I spent the day around Mar-a-Lago. See the exclusive enclave where Trump is retreating, complete with billionaire neighbors, ornate mansions, and Floridian Ferraris.

Taylor BordenJan 20, 2021, 16:55 IST

A look inside the main gate of President Donald Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago, where he is moving on Wednesday after leaving the White House.Taylor Borden/Insider

Trump will retreat to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, after he leaves the White House Wednesday.
The exclusive private club served as a gilded getaway for the First Family throughout his presidency.
We visited the famed property and its neighborhood, known to locals as Billionaires Row, to see what it's like on the ground.

Flight paths have been scheduled, moving trucks have been spotted, and schools have been scouted.

The Trumps' Floridian digs have even gotten a facelift.

President Donald Trump is vacating the White House in Washington DC and is expected to move to Mar-a-Lago, a ritzy enclave that has been dubbed "the winter White House" - at least for the last four years.

Trump's private club and resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has served as the First Family's gilded getaway throughout his presidency. But now he's moving in.

I spent one day in the area in early January and found the sunny locale to be replete with multimillion-dollar mansions adjacent to high-end shopping and gourmet restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred chefs. Not to mention countless sports car sightings and miles of private beaches.

Trump bought the 17-acre Mar-a-Lago property for $8 million in 1985 and has since grown the Atlantic Ocean-facing compound into an opulent playground, with membership costing $200,000 (a sum that doesn't include additional annual fees and minimum spends on dining). He switched his primary residence from New York to Florida in 2019. From billing the US government over $35,000 for hosting the prime minister of Japan to hosting a maskless New Year's Eve party this year, Mar-a-Lago has made a number of headlines over his presidential term.

Palm Beach seems like the perfect home base for a high-powered official or socialite, especially given that Wall Street hedge funds and their titans are also decamping to the area. Some neighbors aren't thrilled at the prospect; a few have even taken legal action to try to force him to live elsewhere.

Here's a look at the property and immediate surrounding area, known to locals as Billionaires Row.

Mar-a-Lago sits on a narrow sliver of Florida's eastern coast, flanked by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction sites and low-cost establishments that I drove by just five minutes away from the property make the club's grandeur seem like a surprise.

The bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway leading to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, seen in the distance behind construction and cranes. Taylor Borden/Insider

Mar-a-Lago sits on a narrow sliver of Florida's eastern coast, flanked by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction sites and low-cost establishments that I drove by just five minutes away from the property make the club's grandeur seem like a surprise.

Once over the bridge, I sidled alongside Mar-a-Lago's southern edge. The resort was largely hidden by hedges. A security tower peeking out from the property made me wonder how elaborate security at the front gate would look.

A security tower inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. Taylor Borden/Insider

Once over the bridge, I sidled alongside Mar-a-Lago's southern edge. The resort was largely hidden by hedges. A security tower peeking out from the property made me wonder how elaborate security at the front gate would look.

Even with the hedges, Mar-a-Lago's main building is completely visible from the street. It was the first glimpse I got of the resort's opulence.

A view of Mar-a-Lago from the street. Taylor Borden/Insider

Typically, only members can go beyond the main gate. But the day I went, there seemed to be minimal security.

Mar-a-Lago's main entrance gate. Taylor Borden/Insider

There was a car valet under a portico just beyond the main gate. I spied a red Ferrari parked out front.

The view from Mar-a-Lago's grand entrance. Taylor Borden/Insider

Mar-a-Lago's grounds are sprawling. Members have access to the club's pools, beaches, dining halls, private rooms, tennis courts, croquet lawns, and more.

An aerial view of Mar-a-Lago. Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock

The inside of the club is known to be ornate. It features decor and design reminiscent of European palaces, including high ceilings and plenty of gold plating.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump make phone calls from inside Mar-a-Lago during the Christmas holidays in 2017. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Trump's Mar-a-Lago club looks perfectly at home on South Ocean Boulevard, a stretch of Florida's famous State Road A1A, which features a number of luxurious multimillion-dollar mansions.

A1A road signs seen near Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Taylor Borden/Insider

Trump's Mar-a-Lago club looks perfectly at home on South Ocean Boulevard, a stretch of Florida's famous State Road A1A, which features a number of luxurious multimillion-dollar mansions.

The houses neighboring Mar-a-Lago are historic and stately - and inhabited, more often than not, by the rich and powerful. The area is known as "Billionaires Row" to locals.

A home along Palm Beach's Billionaires Row that sold for $16 million in 2013. Taylor Borden/Insider

The houses neighboring Mar-a-Lago are historic and stately - and inhabited, more often than not, by the rich and powerful. The area is known as "Billionaires Row" to locals.

Some homes are set farther back on their lots, hidden behind both hedges and fences. This mansion belongs to billionaire Bill Koch.

Billionaire Bill Koch's property. Taylor Borden/Insider

Billionaires Row homes aren't complete without private beaches, with signage to deter uninvited guests.

A wall separating the public street from Billionaires Row homes' private beaches. Taylor Borden/Insider

Signaling how precious unobstructed ocean views are to Billionaires Row residents, Koch contested the design plans of a beach house that he thought was too close to his property in 2019.

Koch's beach view. Taylor Borden/Insider

Signaling how precious unobstructed ocean views are to Billionaires Row residents, Koch contested the design plans of a beach house that he thought was too close to his property in 2019.

While many of the mansions in the area are historic, the Palm Beach Architectural Commission has approved new builds in recent years.

The new home pictured above is being built in a neoclassical style that fits in with its luxe surroundings. Taylor Borden/Insider

The owner of another new build under construction along Billionaires Row near Mar-a-Lago started with an empty lot that they purchased in 2018 for $12 million.

The home pictured above is being built on a lot that sold for $12 million in 2018. Taylor Borden/Insider

After checking out the houses on Billionaires Row along South Ocean Boulevard, I kept driving north to Palm Beach's public stretch of sand.

A view of a public beach in Palm Beach. Taylor Borden/Insider

Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, downtown Palm Beach's restaurants were bustling. The cluster is about three miles north of Mar-a-Lago, or a 7-minute drive.

La Goulue is a recently opened restaurant in downtown Palm Beach. Like Trump, it is also a New York transplant. Taylor Borden/Insider

Two blocks over, there's even more fine dining.

A shot of the Brazilian Court Hotel, where Daniel Boulud has a restaurant. Taylor Borden/Insider

Beyond coveted dinner reservations, the area also has high-end shopping aimed at its deep-pocked residents.

Palm Beach's Worth Avenue. Taylor Borden/Insider

After spending the day in the Palm Beach area surrounding Mar-a-Lago, checking out flashy cars and massive estates, I thought that the posh neighborhood seemed like the perfect playground for socialites and multimillionaires.

A Bentley parked in front of shops on Worth Avenue. Taylor Borden/Insider

After spending the day in the Palm Beach area surrounding Mar-a-Lago, checking out flashy cars and massive estates, I thought that the posh neighborhood seemed like the perfect playground for socialites and multimillionaires.

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I spent the day around Mar-a-Lago. See the exclusive enclave where Trump is retreating, complete with billionaire neighbors, ornate mansions, and Floridian Ferraris.

Mar-a-Lago sits on a narrow sliver of Florida's eastern coast, flanked by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction sites and low-cost establishments that I drove by just five minutes away from the property make the club's grandeur seem like a surprise.

Once over the bridge, I sidled alongside Mar-a-Lago's southern edge. The resort was largely hidden by hedges. A security tower peeking out from the property made me wonder how elaborate security at the front gate would look.

Even with the hedges, Mar-a-Lago's main building is completely visible from the street. It was the first glimpse I got of the resort's opulence.

Typically, only members can go beyond the main gate. But the day I went, there seemed to be minimal security.

There was a car valet under a portico just beyond the main gate. I spied a red Ferrari parked out front.

Mar-a-Lago's grounds are sprawling. Members have access to the club's pools, beaches, dining halls, private rooms, tennis courts, croquet lawns, and more.

The inside of the club is known to be ornate. It features decor and design reminiscent of European palaces, including high ceilings and plenty of gold plating.

Trump's Mar-a-Lago club looks perfectly at home on South Ocean Boulevard, a stretch of Florida's famous State Road A1A, which features a number of luxurious multimillion-dollar mansions.

The houses neighboring Mar-a-Lago are historic and stately - and inhabited, more often than not, by the rich and powerful. The area is known as "Billionaires Row" to locals.

Some homes are set farther back on their lots, hidden behind both hedges and fences. This mansion belongs to billionaire Bill Koch.

Billionaires Row homes aren't complete without private beaches, with signage to deter uninvited guests.

Signaling how precious unobstructed ocean views are to Billionaires Row residents, Koch contested the design plans of a beach house that he thought was too close to his property in 2019.

While many of the mansions in the area are historic, the Palm Beach Architectural Commission has approved new builds in recent years.

The owner of another new build under construction along Billionaires Row near Mar-a-Lago started with an empty lot that they purchased in 2018 for $12 million.

After checking out the houses on Billionaires Row along South Ocean Boulevard, I kept driving north to Palm Beach's public stretch of sand.

Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, downtown Palm Beach's restaurants were bustling. The cluster is about three miles north of Mar-a-Lago, or a 7-minute drive.

Two blocks over, there's even more fine dining.

Beyond coveted dinner reservations, the area also has high-end shopping aimed at its deep-pocked residents.

After spending the day in the Palm Beach area surrounding Mar-a-Lago, checking out flashy cars and massive estates, I thought that the posh neighborhood seemed like the perfect playground for socialites and multimillionaires.