If you are looking for a unique place to stay on a Florida Keys road trip that is full of character and charm, then you must check out Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo also known as Coconut Bay Resort Key Largo. This adorable family owned hotel sits right off the Overseas Highway and right on the water in a beautiful garden oasis.
The Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo is a winner if you’re looking for a small property with enough amenities to be pleasantly comfortable hanging out at the resort, but not so inclusive that you just stay on property without ever getting out to explore.
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Where is Key Largo, Florida?
Key Largo is one of the first main islands in the upper Keys in the archipelago of the Florida Keys. It is located about 1 hour from Miami International Airport and 2 hours from Key West. For anyone planning a Florida Keys trip, this is probably one of your first stops.
Key Largo has a relaxed vibe compared to its counterpart Key West, offering a more spread out beachy town vibe than the compact lively atmosphere of Key West further south.
Using Key Largo as a base to explore this area all the way to Marathon is a great option for those looking for a quiet getaway.
Accomodation Options at the Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo/ Coconut Bay Resort
At Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo and Coconut Bay Resort combined, there are 23 beautiful options from multi-room cottages to standard hotel-style rooms. All of this is located on 2.5 acres of beautifully manicured gardens teeming with lizards and iguanas, birds and flowers galore. Depending on how many people are in your traveling group and how much you plan to spend at the accommodation, there is surely a room type that will be perfect for your holiday.
During our stay we were in the Manatee Room #1, which was located just steps away from the water and steps away from the delicious morning scones! Our 1 bedroom cottage had a living area with dining table, a pass through kitchen stocked with anything and everything you would need with the main bedroom and attached bath at the end.
Our cottage was well stocked with plenty of linens in the kitchen and bathroom, including beach towels. Additionally, our room even had a full size oven, dishware and more.
Each room and cottage has a different layout, so spend time on their website to see what will work best for your trip. The Pelican Room, for example is the smallest and most budget friendly with just a king size bed, but still comes with an apartment size refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker!
Checking In/Out
As this is a family run hotel, you will find that their check in desk is not open 24 hours. However, the staff make sure that you are well accommodated for no matter what time you arrive or depart. Our flight into Miami was delayed causing us to be quite delayed in reaching the hotel. About an hour or so before they closed, they front desk called us to provide us the instructions for checking in. It was super easy and made a stressful day so much easier!
Check out was also a breeze as we just stopped into the office before heading out for the day to turn in our key (a real life key!) and say goodbye to the very friendly and welcoming staff that we had chatted to each day of our stay.
Amenities at the Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo
To be honest I am not one who is that focused on amenities at hotels unless the hotel IS my destination. For the most part I am so busy off exploring that I never have time to spend at the hotel itself. That said, it is always a pleasant surprise when a hotel has some really great amenities that you can use and enjoy even on a jam packed schedule like ours! The Bay Harbor Lodge fits this bill to the tee. We were wow’d by all of the amenities from basics like free parking and wi-fi to all the other extras!
Homemade Scones & Morning Drinks
The absolute best surprise at the Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo was the adorable breakfast food truck in the lush courtyard by reception. Every morning guests are offered delicious homemade scones with varying flavors. I admit, I tried each flavor every day of our stay – even when I was sick and shouldn’t have! We had mango ginger, almond, blueberry and lemon, strawberry and so many more. Since we were early risers, our scones were still warm and oh so delicious. Seriously. And the iced coffee was made to order with COFFEE ice cubes! The owner told me that was her daughter’s idea. It’s a great one since everyone knows the Florida heat will melt your ice quicker than you can get it down. For kids, they can get hot chocolate to have with their scones. Just an absolute perfect way to start our day. Loved it!
Kayaks & SUPs
Another great amenity here is the free usage of kayaks and SUPs that you can launch straight from the small beach area out front of the hotel. Amazing! Even when we didn’t have much time, we could grab life jackets and a paddle from reception and head out for a little gander around in search of manatees. We never found our elusive manatee here, but we sure did have fun exploring the waters in front of our hotel every morning before setting out for our day’s adventures. This is a lovely addition to the hotel that ensures that no matter how busy your day is, you can still have a moment of zen on the water.
Swimming Pool
The Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo/ Coconut Bay Resort also has its own temperature controlled pool for guests usage. Like I said we were so busy each and every day outside of the resort we never had time to use it, but it looked very welcoming surrounded by beautiful gardens.
Outdoor Lounge Areas
In addition to the beautifully manicured indoor spaces, the outdoors is filled with great seating areas all over the property. From a large cushioned outdoor seating area near the front of the hotel that could accomodate a large group, to the covered patio with chairs right on the pier to various other seating around the property, you have no excuse to not sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings! I particularly loved being up at sunrise watching the birds stalk fish in the glass-like waters.
Outside of our cottage we even had our own grill as well as a thatched hut seating area where we sat one evening watching the thunderstorms roll in.
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Another adorable addition at this hotel that we just loved was the ability to write a postcard (provided free) to send to your loved ones and it will be stamped and mailed by the hotel itself. We ended up running into this on a boat trip, but since this was our first encounter of this, we were just so blown away by it and loved the idea! It’s the perfect thing to do while sitting outside in the morning eating your scones and drinking your iced coffee.
Bay Harbor Lodge offers Wi-Fi for free and is very strong allowing me to work, download a book for the road and more.
Packing Tips: Bring mosquito spray, swimsuits, lots of reef safe sunscreen, quick dry towels and small packable clothesline to dry your suits every night.
Top Places to Eat Near Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo
There are so many great places to eat in Key Largo that it will be hard to list them all, but a few of our favorites during our visit are below.
The Fish House
Absolutely hands down one of our favorite meals in all of the Keys. This eclectic restaurant is always packed, so expect to wait for a table no matter what day of the week you visit. Trust me when I say the wait is worth it. You must try the Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip and the Hemingway Special. Both are DELICIOUS. If you have room, finish it off with their locally loved Key Lime Pie. This restaurant has been featured on several television shows and for good reason. It is spectacular.
Key Largo Conch House
We visited the Conch house for breakfast one day as we weren’t sure our scones would hold us over for our long day out on the water. This is a great homey feel cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Perfect for a quick breakfast or a leisurely lunch. They are known for their conch fritters and their Key Lime pie, but we couldn’t justify trying these in the morning. We had hoped to return, but ran out of time.
Mrs Mac’s Kitchen
There are two Mrs Mac’s Kitchens in town. The original is smaller and opened only until 3pm most days as number II is open until 10 p.m. except on Sunday when both are closed. Sadly we weren’t able to visit this restaurant as it was closed the day we arrived and we never made it back before we left. It is a local favorite though and specializes in seafood and you know what I’m about to say – Key Lime Pie! It is on our list for our next visit.
Conclusion
Honestly we really loved our stay at the Bay Harbor Lodge Key Largo. This hotel was a wonderful introduction into the Florida Keys, offering a feeling of home and comfort whether you hang out at the property all day or just come back in the evenings. I would highly recommend this family owned hotel for any stay in the Florida Keys. I love when we find a mom and pop run place that really meets all the requirements for a perfect stay. Thanks Peg for all your work and care you put into this property and to making each guest feel so welcome.
