon thyme, and tangelo sauce. Trust me: It isn't remotely as sweet (or repugnant) as it sounds. Dinner entrees at The Restaurant range from $26-$34 (2800 S. Ocean Blvd.; 1-561-432-2335; reservations strongly recommended).

For the cheapest eats in all of Palm Beach, head for the Publix Market (265 Sunset Ave.; 1-561-655-4120), where thick tuna sandwiches go for $1.95.

On the other hand, if atmosphere is what you're looking for, The Breakers wins hands down. Its Circle Dining Room (generally breakfast only) looks like a setting for a 19th-century ball, while the Florentine Dining Room resembles the Great Hall in a castle.

Go there during Palm Beach's charity ball season, and you're likely to see women in diamond-studded tiaras sporting gowns costing more than some folks' annual salaries. After all, dahling, seeing -- and being seen -- is what Palm Beach is all about.

Palm Beach hotel rates drop in direct proportion to the rise in temperature. On the other hand, November and early December often offer dual benefits of warm weather and low rates. Expect to pay a premium mid-December through Easter.

Palm Beach County is currently the only continental US destination with three AAA Five Diamond Resorts. They are:

The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach (2800 S. Ocean Blvd.; call 1-800-432-2335). It's the only oceanfront Four Seasons in the continental United States, and is airy, light, and elegant without being intimidating. In season, the Kids Club activities program, parking, and the fitness center are complimentary. Elaborate facials and other spa services cost extra.

The Ritz-Carlton (100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan; 1-800-241-3333). This oceanfront hotel features traditional furnishings a la Ritz Carlton. nd it's chock-full of 17th- through 19th-century art (including a Gainsborough). The hotel is more formal than The Four Seasons Ocean Grand, and has spectacular, friendly service.

The Breakers (1 S. County Road; 1-800-833-3141). This Palm Beach institution is the closest most Americans will ever come to staying in a seaside Italian palazzo. A $75-million dollar spruce-up designed to coincide with the resort's 100th birthday now has The Breakers looking better than it has in decades. Free historical tours are given every Wednesday.

Smaller hotels adjacent to Worth Avenue include the recently redecorated European-style Brazilian Court (301 Austrian Way; 1-800-552-0335) and the ``veddy British'' Chesterfield Hotel (363 Cocoanut Row; 1-800-CHESTER-1), whose freshly redone rooms feature English Country decor.