The Perfect Key West Honeymoon – 7 Tips For A Dream Trip
The Florida Keys offer the perfect tropical getaway. Sunshine, beaches, great food, historic sites, clear turquoise water, and stunning sunsets create incredible memories. We want to provide these seven tips to plan your dream honeymoon in Key West.
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1) Key West Honeymoon Resorts
The island of Key West has the most accommodations in the Florida Keys, with over 50 hotels and resorts. Many of those accommodations are romantic boutique-style honeymoon resorts. There are also over 20 vacation rentals through Airbnb.
While a vacation rental is a great way to spend your family vacation, for a honeymoon in Key West, it is better to go with a hotel or resort with an on-site restaurant, front desk staff, and added amenities like a pool and spa.
Vacation rentals are popular for family vacations as they provide a kitchen where you can cook your own meals. However, do you really want to cook and clean on your honeymoon? Let’s look at the top honeymoon resorts in Key West to give you some ideas for where to stay.
Pier House Resort
The Pier House Resort is a four-star beachfront hotel in the heart of the Key West Historic District. Staying here, you would be just steps from the Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square and world-famous Duval Street. The hotel offers a full-service spa, and there are two restaurants on-site.
Sunset Key Cottages
The luxury accommodations at Sunset Key Cottages include 40 beautiful cottages on a private island. To reach Sunset Key, you will take a private boat from their sister resort at Opal Key Resort & Marina.
The resort offers a full-service spa and fine dining at their Latitudes restaurant. When you are ready to explore Key West, you can take the resort boat or the 24-hour ferry service for the 7-minute ride.
Santa Maria Suites Resort
The Santa Maria Suites Resort is a 4-star all-suite property just one block from the beautiful Southernmost Beach. The suites are modeled after a beach cottage, giving guests a homey feel. There are two outdoor pools and a Latin restaurant called The Milagro. When you are ready to dip your toes in the Atlantic Ocean, you’re only two blocks from South Beach.
Parrot Key Hotel & Villas Resort
The 4-star Parrot Key Hotel is a bit further out, on the island’s northeast side, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Enjoy plenty of amenities here, including four outdoor swimming pools surrounded by a tropical oasis. The complimentary shuttle takes guests to Duval street in downtown Key West and Smathers Beach, just two miles away.
The hotel provides beach towels and beach chairs for guests. The front desk will arrange excursions, including paddle boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, bike rentals, boat rentals, snorkeling, and dolphin-watching tours.
Casa Marina Resort
Casa Marina Key West is a luxurious 4-star resort in historic downtown Key West. It is only a 15-minute walk from the hotel to the Southernmost Buoy for a popular photo opportunity. The property sits on 1,100 feet of beach reserved for guests only. Restaurants include Flagler’s Cafe for breakfast and dinner at the Sun Sun Beach Bar & Grill.
Southernmost Beach Resort
Key West’s Southernmost Beach Resort is a stunning four-star property about a block and a half from the famous Key West buoy. They offer a full-service spa and three gorgeous outdoor swimming pools.
Dining and drinks are available at the Southernmost Beach Cafe, Pineapple Bar, and Shores Bar, all with a fantastic view of the Atlantic Ocean. The concierge team can arrange excursions like snorkeling, fishing, historic tours, glass bottom boat tours, jet ski rentals, and more.
Ocean Key Resort
Ocean Key Resort on Duval Street is a member of the upscale Noble House resort chain. The world-famous Mel Fisher museum and the Key West Aquarium are a short walk away, less than ten minutes. This 4-star luxury hotel offers two restaurants, concierge service, a full-service spa, a 24-hour fitness center, and an outdoor pool.
Ocean Key is on the gulf side of the island, overlooking Sunset Key. All rooms have a private balcony and a view of the Gulf of Mexico. Fine dining is available at their restaurant, Tin Roof. Casual fare is served poolside at LIQUID and the waterfront Sunset Pier.
Little Palm Island – 5-Star Resort
When you want to splurge on your honeymoon in Key West, staying at the Little Palm Island Resort & Spa will create a fantastic honeymoon and memories you’ll never forget. The resort is on Little Torch Key, a private island that can only be reached by float plane or boat.
Guests get whisked away from Key West and taken to this tropical paradise that offers complimentary paddle boards and kayaks. The dedicated dive and snorkel boat takes guests out to explore the Looe Key Reef and provides equipment, amenities, and refreshments.
2) Honeymoon In Key West Florida – Explore The Historic Old Town
After you have booked your hotel accommodations, it is time to look at things to do in Key West. The laid-back atmosphere here encourages island visitors to relax and take it easy. Take a leisurely stroll through the Historic Old Town and stop at the Southernmost Point for a memorable photo stop.
Tuck into fresh seafood at any open-air restaurant with a water view. Order a rum runner cocktail, the universal drink of the Florida Keys. For dessert, be sure to have that famous key lime pie!
3) Key West Honeymoon Snorkeling & Scuba Diving
When you are in Key West, you are within reach of the Florida Reef, the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. It is the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world, following Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef. It would be a shame to miss it!
Boat tours lead snorkelers and scuba divers on excursions to see the reef and the colorful tropical marine life. You can join a scheduled group boat tour or charter a private boat for more of a personalized experience.
4) Dry Tortugas National Park – The Perfect Tropical Getaway
Spend a memorable day at Dry Tortugas National Park. This national park can only be reached by boat or seaplane. The Yankee Freedom is a catamaran ferry service docked in Key West that offers day trips to the Dry Tortugas. Reservations can be made online and should be made early as this is a popular trip.
The Yankee Freedom ferry package includes:
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Breakfast snack and box lunch
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Complimentary snorkeling equipment
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Entrance fee to Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson
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A narrated 45-minute tour of Fort Jefferson
Visitors can explore the stunning white sand beaches and snorkel in the clear blue water. The Dry Tortugas is one of the best Key West snorkeling areas.
5) Key West Honeymoon Picture Spots
Key West is full of picturesque spots to take memorable pictures. Here are a few to add to your list of Instagram-worthy places to visit.
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The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory – An exotic environment with hundreds of tropical butterflies and birds, including two beautiful flamingos.
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The Old Seven Mile Bridge – You’ll need a car for this one. From Marathon Key to Pigeon Key is the recently reopened old bridge. You can walk or ride a bike on the old bridge, with many stops for gorgeous pictures.
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Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square – Take an iconic picture with an amazing Key West sunset as your backdrop.
6) Key West Beaches
You’ve spent months planning your wedding, and it’s been stressful at times. Your honeymoon is your chance to relax and spend quality time together as a married couple. What better place to relax than a sandy beach?
Here are some of the top beaches for couples in Key West:
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South Beach – This small beach is at the end of Duval street. Beach chairs are for guests of the Southernmost hotel, but non-guests can rent them. There are no public restrooms here but there are bars and restaurants in the area where you can stop for a bite to eat or a drink and use their facilities.
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Smathers Beach – This half-mile-long beach is the largest public beach in Key West. Amenities include volleyball nets, jet ski rentals, restrooms, and showers.
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Higgs Beach – A smaller beach with a picturesque pier. Higgs has public restrooms and a concessionaire with rentals of chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, and paddleboards.
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Fort Zachary Taylor – Located at the southernmost point of the island. This beach is one of the most popular Key West beaches for swimming, snorkeling, and paddling. Spend a day here visiting the Civil War monument and enjoying the garden and beach. There is an entrance fee of $7.00 for two people.
7) Find A Private Beach In Key West Florida
A dream Honeymoon in Key West Florida should include time spent on a private beach! Avoid the crowds and have a unique experience. Enjoy a day with a local who is familiar with the area and knows the waters of the Florida Keys.
When you visit Key West, your perfect beach day can include sandbar hopping, boating through the Key West backcountry, and exploring the mangroves. With an experienced local guide, you can stop at picturesque spots to take postcard-perfect photos.
The friendly captains with Key West Sandbar Tours want to show you the hidden honeymoon spots you might not see otherwise. With a private charter, your day on the water can be designed especially for you. Your boat trip will be comfortable and safe with the best small-group boat fleet in the area.
To book your boat trip, go online or call us today. We look forward to getting you out on the water!