Overall Average hotel.

On the positive side, the hotel has a lovely location and spread over a large area. It has a very tropical feel about it with wonderful plants and gardens.

We arrived at 4pm, although the room wasn’t ready. The room was nice and airy and modern. Although the external doors etc of Hammock wing itself was a little like a cell block layout with no frills.

We ate at the Dry Rocks which has a Mexican fast food style.

It can get a bit windy at times sat there and the choice of food is a bit limited.

We also ate at Calusa restaurant which had a wide choice of seafood and a lovely bar. The bar man, Wayne was very helpful.

What I would say is the hotel was very busy with children and dogs, so if you want an adult only quiet time probably best to go somewhere else or outside school holiday times.

This is a really beautiful and unique property. A lot of people don’t realize that beaches are extremely few and far between in the Keys. This place has an abundance of them. There’s a traditional beach area that’s open, lined with chairs and umbrellas, tiki bar, free non motorized water sports (well actually covered by resort fee), then there’s the Hammock beach which offers lots of secluded alcoves of beach among the unique Keys vegetation (Mangroves, Gumbo Limbo, etc. ) The latter is great if you want natural shade, privacy, and easy access to the water and is my personal preference because it is so peaceful and unique. The Hammock Beach tends to attract more of the folk traveling without kids, while the traditional beach tends to be where the kids are. The entirety of the grounds are well cared for and features beautiful tropical foliage.

There are two pools and a pool bar. One pool is adults only. Both are of similar design and overall setup and are heated in winter. There is a hot tub and it is actually hot! This is a great feature and is not to be missed! However because it’s tucked away behind some artificial rock/vegetation, I spoke with several guests who were unaware of its presence in the pool area for several days of their stay. It’s located in the back of the family pool area, opposite the pool bar. So take advantage!

Service: excellent! I showed up in the morning hours, way ahead of checkin time. The nice rep recognized my Hilton gold status and provided me a room straight away! I was surprised. She also offered me a complimentary upgrade which I declined since it would have meant waiting for it to be cleaned. Golds and Platinums get $18/nt credit per person, limit 2 people (so max $36/nt) for food or drink, which is very nice. Had breakfast at Calusa, and the food and views were great. Try the Chinese pork bowl.

Room was clean, comfortable, and thoughtfully laid out. As others have noted, walls in the hammock tower are thin, and noise from adjoining rooms or from the exterior walkways can be significant even if the other guests are not being objectively loud. Didn’t cause me any extended anguish, but is a quirky thing in light of the standards observed in other areas here.

There’s free bikes for borrowing, and there’s a great and safe jogging/biking path set off from US 1, so it’s easy to take a peddle to see some sights, get food, etc. Bikes are kept in great shape.

While it’s easy enough to find peaceful spots, it’s good to know that this is my second time here, and both times the property has had significant numbers of young kids present. So if you are shooting for a place where you will never hear a crying baby, this ain’t it. But for the sheer number of babies here, they all seem to be pretty well behaved vs the average expectation. Must be the money! Lol.

All told this is a special property that I plan on returning to several times. And being an easy drive from MIA airport, a short weekend getaway is well within reason for much of the country.

I am in love with this place! It is so clean, the smell in the lobby is so fresh and welcoming. The architecture is very modern and the landscaping is to die for. Rooms are clean and smell fresh too. It's pricey but you feel like you are getting what you pay for. Beach area has a bar and restaurant, pool has a big waterfall, kids love the place!