Arriving at the residence

01The airports, the train and the road

For most guests the trip ends at Palm Beach International, about fifteen minutes and fifteen miles from the residence. It is a mid-sized airport served by the major carriers, with rideshare pickup clearly signed and a shuttle to the rental-car center every twenty to thirty minutes. Fort Lauderdale is about an hour south and Miami about ninety minutes, and both sometimes have the better fare or the international route; both also connect to the Brightline, which runs to a downtown West Palm Beach station about twenty minutes from the island.

Which way in

• Fly to Palm Beach International and take a rideshare, a pre-booked car or a rental. For a stay of three nights or fewer, this is the answer.
• Ride the Brightline from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton or Orlando, then a short rideshare from West Palm Beach across to the island.
• Drive down Interstate 95 or Florida's Turnpike. The Turnpike and many toll points use SunPass, so check your transponder or your pay-by-plate options before you leave.

The getting here guide weighs the three, and the Brightline guide has the train's timings and classes.

02The bridge onto the island

From the airport you head north and then toward the coast, past the marinas and the Intracoastal Waterway, and cross onto the barrier island by bridge. The Blue Heron Bridge is the causeway that ties Singer Island to the mainland at Riviera Beach, and the crossing is the moment the trip changes: the horizon opens, the water is on both sides, and the address is a few minutes further along the island's one main road.

A rideshare driver makes this run constantly. If you are driving yourself, point the navigation at the residence rather than the resort's main drive, because you are heading for the residential lobby of the Happiness Tower, not the hotel entrance.

The approach

• Arrive in daylight if you can. The bridge is prettier by day, and it leaves the evening for settling in.
• The beach is kept dark at night from March into October. Sea turtles nest on this coast, and the low lighting near the sand is deliberate, not a sign that anything is closed.

03Valet at the residential lobby

Pull up at the Happiness Tower residential lobby, the eastern tower, and hand the car to the valet. The building is valet only, and parking is paid and run by the building rather than the host, who cannot waive it. The valet stand is steps from the guest elevator, and there are carts for luggage and groceries, so the walk from car to elevator is short even with a week's bags.

Guests arriving by taxi or rideshare check in at the same lobby; there is no separate entrance to find. If you are driving an electric car, the building has a level-2 charger with a Tesla connector, and other makes need their own adapter.

Before you get out of the car

• Leave groceries and cold items for the cart rather than a second trip; the valet turnaround is quick.
• Ask about the monthly arrangement for a stay of a month or more, rather than paying night by night.
• Keep the car keys with the valet; the trunk is not a place to store gear between outings.

04ID, registration and the elevator fob

Amrit is a resort and residential building with its own arrival process alongside Airbnb's, and it takes a few minutes at the desk. The registration form from Amrit is sent before you arrive, so fill it in ahead of the drive. At the lobby, expect the following.

1. A government-issued ID for the guest who booked. Guests must be 25 or older to book.
2. The completed registration form, if it has not already gone back.
3. Possibly a card or cash deposit for incidentals, held by the building.
4. The elevator fob, which the building issues and charges for if it is lost. The listing is firm about lost ones, so it lives with the door code, not loose in a beach bag.

The elevator is at least 52 inches deep with a 32-inch doorway, which suits a wheelchair, a stroller or a luggage cart. Press twelve. None of this is unusual for a residence inside a resort, and knowing it before the drive turns a thirty-minute arrival into a ten-minute one. The how to book page has the same steps in order.

05The smart lock and the door

The residence uses self check-in with a smart lock, so there is no front desk for the home itself. The code and the directions to the residential lobby come through Airbnb's messaging before the day, which keeps a record for both sides. Check-in runs from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Checkout is by 10:00 AM.

The timing rules

• Early check-in is not available from December through April, when turnovers run back to back. In other months, ask the host through Airbnb and they will say what the cleaning allows.
• Same-day bookings are accepted until 7:00 PM and at least four hours before check-in.
• Late checkout works the same way as early check-in: ask, and it depends on the next arrival.
• Luggage after checkout has no standing answer; ask the host, because it depends on the building and the next guest.

Open the door with the code and the balcony is straight ahead, through the living room and the glass. A Ring doorbell camera covers the front door; there are no cameras inside.

06The first hour

Most guests do the same thing first: slide the balcony doors open and stand there. The balcony runs the full width of the home and faces east, so a late-afternoon arrival gets the evening color on the water and the coastline, and the next morning gets the sunrise. After that, the first hour sorts itself out.

• Coffee. The kitchen has a built-in Miele coffee machine, a drip coffee maker and coffee, so the first cup needs no shopping.
• Groceries. Publix and Whole Foods are a short drive away, and grocery delivery reaches the residence. Time a delivery for after you are in, note the tower, the floor and a phone number in the app, and let the front desk know it is coming. The groceries guide has a first-morning list.
• The beach. Chairs, towels and an umbrella are part of the stay; the attendants set them up, and food and drinks come to your chair.
• The spa. An arrival soak in the hydrothermal circuit is an elevator ride down, booked with the resort.

07Dinner on the first night

Keep the first night loose. After a travel day nobody wants a reservation across the bridge, and the residence makes the easy versions easier.

• Stay in. A grocery order can include a rotisserie chicken, a bagged salad, bread and a bottle of wine, and the dining table seats eight under the chandelier with the ocean at eye level.
• Go downstairs. The resort's four restaurants are in the building, paid separately, and one of them is plant-forward.
• Walk or ride a few minutes. Casual seafood on the island is close: Johnny Longboats on the municipal beach and the restaurant at Sailfish Marina are both easy first-night tables. The island restaurants guide has the rest.

Then the balcony again, and an early night. The dressier evenings in Palm Beach, about twenty minutes south, keep until you have had a morning on the sand. The planning pages take it from there.