jwuch

My husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary in the keys. We are looking for lodging with parking, breakfast, television or free wifi. We want to stay both in key west a couple of nights and mid keys for a couple of nights. Can someone make a suggestion?

volcanogirl

We stayed at The Marquesa and really loved it.

SusanCS

I haven't stayed there in years, but Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada is very nice. www.cheeca.com/ Islamorada is halfway between Miami and Key West.

In Key West, if you don't require a water view, the Gardens Hotel is lovely and gets great reviews. gardenshotel.com/

For someplace with a great location and wonderful water view,
it'd be hard to beat the Ocean Key Resort. oceankey.com/

ekscrunchy

The Moorings in Islamorada is one of the loveliest hotels I've stayed at in the US. Very romantic.
There are no conventional rooms; guests are housed in private cottages scattered under the palms of a former coconut plantation. There are only a few cottages, and you rarely see any other guests.


They do not serve meals, but you can walk about a block to a nearby cafe for breakfast. The cottages have full kitchens, so you can also buy your own food and breakfast inside or on the porch. We will be returning this winter. Pricey, but worth it, in my opinion.

http://themooringsvillage.com/

garyt22

The Gardens provides a continental breakfast and the Marquesa will send breakfast up to the room... either property is a perfect representation of Key West at its best... the Ocean Key is more party/less romance... In Islamorada, the Moorings is much more anniversary than the Cheeca Lodge ... have fun

SusanCS

I'll have to disagree a little with gary about the Ocean Key. The only "party" place there is the Sunset Pier. It's really busy before the sunset but starts to clear out afterward.

Also in the Ocean Key is a fine dining restaurant called the Hot Tin Roof.

http://www.oceankey.com/key-west-sunset-pier.aspx

http://www.oceankey.com/key-west-restaurant.aspx

charsuzan

I recommend the Garden Hotel in Key West. We honeymooned there and plan to return for our anniversary next June.

beckytx

I agree with The Moorings! We spent 4 nights there last December, and it meets your magical criteria for sure. There are also some upscale restaurants in walking distance.

volcanogirl

I'm a little nervous to read that Ocean Key is a party place. We're eyeing it for a future trip, and it looks beautiful and romantic.

garyt22

Let me clarify... The Ocean Key Resort is at the foot of Duval and is a multi-story hotel complex that overlooks the Sunset Celebration... in the evening, thousands of visitors flock to the nearby pier to watch various jugglers, cats on tightropes, tiedye vendors, and henna tattooists... the tiki bar in the rear of the hotel is a public bar and quite crowded.. during the day, HUGE cruise ships pier up and drop thousands of day visitors and block the water views of resort guests... if this is "Magical" then good for you...

Having stayed there in both the penthouse suite and regular rooms, I love the party vibe around the property, however my romantic stays were better spent at the Marquesa and the Gardens because they are small inns with private pools, plenty of staff attention and a unique Key West feel....

SusanCS

Okay, I have to respond to this. The crowds pre-sunset are large, but most center around Mallory Square, which is NOT in front of the Ocean Key, but between the Ocean Key and the Westin. Yes, the sunset celebration attracts lots of people (I'd say hundreds (maybe), not thousands), but once the sunset occurs, all the vendors close down and everyone leaves.

I've been to Key West 4-6 weeks a year for the past 20+ years and haven't seen more than a handful of cruise ships in front of the Ocean Key. On the other hands, the Westin has cruise ships in front of it most of the time when they're in port. Those ships would not block water views at the Ocean Key.

Volcanogirl, don't hesitate to book at the Ocean Key! It's a lovely property, owned by Noble House who also owns Little Palm Island, arguably one of the most exclusive places to stay in the country. littlepalmisland.com/

volcanogirl

Thanks, Susan. Even though we loved the Marquesa, it felt a little sleepy to us, and for our next trip we want to be closer to Mallory Square. Ocean Key is offering a $100 per day resort credit right now. Looks pretty nice.

stumpworks73

At the risk of proposing a mundane mid-Keys solution; the Hampton Inn in Islamorada is not your typical Hampton. It has a private beach, a very nice pool, tiki bar, attached Outback restaurant, includes breakfast and wifi. You are walking distance to Lazy Days, one of the best restaurants in Islamorada.

You might spend your money on magical in KW and be very pleased with comfortable with plenty of tropical trappings right outside your door.

garyt22

It's difficult to trust the reviews of people who have never stayed at the properties... let the buyer beware

SusanCS

Gary, I assume you're talking about me, and I HAVE

SusanCS

oops...stayed at the Ocean Key.

volcanogirl

Susan, just wanted you to know that we booked and stayed at the Ocean Key, and we loved it. They were absolutely spectacular. Since it was low season, they upgraded us to a beautiful two bedroom/two bath suite with an ocean view and nice balcony. The service was great. We loved eating at Hot Tin Roof, and on the Sunset Pier. We had a $100 per day resort credit which pretty much paid for our food and drink. They even set up breakfast for us one morning on our balcony. Our room was on the opposite side of Mallory Square, and it was quiet, but we liked being so close so we could walk over and see the sunset. Thank you for the recommendation.

SusanCS

I'm so glad, volcanogirl! I'm not surprised you loved it; in my opinion it's one of the nicest places to stay in Key West. And it's hard to beat that view.

volcanogirl

Yes, I totally agree! We can't wait to go back someday. We loved having the ocean view.

flpab

http://www.trumanhotel.com/about-the-inn.htm and on Amelia is
Eaton Bikes. You can rent and ride everywhere.

I don't stay here but have heard nothing but good things. We are Navy so stay on base. Key West has the best Happy Hours. I am sorry but we hit Key Largo and don't stop till we get to Key West. I have tried to like other parts of the Keys but love walking on Duval and riding my bike to breakfast, the beach, the bars and dinner. If you get tired of eating out go to Faustos on Fleming or White St. Great upscale grocery with fabulous take out.