It’s a quiet afternoon in the Canary Room at Casa Marina. We’re the only guests in the cozy space, where a faint din of conversation and music from the lobby occasionally floats into what was once a colorless gift shop but is now a vibrant cocktail lounge where the walls teem with paintings of tropical plants and exotic birds—a small sliver of the nearly $80 million renovation underwent by the resort last year that brought sweeping changes to the property while still honoring its 100-year-plus history.
The renovations at Casa Marina extend to every part of the resort and include a near-complete overhaul of the interior design while maintaining and paying homage to the original elegant vision for the property and its core structural elements. Renovating a historic site is always a delicate balancing act between preservation and change, and Casa Marina certainly stuck the landing. The beiges and browns of the lobby were repainted and given lush green accents, and the bulky furniture has been replaced with rattan, giving the space an airier feel and a tropical aesthetic.
Tucked away beyond the lobby is the Canary Room, which serves up small plates and craft cocktails. Like much of Key West, there’s a Hemingway connection here—the Canary Room was named after the author’s “A Canary for One” short story. The bar also hosts rum tastings, where guests can sample rums themed after Hemingway’s “sea trilogy.” The gift shop that once occupied this space has been moved and expanded to a grab-and-go shop, Morrison’s Market, which will cater to your morning coffee and pastry needs, and is also a great spot to buy works from local artists.
Outside the Canary Room, guests lounge, shaded under umbrellas, around the adult and family pools on either side of a palm-lined walkway that opens to the white sands and crashing waves of Key West’s largest private beach. As we make our way down the walkway, we pass the new Dorada restaurant, which unfortunately at the time of our visit hadn’t yet been completed, but is now serving up Baja Mediterranean fare in a swanky coastal setting. We did get a chance to visit Dorada’s outdoor bar, however, which shares a menu with the Canary Room of bar bites and shareables, with ocean views, nightly live music and nearby fire pits that are perfect for small cocktail gatherings after dark. During our visit, we were also able to catch the resort’s resident sand sculptor, Marianne van den Broek, a Key West local who offers sand sculpting workshops to guests who want to go beyond the average sand castle.
Just off the beach are the resort’s family and adult pools, where cabanas have been added (available for rent at $400 per day) for guests to draw the curtains and enjoy some poolside privacy. Steps away from the family pool is another new addition to the resort, a 5,000-square-foot event lawn, where families can gather for cornhole and limbo tournaments as well as assorted programs hosted by the resort. The event lawn also has its own beverage cart, Bebidas, for nearby grab-and-go cocktails.
Other amenities that were touched by the renovation include the activity pier that was devastated by Hurricane Irma but has been rebuilt and is now where guests can take part in Jet Ski tours or fishing expeditions, then bring back their fresh catch for the kitchen to cook. For all your zen needs, look no further than the onsite spa, Spa Al Maré, featuring an array of treatments including aromatherapy, yoga classes, massages and much more.
At the time of our visit, the dining options at Casa Marina were limited, as Dorada was still undergoing construction, but we still enjoyed breakfast at the newly renovated Flagler Ballroom, which each morning serves up a delectable buffet complemented by a menu that includes omelets, pastries, brunch cocktails and more. We also sampled dishes at Four Marlins, the restaurant at Casa Marina’s sister resort, The Reach. Four Marlins is just a short walk from Casa Marina and well worth a visit, with an eclectic menu of seafood dishes and small plates in an elevated setting inspired by the tropical fishing lodges of yore.
Where the resort’s transformation is most evident is its rooms, all 311 of which were given a top-to-bottom redesign to offer them a more residential feel. As with the rest of the resort, the theme in these rooms is lightness; the floor plans are open concept, the furniture is rattan, the fixtures are new and sleek, and the exposed beamwork lends a more rustic feel. Each room is also given a touch more personality with painted works from local artists. The standouts of the new rooms are without a doubt the eight new beachfront suites, which feature walkout lanais that are partitioned for privacy, and put you steps away from the beach with unobstructed ocean views.
It’s clear that the rich history of Casa Marina was top of mind in the resort’s renovation efforts. After all, this is the same resort that has attracted presidents, authors, musicians and assorted celebrities in its 100 years-plus of operation (not to mention hosting an Army battalion during the Cuban Missile Crisis). Casa Marina has long been considered the “Grand Dame” of Key West hotels, and its renovation gave this crown jewel a well-deserved polish that visitors are sure to remember.
IF YOU GO
Casa Marina Resort
1500 Reynolds St., Key West, FL 33040
305/296-3535
casamarinaresort.com
This article is from the February 2025 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
