New for 2024 in the Florida Keys and Key West

Nothing beats spending the winter in subtropical Florida Keys & Key West.

The island vibe is unlike anywhere else in the continental US and there are lots of new experiences for 2024 from top class dining, new lodging and a new Lower Keys brewery.

Find out what’s new down south.

Keys Accommodations

At Everglades National Park, the all-new restaurant at the 24-unit Flamingo Lodge and Restaurant is now open. The standalone 75-seat restaurant — with casual fare including burritos, wraps, sandwiches, soups, salads, and desserts such as Key lime pie, catch-and-cook options, and signature 20-ounce smoothies — is open to all park visitors and lodge guests. The lodge has studios and one- and two-bedroom suites with kitchenettes and balconies overlooking Florida Bay, From $259 to $399 per night, plus tax.

The 125-unit Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club at Marathon’s iconic 1950s-era lighthouse, is undergoing a conversion to become Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club, Curio Collection by Hilton, in 2024. The property is to include over 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, an all-new spa and fitness centre, one- and two-story bungalows, a new multi-level pool deck with bar and infinity pool, and two-story poolside cabanas. Adjacent to the resort is the 74-slip Faro Blanco Marina.

In the Lower Keys, the waterfront Sun Outdoors Sugarloaf Key has opened as the Keys’ fourth Sun Outdoors RV resort. It features 73 full hookup 20-, 30- and 50-amp RV sites with patio, complimentary Wi-Fi, and outdoor picnic tables; a heated pool, boardwalk, Tiki bar with firepit; and custom Airstream food truck. An additional 20 holiday cottages are also available. Amenities include rentals of kayaks, paddleboards, and “AquaBanas” or giant water inflatables.

In Key West, the legendary 311-room Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, has unveiled its grand renovation with all new guest rooms including 63 suites, many featuring oceanfront balconies and walkout beachside lanais. There is a new lobby Canary Bar, enhanced food and beverage venues and a new 5,000-square-feet oceanfront event lawn. Two outdoor piers for watersports have also been fully renovated, with jet-ski tours, paddleboard and kayak rentals, and snorkelling trips on a luxury catamaran.

Also in Key West, the La Concha Key West hotel is undergoing renovations and a conversion to a Marriott property with 160 rooms and 14 suites. First-phase renovations are slated for completion by the third quarter of 2024. Undergoing transformation are the property’s lobby, bar and restaurant, pool and fitness centre. In addition, the spa area is being converted into premium rooftop suites. New food offerings will include Tropicado with classic crafted cocktails, Cuban cuisine at Perla and the El Dom Coffee Shop. The property originally opened in 1926 as a luxury hotel.

The new two-bedroom, one-bath floating The Outpost can be booked for an “off-the-grid” experience as a private “conch cottage” in backcountry waters off Key West. The Outpost includes front and back decks, a back sitting or game room and fully equipped kitchen and topside seating area. Paddleboards and snorkel gear are provided, and kayak and eco-tours can be booked. The floating cottage can sleep four with a minimum two-night stay.

Keys Sustainability

Reef Relief’s Plastic Free Key West program helps motivate businesses to voluntarily commit to reducing or eliminating single-use plastics through sustainable replacement strategies. Tier 1 businesses are committed to reduce utilisation of one single-use item. Tier 2 participants pledge to reduce use of two items. Tier 3 operations are committed to reducing all single-use plastics. A resolution supporting Plastic Free Key West to stem plastic pollution in waters surrounding the Keys was adopted by the Key West City Commission in 2023.

In Islamorada, the Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder rescue group is targeting a spring 2024 opening of The Protect Center Whale & Dolphin Hospital as South Florida’s only teaching veterinary hospital treating injured whales, bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammals. The new facility will include a 40-feet-diameter pool for long-term marine mammal rehabilitation, an educational classroom, and a 3,000-square-feet marine wildlife conservation–themed museum.

In Marathon, the 63.5-acre Crane Point Museum & Nature Trails is scheduled to unveil its all-new home for the Marathon Wild Bird Center by late January, with educational bird enclosures, a shaded outdoor seating area, and a hospital and rehabilitation facility for treatment of sick and injured rescued wild birds. The facility can shelter more than 40 non-releasable birds and continues to treat about 750 birds annually

Keys Food and Drink 

The 24-acre,199-unit Isla Bella Beach Resort in Marathon has unveiled its 55-seat Sushi Cabana, an al fresco sushi restaurant located adjacent to the resort’s Yellowfin pool. It features traditional sushi and sashimi offerings such as hamachi, king crab, chirashi rice bowls, handcrafted sushi and seaweed and cucumber salad.

In Marathon, the new 80-seat oceanfront eatery The Rhum House at Grassy Flats Resort & Beach Club offers local seafood, steaks, shareable small plates, craft cocktails, wine and beer. Breakfast is served on the Palm Deck, a new rooftop lounge with views of Hawks Channel and ocean flats. A main dining room, open 5-9 p.m. daily, is nautically decorated with salvaged mahogany, brass, bronze and local artwork.

Cayo Hueso Brewing, a new brewery and tasting room with 12 drafts on tap, has opened on Stock Island, Key West, behind Roostica Wood-Fire Pizzeria. The brewery’s interior and exterior walls feature murals by local artists including depictions of Ernest Hemingway and Key West roosters. Its tasting room is open 4-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 2-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

For more information: www.fla-keys.co.uk  

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