Banana Bay Resort & Marina

Ten Acres on the Sunset Side of Marathon

Land is the scarcest thing in the Florida Keys, and Banana Bay has ten acres of it on the Gulf side of Marathon, at 4590 Overseas Highway. The rooms, fifty-nine of them, sit low among gardens rather than stacked into a block, with a heated pool in the middle and hammocks strung along the water. The décor runs to blues, whites and dark wood, with balconies on some rooms looking over the marina and the Gulf. The effect is closer to a private compound than to a highway resort, which is remarkable given how close the highway actually is.

Why It Works

The marina settled it. Thirty-four slips taking boats up to fifty-six feet, a ramp, trailer parking and showers put this property in a different category from the places that merely mention the water. Around that, the ten acres give the resort room for gardens, a real pool deck and enough distance between buildings that nobody hears anybody. Breakfast for two comes with the night, which is a small thing that adds up over a week. Marathon is the working middle of the Keys, and this is the address that uses it properly.

Why This Location

Marathon is the midpoint of the island chain, which makes it the only sensible base for anyone intending to see more than one Key. Key Largo is an hour north, Key West an hour south, and the Seven Mile Bridge begins a few minutes down the road. Locally, the Turtle Hospital is up the highway, Crane Point Hammock and its museum are a short drive, Sombrero Beach is the town’s swimming beach on the Atlantic side, and the Dolphin Research Center sits on Grassy Key just to the north. Facing the Gulf means the sunset happens from your own dock rather than somewhere else.

Fast Facts

• Price: €€

• Vibe: Gardens, hammocks, boats, unhurried

• Rooms: Fifty-nine across ten acres, some with private balconies over the marina and the Gulf

• Best For: Boat owners, couples, travellers touring the whole island chain, anyone with a dog

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The hammocks at the water’s edge, which face west and therefore face the sunset

• Dining: The Pointe Bar on the waterfront, open from late afternoon until late, with outdoor games and hammocks around it; breakfast for two included with the room

• Amenities: Private marina with thirty-four slips for boats up to fifty-six feet, boat ramp, trailer parking and showers, heated pool, ten acres of gardens, pets welcome

• Attractions: Seven Mile Bridge, Sombrero Beach, the Turtle Hospital, Crane Point Hammock, the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key

Thirty-Four Slips, a Ramp and Somewhere to Rinse Off

The marina is the part of this property that decides bookings. Fifty-six feet is a generous ceiling for the Keys, which means this works for a serious boat rather than only a skiff, and the ramp and trailer parking cover the people who tow. Showers at the dock sound like a footnote until you come in from a day offshore. If you are not bringing your own, the local operators run everything from snorkelling and snuba to diving, jet skis and sunset cruises, and the front desk will make the arrangement.

The Pointe Bar, and the Part of the Day That Matters

The Pointe opens in the late afternoon and runs into the night, on the waterfront with hammocks and outdoor games around it. On the Gulf side of the Keys that timing is not an accident: this is the sunset shift, and the bar is positioned to take it. It is a low-key operation rather than a restaurant, which suits a property where most people have spent the day on the water and intend to eat in Marathon afterwards. Breakfast is handled on site and comes with the room.

Before You Book

Book the slip with the room if you are arriving by boat, and give the length honestly. Ask for a balcony over the marina if the view is part of why you are coming, because not every room has one. Dogs are welcome, worth confirming at reservation. And treat Marathon as the base it is: the two ends of the island chain are each an hour away, which is the whole argument for sleeping in the middle.