When your vacation dreams feature a highlight reel of swaying palm trees at an oceanfront resort where your days are filled with relaxation or go-go-go, your every wish is someone's command, and you don't want to be too far from home, you could be dreaming of The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

This historic resort sits on 140 acres of oceanfront property and has two championship 18-hole golf courses, ten Har-Tru tennis courts, a spa, age-appropriate activities for children, fine dining, water sports, swimming pools, and the entire Atlantic Ocean stretching out before you.

Perhaps you saw "The Heartbreakers" with Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Bancroft and Gene Hackman. Some of that movie was shot at The Breakers. Or, you've heard about this resort where Matt Lauer, Hugh Grant, Leann Rimes, Renee Russo and Susan Lucci have stayed and maybe you'd like to do a little discreet star-gazing. Yep, The Breakers.

Known for its casual sophistication and Old World charm, the grand dame of formality has enjoyed a huge physical (multi-millions of dollars) and attitude rehab in the past five years. Now, along with impeccable service and the other accoutrements of a 5-diamond and 4-star resort, there's an extraordinary effort to welcome and accommodate families.

This extends from children 16 and under staying free in their parents' rooms to baby-proofing your room to the Coconut Crew Interactive Camp for you and your children to the availability to take golf or snorkel lessons.

Rockzana and Sabrina Flores, seventh- and sixth-grade students at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School in Rockville, spent some time at The Breakers this summer during a visit with their 104-year-old great grandmother who lives in the Palm Beach area.

Sabrina's reaction when walking into the lobby was a resounding "wow," and the thrills and pleasures never stopped. The girls were particularly impressed with the 250-gallon salt-water aquarium that provides the structure of the bar in the Seafood Bar restaurant (specializing in, natch, 10-15 fresh seafood and shellfish offerings daily and tropical drinks and specialty martinis).

The infinity-edge luxury relaxation pool (a quiet zone with no cell phones, no loud conversations, no boisterous activities or horse-playing) appealed to Rockzana's chill-out mood. There's a nearby changing room with lockers (you set your own combination) that has toiletries and hair-dryers.

The girls also enjoyed personalized snorkel lessons, with a guided tour of the local fish as they snorkeled out to The Breakers' sunken pier. While their mother, Jazz, enjoyed a luxurious massage in the 20,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor spa, the girls entertained themselves in the arcade (quarters needed).

One regret the girls had was the lack of time to play either of the golf courses owned by The Breakers. The par-70 Ocean Course, the state's oldest 18-hole course, is on site. Complimentary transportation is provided to The Breakers Rees Jones Course 11 miles away. The John Webster Golf Academy opened in January and offers private or group lessons, custom club-fitting and other specialized golf services.

Among the other activities guests can enjoy are rental boats, scuba lessons, kayaking through the mangroves, bonfires on the beach (Friday nights during the winter months), hayrides, drive-in movies on the golf course in golf carts and dive-in movies in the pool, yoga, floor hockey, dodge ball, hopscotch, taking a history tour of the resort, basketball, or having fun in the family pool with zero-depth entry. Some activities are seasonal and some have a charge, meaning you're not paying for activities and services you don't use.

Shop smart

By now you may be drooling and thinking The Breakers is way beyond your price point, but by checking their Web site (www.thebreakers.com, where you can sign up for specials) and being careful about when you visit, you can stay for way less than you'd imagine. A summer special, "Stay Longer and Save" program that's been extended to the end of November offers savings that may inspire you to upgrade your room or extend your visit with savings of up to 23 percent on visits of five or more nights. Look to the time period between Thanksgiving and the middle of December, or even the first two weeks of January, notoriously slow times for resorts.

Unless you're planning a romantic getaway for two, do you need an ocean-front room or will a lower room type be sufficient? When you check in, you can always ask what other category rooms are available and perhaps be upgraded without a charge. With 560 rooms and 57 suites, there's a chance that could happen, unless there's a large conference scheduled. With enough notice, families can book up to five adjacent rooms (your version of the Kennedy or Bush compound).

Some activities' fees vary by time of day or what might seem like a whim. For example, greens fees will set you back more than $200 in the morning, but at the Ocean Course a family golf rate is $50 per adult when accompanied by at least one child between the ages of 5 and 16 (the child doesn't even have to be yours), with golf clubs and adult shoe rental thrown in for good measure. Or, you can enjoy unlimited play after 4 p.m. at either course for $45.

One great advantage to a Palm Beach vacation is the number of nonstop flights on Southwest Airlines from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport into West Palm Beach International and Fort Lauderdale International airports. The Palm Beach airport is much closer to the resort, but there are more flights into Fort Lauderdale and the prices may be less expensive.

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