Orchid Key Inn - Adults Only ★★★

A Pool Deck Set Back From the Busiest Street in Town

Duval Street runs the length of Old Town and carries most of its traffic, on foot and otherwise. At number 1004 the frontage gives nothing away: a lobby, a doorway, and behind it a courtyard that turns out to be the whole property. A heated pool and a heated whirlpool sit in a tiled deck, palms close the space overhead, and the bar sits at the edge of it. Guests come off the street, cross twenty feet of garden and stop hearing the street. That transition is the design, and it is what the address is for.

Why It Works

We kept this one because it solves a problem the location creates. A Duval address puts everything within walking distance and puts the noise within earshot; the rooms here are soundproofed, which turns the first half of that trade into a straight advantage. It is adults only, so the pool deck holds its register from breakfast through the evening. Twenty-four rooms is small enough that the bar knows who is staying. And breakfast and happy hour are both included, which in a town built on the second drink is a more useful inclusion than it sounds.

Why This Location

The 1000 block sits in the upper reaches of Duval, past the densest run of bars and before the street reaches its end. Walk south and the Southernmost Point is a few minutes away, with Higgs Beach and the Atlantic shore just east of it. Walk north and the whole historic centre opens up: the Hemingway Home and the Key West Lighthouse a few blocks over, the galleries and the restaurants along the way, Mallory Square and the sunset boats at the far end. The airport and the Overseas Highway are a short drive, and on-site parking means the car can be left where it lands.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Adults only, poolside, tropical, sociable at the bar and quiet in the room

• Rooms: Twenty-four rooms and suites, soundproofed, some suites with a spa bath

• Best For: Couples, walkers, light sleepers who still want a Duval address

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The heated whirlpool beside the pool on the tiled deck, screened by palms twenty feet off Duval Street

• Dining: The Orchid Bar off the lobby and pool garden, complimentary continental breakfast each morning and a daily happy hour with wine and snacks

• Amenities: Heated pool and whirlpool spa, pool garden, cocktail bar, soundproofed rooms, tour desk, on-site parking, adults-only policy

• Attractions: The Southernmost Point, Higgs Beach, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, the Key West Lighthouse, Mallory Square and the sunset sailings

The Pool Garden and the Orchid Bar

The courtyard does the work of a lobby, a restaurant and a living room. The pool is heated, which matters in the short Keys winter, and the whirlpool beside it is heated too. The Orchid Bar sits between the lobby and the garden, staffed by bartenders who make cocktails properly rather than by the jug, and it is where the included happy hour happens: wine, drinks and something to eat, at the hour when most guests are deciding where to have dinner. Breakfast is served in the same place in the morning, between seven and ten.

Rooms Built for Sleeping on Duval

The rooms are tropical in decor and modern in equipment, with the practical fittings for a hot island stay and coffee and tea in the room. Some of the suites add a spa bath and a sofa bed, which gives two people more space to spread out over a longer stay. The soundproofing is the specification that earns the booking, and it is the reason this address suits travellers who want to be able to walk home at midnight and still sleep. Check-in runs from four in the afternoon to ten at night, which covers late flights, and check-out is at eleven.