Bahia Bay Resort ★★★

Where the Week Is Organised Around the Boat

Key Largo is the first island off the mainland and the one where most Keys holidays begin, usually with a boat in the plan. Bahia Bay sits on the bay side of the Overseas Highway at Rock Harbor, and the property is laid out around what happens on the water: two docks, direct bay access, 200 feet of private beach, and a pavilion at the back of it big enough to hold everyone who came ashore. Two pools and a hot tub cover the hours in between. It is a small resort that has given most of its ground to the shoreline.

Why It Works

We were convinced by the ratio of frontage to rooms. A short list of guest rooms against 200 feet of beach and two docks means the water is effectively private, which is the opposite of the arithmetic at most Keys resorts. The rooms are recent in specification, with balconies over the bay, seating areas, glass-enclosed showers and double vanities rather than the tired fittings that often come with a small waterfront property. Parking and wifi are free. And the pavilion gives a group somewhere to eat and sit that is not a hotel lobby.

Why This Location

Rock Harbor is the middle stretch of Key Largo, north of Tavernier and south of the dive shops clustered at the top of the island. The Bluefin Rock Harbor marina is half a mile along the highway, which settles fuel, launching and charters. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the country and the gateway to the reef, is around a quarter of an hour north by car, along with the Florida Keys Visitor Center. Miami is roughly an hour and a half up US-1, and the rest of the island chain runs south from the door. On this side of the highway the sunsets arrive over the water.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Small, watery, boat-first, recently finished

• Rooms: A short list of guest rooms including Grand Bay View rooms with private balconies, queen beds, seating areas and double vanities

• Best For: Boat owners, anglers and divers, small groups taking the property together

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The two docks and the direct bay access, which turn the morning departure into a walk across the lawn

• Dining: No restaurant on site; the outdoor pavilion serves as the gathering and eating space, with the Key Largo restaurants a short drive up the highway

• Amenities: 200 feet of private beach, two outdoor pools open all year, hot tub, sauna, two docks, outdoor pavilion, picnic area, free parking and wifi

• Attractions: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the Florida Keys Visitor Center about fifteen minutes north, Bluefin Rock Harbor Marina half a mile away, the Islamorada charter fleet south

The Beach, the Docks and the Pavilion

The shoreline is the property. Two hundred feet of private beach on Florida Bay gives room to leave chairs out, and the two docks put a boat within sight of the room. The pavilion behind the beach is the covered space every waterfront rental in the Keys wishes it had, useful for a meal after a day out, for shade at midday and for a group that has taken more than one room. Two pools sit in the grounds and stay open year round, with a hot tub and a sauna for the end of a long day on the flats.

Rooms Facing the Water

The Grand Bay View rooms are the ones to book. They are laid out with room to sit rather than just to sleep, in wooden furniture rather than resort laminate, with modern bathrooms, glass-enclosed showers and double vanities, and a private balcony looking out over the bay. Air conditioning and flat-screen televisions come as standard, and the whole property is non-smoking. Check-in runs from four in the afternoon to eight in the evening, so a late arrival from Miami is worth flagging in advance; check-out is at eleven.