Delray Beach: South Floridas emerging it town

The next time you reach for your sweater, just think: In about the time it takes to see Divergent, you can be in Delray Beach, strolling Atlantic Avenue in your shorts.

Midway between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, this charming Florida beach town is easily accessible from either airport. For New Yorkers used to getting around without driving, its particularly convenient; it centers around one long activity-filled strip, Atlantic Avenue. If you are wearing your favorite Louboutins or just feel like taking it easy, free shuttle services run along the avenue day and night.

The town has changed dramatically in the last five years. It used to house a handful of dining options and mom-and-pop stores, but it has morphed into a vibrant area with over 80 restaurants and stylish shops. Since my last visit a year ago, lots of new places have popped up, and the overriding theme is fun. Two giant candy emporiums and a cupcake shop opened within a block of each other. And where there were once grungy meathead gyms, there are now upscale workout facilities including PrCycle, where I spotted Sofia Vergara.

The renovated Delray Beach Marriott has a chic Mediterranean vibe.Photo: CJ Walker Photography

The demographic here has become much younger and more affluent, says Burt Rapoport, who owns three Delray restaurants, including the waterfront dining spot Deck 84.

You can also taste creative Asian fare at Buddha Sky Bar, a prime slider on a truffled pretzel roll at Salt 7 or Italian at Vic & Angelos. At the new Greek spot Taverna Opa, staff and guests dance on the tables.

Palm Beach and Boca Raton may be quiet by 10 p.m., but in Delray restaurants stay open until 2 a.m. And dining can be a bargain; Florida is the home of the early bird special, after all. In Delray, that concept translates to happy hours like the one at Union, with lobster tacos and sushi rolls for half price, and three drinks with vodka gummy bears for the price of one. (When we said we could only handle two, they gave us tickets to come back later for the third round.)

The towns anchor has long been the Delray Beach Marriott (from $129), across from the ocean. It has always offered more than its name might suggest: Mediterranean dcor, a spa lit by chandeliers and a Clefs dOr concierge who knows more about the town than the mayor. This year the hotel rose to another level, thanks to high-end duplex villas with bathrooms bigger than most New York apartments. It also added 50 Ocean an upscale restaurant with an outdoor terrace and picture windows overlooking the water and Sandbar, an adults-only tiki bar that draws a late-night crowd.

Among other hotel options are Cranes Beach House, which has a low-key vibe that feels like Key West, and the chic Seagate Spa and Resort. Seagate has its own beach club, renovated golf club, lap pool and the Atlantic Grille restaurant, where exotic fish tanks bring you nose to nose with sharks and moon jellyfish.

South Florida has become a major player on the art scene, and Delray has an emerging district, Pineapple Grove, with galleries and Arts Garage, a cabaret-style theater that hosts plays, music and performance art.

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Delray Beach: South Floridas emerging it town