This story was written in collaboration with Forbes Finds. Forbes Finds covers products and experiences we think you’ll love. Featured products are independently selected and linked to for your convenience. If you buy something using a link on this page, Forbes may receive a small share of that sale.
With so much activity out on the streets of Key West, many guests prefer to check into a bed and breakfast that simply offers that first meal of the day without all of the other resort amenities. They’re also often situated in atmospheric conch houses—the town’s distinctive tropical architectural style distinguished by tin roofs, wood siding, open porches and French doors—and are usually downtown within walking distance to the town’s attractions on Duval Street.
Here are some of Key West’s best B&Bs:
The Saint Hotel Key West, Autograph Collection
One of the top picks for a romantic weekend, the 36-room Saint makes a definite impression: Guests enter the white conch house on vivid red carpeted stairs and then through a bright red door. The rooms are each painted a different vibrant color: cobalt blue and white, with tufted white leather headboards, white leather couches and navy and white patterned carpets all bathed in seductive blue LED lighting. The color shifts back to red in the bar where breakfast is also served. But there’s a calmer tone in the back with a leafy patio and pool. And it’s just a few steps to the town’s main thoroughfare, Duval Street.
Amsterdam’s Curry Mansion Inn
There are 28 rooms in three different structures, but the centerpiece of this charming inn is an aristocratic Victorian mansion built in 1869 that’s of such historic importance that tours of it are offered daily. Amenities open to all guests include a pool, a music room and library. Rooms are decorated in the style of the house with curved canopy fourposters and individual rustic fabrics. Most have balconies or porches. And cat lovers will enjoy the company of inn resident Rusty, who goes back and forth between buildings.
Lighthouse Court Hotel
Composed of ten Old Key West conch buildings built between 1890 and the 1920s, this inn has 40 modern rooms. Top of the line is the Hemingway Suite due to the inn’s location down the street from the famed author’s house; the hotel’s name derives from its location next to the historic Key West Lighthouse. The buildings are connected by brick pathways and the central courtyard surrounded by foliage is the place for the complimentary continental breakfast in the morning as well as musical performances. There’s also a pool and adjacent mojito bar.
Travelers Palm Inn & Suites
Located in the center of town, this six-room inn adds the element of eco-consciousness with a solar-heated pool and solar-heated hot water in the rooms. Environmentally-safe paint and building materials are also part of the complex and collected rainwater irrigates the verdant garden composed of native plants. The pastel rooms decorated with tropical print fabrics also include kitchens or kitchenettes. The adults-only inn also includes a lounge by the pool for enjoying evening cocktails.
The Gardens Hotel Key West
The name says it all: Lush foliage surrounds these clapboard buildings in the center of town, a property that was once Key West’s largest private estate. There are 23 bright rooms and suites, decorated with colorful tropical fabrics—located within five separate cottages for maximum privacy. There’s also a pool on the back patio and a wine gallery for evening cocktails in the garden, the same location as breakfast.
NYAH
A novel approach to the hotel experience—NYAH or Not Your Average Hotel—is a 36-room bed and breakfast featuring BYOR or Build Your Own Room. What that means is that if more than two people are sharing a room, additional bunk-style beds are placed in the room instead of sleeper couches or rollaway beds, and it’s done at no additional cost. The rooms are pared down and contemporary so this may work best for a younger group of friends in town together. There are also three pools and a hot tub, complimentary breakfast, an afternoon happy hour and bike rentals.
