Delray is famous on land, but the version visitors miss is Delray from the water. Here's how to pair a boutique hotel, great dining, and a private charter.
Delray Beach earns its "most fun small town" reputation on land — Atlantic Avenue, the galleries, the restaurants — but the version most visitors never see is Delray from the water. Between freshwater Lake Ida and the Intracoastal Waterway cutting right through downtown, this is one of the best places in Palm Beach County to combine a boutique hotel, a great meal, and a private charter into one perfect day. Here's how to do it.
Delray's hotels are boutique and walkable — you're never far from the Avenue or the beach.
For a polished, resort-style stay, The Seagate pairs a downtown hotel with a private beach club, so you can split your time between the sand, the pool, and the water. It's the upscale pick for couples and small groups who want service and space to spread out.
Design-forward and right in the Pineapple Grove arts district, The Ray Hotel is walkable to everything on Atlantic Avenue and has one of the better rooftop scenes in town. It's the move for a stylish weekend where the hotel is part of the experience, not just a place to sleep.
Delray gives you two very different waters, and we run both. Lake Ida is a calm, protected freshwater lake — the local go-to for learning to wakesurf or wakeboard and for easy tubing with the family. The Intracoastal, running right through downtown, is the scenic route for a sunset cruise past waterfront homes with a good chance of spotting manatees or dolphins.
On a captained trip you don't need experience or your own boat. See the full lineup on our charter experiences and lessons page — a two-hour wakesurf session, a sunset cruise, or a full day out on the water.
This is where Delray closes the deal. Step off the water and you're minutes from Atlantic Avenue, one of South Florida's best restaurant strips — everything from raw bars and Italian to rooftop cocktails, all walkable from the boutique hotels above. For current openings and where the locals are eating, The Palm Beaches tourism guide is a good place to start before you arrive.
Here's a Delray day that's hard to beat:
Pack it into one day or spread it across a weekend — either way, the boat is the part everyone remembers.
Plenty of Delray residents keep a wake boat on the chain of lakes. If that's you, we do more than charters — you can get a free valuation, sell, consign, trade, or service your wake boat with us, any brand.
Give us your dates and your crew, and we'll build the on-water part of your Delray weekend. Call or text (561) 475-8615, or reserve your charter online.
Yes. Lake Ida is a calm, protected freshwater lake and one of the best spots in Delray for wakesurfing, wakeboarding, and tubing behind a modern inboard. It's beginner-friendly and we run captained trips there.
Lake Ida is calm freshwater that's ideal for wake sports and lessons. The Intracoastal runs through downtown Delray and is the scenic cruising route — great for a sunset trip past waterfront homes with a chance to spot manatees or dolphins.
The Ray Hotel sits in the Pineapple Grove arts district and is walkable to all of Atlantic Avenue. The Seagate is a more resort-style option with its own private beach club. Both are a short drive from our launch.
Easily. A common Delray day is a morning wakesurf on Lake Ida, a sunset Intracoastal cruise, then dinner on Atlantic Avenue — all within minutes of each other.