Florida Keys: Recommended Resorts?

[Karenann]

I have always been intrigued about the Florida Keys and am looking for some recommendations about what resorts to request. The Hyatt resorts in Key West seem popular, but I was wondering if there were any others that are recommended. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Panina]

Banyan in old key west is very nice. I own there. I own many timeshare and this is the one I will never trade, it's my favorite It's right in town. No need for a car. You can walk to restaurants , a grocery and tourist attractions. It's nestled under banyan trees and most of the buildings, except for two are historical. The inside of the units have been renovated. Most buildings are two stories, but one is three, no elevators.

The hyatts are larger and I have traded into them and they are very nice but the two in new key west are not in walking distance to old key west. If I traded I would also request the galleon, nice renovated units in a great location too.

 

[slip]

I second the Galleon.

 

[melissy123]

N/A

 

[Seaport104]

I second the Galleon.

Agree! I would take Galleon over any of the Hyatts in Key West anyway. The rooms and pool may not be as luxurious as the Hyatt (although the rooms come close since they have just been renovated the past few years), the key is LOCATION!! Everything is within walking distance.

If you stay at the Hyatts you need to drive to the main street and parking is a bit of a hassle.

 

[OutSkiing]

We were once on the RCI waiting list for Galleon for a year and it never came available.

We finally switched to the Bahamas (Sandyport Beach Resort) and had a great time.

Bob

 

[rapmarks]

We were once on the RCI waiting list for Galleon for a year and it never came available.

We finally switched to the Bahamas (Sandyport Beach Resort) and had a great time.

Bob

Twice for us, and what really was upsetting was seeing it posted on here as last minute availability for exact time as our search.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sea Six]

I gave up on trying to get a trade into a nice resort in Key West. Since we eat out there all the time, we just get a suite at the Westin Hotel at Mallory Square.

 

[tschwa2]

If you are looking to exchange Jan-April will have very limited availability with way more demand than availability. Most exchange availability will be in August-November.

 

[theo]

If you stay at the Hyatts you need to drive to the main street and parking is a bit of a hassle.

Sorry, but that's just not accurate for Hyatt Sunset Harbor re: "you need to drive". It's true only for the other two Hyatt timeshares in Key West (Beach House and Windward Pointe). Hyatt Sunset Harbor couldn't possibly be better located; no need to drive from there at all, actually.

But to the OP inquiry on recommendations, we like Hyatt Sunset Harbor best (although it's an old property) and The Banyan. Don't really know much about Coconut Beach Resort, but would like to stay there sometime. No knock on the Galleon, whose praises people routinely sing, but it just somehow doesn't float our boat (...no pun intended, with the boat slips being there and all). Frankly, I think Galleon's "popularity" stems in large part from the simple fact that it is apparently the one and only RCI-affiliated timeshare property anywhere in Key West.

We owned at Coconut Mallory for a few years. Can't recommend it for location, staff, upkeep --- or for anything else, for that matter. Avoid it.

What's tough in Key West is of course availability. I can't think of any other place where the laws of supply and demand are more evident.

As a relevant aside, we've been chased out of Key West twice during "hurricane season" in evacuations over the years and will frankly never risk going there again during that time frame. For us, it's just too distant and too expensive a place in terms of travel time and effort and lodging cost to risk getting run out of Dodge (...again) on such very short notice. Felt "short changed" --- but "short changed" in KW is "big dollars".

 

[bdh]

Theo is correct on Beach House and Windward Pointe being in New Town (not walking distance to the popular/active area of Duval) and Sunset Harbor being the ideal location in Old Town.

I gave up on trying to get a trade into a nice resort in Key West. Since we eat out there all the time, we just get a suite at the Westin Hotel at Mallory Square.

You'll need to start singing a Jimmy Buffet song as the Westin is now the Margaritaville Key West Resort and Marina.

 

[Seaport104]

I forgot about the Hyatt Sunset Harbor! Thanks for the correction.

Theo is correct on Beach House and Windward Pointe being in New Town (not walking distance to the popular/active area of Duval) and Sunset Harbor being the ideal location in Old Town.



You'll need to start singing a Jimmy Buffet song as the Westin is now the Margaritaville Key West Resort and Marina.

 

[SciFiFans]

I own a week at the Hyatt Windward Pointe I love it and do not mind the short drive if I am going downtown. Unless there is an event you can usually find a parking spot.
I like the resort location because it is nice and quiet the sunrise is beautiful from this resort, the grounds are very well kept and just keep getting better.

 

[IslandTime]

As an owner at Hyatt Sunset Harbor, it's obviously our favorite. We have to plan way in advance to book anything other than our own week there but do occasionally luck into a few nights to rent here and there throughout the year. We always drive so it's nice not to worry about parking (for a small fee in the Margaritaville garage next the HSH). As Theo already said, the location is perfect. We visit Key West five or six times a year and location is the top priority for us.

Galleon would be my second timeshare choice in Key West. The location is also great, the rooms are nice and they have plenty of onsite parking at no additional charge. We didn't even go in the pool when we stayed there but we really like the tiki bar and visit it even when we aren't staying at the resort.

Banyan would be my third choice, but Galleon only beats it out for us by a tiny bit. Nice pool areas and grounds, pool bar and very good location. Parking is somewhat limited for a fee and at least one of the buildings is "haunted" at the Banyan.

Coconut Beach Resort is farther away from most of the action, but still in old town and right next to Louie's Backyard. We haven't stayed here yet, but probably will at some point.

 

[clifffaith]

We owned at Coconut Mallory for a few years. Can't recommend it for location, staff, upkeep --- or for anything else, for that matter. Avoid it.

I have been interested in going to Key West for some years, even more so since the Netflix show that I can't recall the title of is set there. So I just went to my DRI account to log in to see if they have anything in Key West. Up comes Coconut Mallory. No availability, even for just three days, for the next 10 months.

 

[theo]

I have been interested in going to Key West for some years, even more so since the Netflix show that I can't recall the title of is set there. So I just went to my DRI account to log in to see if they have anything in Key West. Up comes Coconut Mallory. No availability, even for just three days, for the next 10 months.

I do recall that there was a very small DRI "The Club" presence / access at Coconut Mallory. I seem to recall that DRI "The Club" access may have been limited to just a very few units in just one particular building at CM (the building directly paralleling / fronting the road --- S. Roosevelt?).
CM was / is affiliated only with II, not with RCI, which I find to be strange since (IMnsHO) CM is below II standards. In any case, you're not missing much finding no availability at Coconut Mallory, but demand seems to consistently exceed supply in Key West at all of the timeshare properties there.

 

[LannyPC]

Didn't you start a thread with this exact same question less than a month ago?:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/florida-keys-recommended-resorts.251854/

 

[silentg]

We took a cruise a few years ago,left from Tampa stopped in Cozumel and Key West. We enjoyed Key West but it was crowded because of the weather, no one was allowed in the ocean so we all were crowded in the land attractions. We went to the Little White House and rode the hop on and off trolley.
Would like to return and spend more time. We didn't spend much time in Cozumel was very hot we went gift shopping and then back to the ship.
Silentg