Photos courtesy Boca Raton Resort & Club

Again, it begins: snow, sleet and black ice. Like a migrating bird, I answer the call of the south: white sand, blue sea and stone crab, snorkelling, scuba diving, sipping tropical drinks in oceanfront cabanas, teeing off at sunrise, exploring eco-tour sites by hiking, cycling and camping from the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean.

On arrival, I notice all the tanned Canadians reluctantly boarding their flights home. They've come from Singer Island, Boca Raton, Palm Beach, the City of Golf, Fisher Island and West Palm Beach, which isn't really west at all. There are more than 16,000 guest rooms in this part of Florida, at more than 200 hotels -- from affordable inns and B&Bs to accommodations luxurious beyond our imaginations.

The largest contingent of tourists come from Canada. At every turn, I run into people from Toronto.

Set on a residential street, The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach looks like a gorgeous private plantation with lush foliage and low slung yellow pastel buildings. The annual meeting of an international arts foundation is in progress -- many of the members are from Toronto.

The bellman leads me to my room through the heart of the property, a beautifully landscaped, fountained courtyard garden and past the terrace of the exciting new Cafe Boulud, opened by award-winning New York chef Daniel Boulud.

On the lunch menu is the DB burger that started all the fuss across the land -- sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffles with pommes frites ($29 US). When it's 30C, I prefer the chilled lobster salad. Over a glass of Boulud's private label champagne, I chat with Maitre d' Jean Francois Courreges (ex-Toronto) about our dining scene.

Multimillions have been spent renovating the hotel, and it now includes a branch of the renowned Frederic Fekai Salon and Spa. Rooms and suites have been done with such thoughtfulness, it's no surprise they are selling as condos.

A girlfriend who winters here let me in on a well-kept secret that's just a few blocks from Worth Ave. The Heart of Palm, a pretty boutique hotel, is favoured as a guest house by local families for friends and the kids. Owner Patricia Cook and her family have revamped this prime location property into a colourful, comfortable gem. The spa hairstylist tells me he worked at Salon Femme in T.O.

A Toronto pal invites me to a luncheon on the terrace at Mar a Lago, Donald Trump's exquisite private resort where Mr. and Mrs. John Bitove of Toronto were recently married. Still, the hot spot for dinner is Bice. Palm Beach, they say, is all about money, status and the weekly scandal. Already Lord and Lady Black are yesterday's news.

It's just a short drive over the bridge to Singer Island, where the dress code is T-shirts, flip-flops and cut-offs, and the pelicans are so friendly they walk along the boardwalk and perch on the boats in the Sailfish Marina and Resort. They tell me the folks from Toronto are wild about this sportfishing paradise. Up to six passengers can rent a boat and go trolling for sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, marlin, kingfish, tuna, barracuda and shark.

At the hotel's Buccaneer Steakhouse, sushi-grade tuna and salmon are fresh from the Atlantic. I check out the breezy Rutledge Inn, a resort directly on the ocean and the funky Canopy Palms, a tropical retreat geared to the young. Driving through the security-gates of the palatial Boca Raton Resort & Club takes me into a breathtaking fantasy of historic Moorish, Gothic architecture. In the vast stone lobby filled with antiques, a pleasant staffer guides me to my suite with large, high-ceilinged rooms. In the past three years, over $100 million US has been spent to improve the amenities without compromising the historic charm.

At Lucca, one of a half dozen restaurants, dinner is a delectable Tuscan dining experience. Restaurateur Nick Nickolas, who lived in Toronto in the '80s, tells me that on a Saturday night this room is full and evenly split with Toronto diners and Quebec diners. Tonight, there is a wedding with a T.O. connection, as well as a birthday party hosted by someone who lives in my building.

We could stay here for a month, strolling along walkways and admiring the Venetian style yacht club with its phalanx of billionaires' yachts; taking a break in the serious Spa Palazzo; tennis, golf and even a croquet court.

A short ferry hop across the Intracoastal Waterway takes us to the Boca Beach Club, a private half-mile stretch of white sand. We choose our lounges and turn to acknowledge the group next to us. They were once our neighbours in Rosedale.

Palm Beach County may belong to the U.S, but it's our south too, and no one can tell me differently.