Key West may not have Florida's most beautiful beaches, but it certainly has a colorful, distinctive, almost Caribbean-hippie vibe to it. Enjoy everything from jet skiing, scuba diving and other watersports to art gallery hopping and of course, the nightlife. And while Key West does at certain festival times and Spring Break still attract a raucous college crowd, if you can avoid these peak times you'll discover places such as the Orchid Bar with expertly crafted drinks, or even authentic crepes at La Creperie Key West. Here are our top picks for the best Key West hotels, all with lovely ocean views from many rooms, character, and style:
Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Casa Marina by Waldorf Astoria isn't in the thick of the Duval Street action, but for us, at least, that's a plus–it's a lovely oasis from the downtown craziness, while still being a short taxi ride away. The property is a beautifully restored historical gem listed on the National Register of Historic Places, having been originally opened in 1920 as a luxury resort. Past guests include President Warren Harding, Gregory Peck, and Rita Hayworth. Standard Traditional Rooms are decently sized, at 350 square feet, with either a king bed or two doubles.
Spring for an Ocean Vista Room to enjoy beautiful views from your private balcony. We're not keen on the $25 daily resort fee, common to many upscale Key West hotels, but at least it covers WiFi and little luxuries such as the in-room Nespresso machine and superb poolside service. We also love the two swimming pools, both with ocean views–they're better than swimming than the beach, which is fine for sunbathing, but as with most of the Keys, not crystal clear. On-site dining is fine but overpriced for what it is; the ocean views and ambience make it worth it to enjoy the sunset over drinks at least once at Sun-Sun, or a surprisingly good rendition of key lime pie.
Casa Marina 2018 Virtuoso Benefits
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily Buffet breakfast, for up to two in room guests
- $100 USD Equivalent Food & Beverage credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Early check-in/late check-out subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Ocean Key Resort & Spa
While we personally prefer the quieter location of Casa Marina, many guests love the prime central location of Ocean Key Resort & Spa, right on Duval Street and yet also on the waterfront and close to Mallory Square, with its lively street performers. Partial Ocean View Rooms are a decent size of 350 square feet, with a queen bed, sleeper sofa, private balcony with views of the ocean or Duval Street, and a whirlpool tub in the bathroom. Deluxe Oceanfront Rooms offer a King bed and more spectacular oceanfront views, but the rooms themselves are smaller, at just 300 square feet. The jacuzzi bathtub is right in the room, however, making possible a relaxing bath with ocean views. We'd recommend requesting a view on the Sunset Pier side, since sometimes views on the other side of the hotel are obstructed by cruise ships. Complimentary WiFi is a plus, as are the very comfortable beds. We wish the pool were a bit larger, but this is downtown, after all. Hot Tin Roof offers lovely views but somewhat inconsistent food quality. For a truly special romantic dinner, we'd recommend Latitudes, on Sunset Key.
Hyatt Key West
This Hyatt has a bit of a boutique feel to it, thanks to just over 100 guest rooms and suites, complimentary champagne on arrival, spa-like bathrooms with rain showers, and top notch service. We especially love the spacious, modern, open plan rooms–even entry-level Deluxe Rooms are 460 square feet, with a plus Hyatt Grand pillowtop bed. As with Casa Marina, there's a daily resort fee of about $20 that includes WiFi, bottled water and coffee maker in the room, etc. The Hyatt Key West's location is perfect for anyone who wants to be downtown but still sleep, as it's on the waterfront and relatively quiet, yet just 2 blocks from Duval Street. There's a relaxing outdoor pool and whirlpool set amidst tropical foliage to take advantage of, and the on-site SHOR American Seafood Grill is surprisingly good. Try the Grilled Lobster and Chorizo Risotto or grilled Florida Black Grouper with Key Lime Butter.
Getting to Key West with Miles, Points or Cheap Tickets
Unless you're coming from Miami, Tampa, or somewhere else in Florida, you'll need to connect in Florida in order to fly to Key West (EYW). One-stop flights from NYC can be as low as $350, but can easily climb to over $800 during peak periods if you don't plan ahead. This makes it a good candidate for using miles and points, if you can plan far enough in advance–just don't expect any Saver level award availability if you decide in November to go for the winter holiday and New Year's.
Both United and American charge 12,500 miles for a one-way domestic coach flight (saver level) to or from Key West, 25,000 miles roundtrip in coach at the saver level. United MileagePlus miles or American AAdvantage miles make the most sense coming from the West Coast, since it's the same mileage regardless of where you're flying from domestically.
The fastest way to earn United miles if you're not a frequent flyer is by leveraging category bonuses with the Ink Bold, Sapphire Preferred, or Chase Freedom, since Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to United.
Apply: Chase Sapphire Preferred
My favorite ways to earn American miles are applying for Citi AAdvantage cards (see Best Travel Credit Cards).
If you're coming from the NYC area, then you could be better off using British Airways Avios, because even though it's 24,000 Avios + $10 for the roundtrip economy flight, almost the same as AA, British Airways Avios are worth less than AA miles, and you can often get transfer bonuses from AMEX Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios. If you transferred MR points during the last 40% transfer bonus, you'd need just over 17,000 MR points to give you the required 24,000 Avios.
And of course, if you're coming from Miami and just need the 1 hour direct flight to Key West, it makes sense to use just 9000 British Airways Avios for the roundtrip, since the revenue fare is often $280 or more, giving you 3 cents per Avios point, or 4.4 cents per Membership Rewards point if you transferred with the 40% Avios transfer bonus.
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Key West Romantic Travel Guide
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