Recently we had the pleasure of an off-season stay at the luxurious Casa Marina in Key West.

Even though we knew the weather would be less than ideal (hot and thunderstorms), we wanted to celebrate our anniversary in a place that is special to us. And we’ve long wanted to stay at this historic hotel built in the early 1900s (opened in 1920) by Henry Flagler. So off we went in mid-August, ending our leisurely drive across the Overseas Highway at this Key West icon.

The building is magnificent, as all of Flagler’s resorts are. And since it is a Waldorf Astoria property, our expectations were high. For the most part, staffers were helpful, friendly and responsive – the right blend of familiar and professional. In particular, the housekeeping staff was almost invisible (in a good way) and did a fabulous job.

When we checked in, we were given a map of the resort (it’s huge) and told that our room was in the historic wing. I was delighted – it was, after all, the history of the place that was a main attraction for us. But while the room was nicely furnished, it was appallingly contemporary. I’ve seen more traditional hospital rooms. Even the bathroom fixtures would have worked better in a commercial kitchen. It was very difficult to visualize what the resort must have been like when it was new during the Roaring Twenties.

Of course, we appreciated the in-room amenities such as the small refrigerator and other conveniences, but I would have preferred a coffee machine that actually brewed coffee, not produced single, barely-drinkable cups of instant coffee or espresso.

We had read online reviews that said people who were using their Hilton Honors points to pay for their rooms were not treated well. We were accumulating, not spending, our points, so we didn’t see that.

The only service fail came when we wanted to have an after-dinner drink at the ocean-side bar. The bartender passed us several times without even looking up, and there was a definite fragrance of garbage in the area. We tried moving to a table to escape the odor and get some attention, but we were ignored by the table server as well. In fairness, we made no effort to flag him down, so maybe he thought we just wanted to enjoy time watching the ocean. But he should have asked.

Will we go back? Yes, to Key West. Probably not to the Casa Marina, because there are several other places we’d like to try (like the Southernmost Hotel). But we can enthusiastically recommend the Casa Marina experience.

If you’d like to share your thoughts about the Casa Marina or recommend another hotel in Key West, please comment below.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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