Tag: Key West

My husband and I took a Budget Friendly Winter Break to Key West to escape the cold dreary February weather in Michigan. Neither of us had ever been there, so we didn’t know much about the lay of the land. I checked into a few different hotels in the area before deciding on the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton.

In June of 2021 we enjoyed a 5 night stay at the DoubleTree Sonoma Wine Country and really liked the hotel and its amenities. When I was looking at hotels on the Hilton website, the Key West DoubleTree Resort had a similar vibe, so we decided to give it a try.

The Hotel

When we arrived at the DoubleTree Resort in Key West, we were instantly wowed by the gorgeous property. Lush vegetation surrounded the well-maintained hotel. The covered entrance welcomed us with a veranda, extra wide steps, ramps and a lift. Very accessible for everyone.

During our quick check in at the front desk, we were greeted as Hilton Diamond members, then handed a bag with 2 bottles of water and some warm chocolate chip cookies. What a lovely way to start our stay.

The lobby was spacious and clean with several different seating areas. To the left of the front desk was a small hotel pantry shop with drinks, snacks, postcards, stamps, toiletries and plenty of sun care products. On the right side was the Concierge desk where you could book excursions, call a taxi or just get general information and local maps.

I can’t say enough about how delightful the warm DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies are. According to the scale when I got home, I may have eaten a few too many!

The Room

When we made our initial reservation, we selected a King Balcony room which faced the courtyard and parking area. Hilton lets elite members upgrade to available rooms about 3 days before their stay. We were lucky enough to be able to move up to a Two Queen Suite with an extra-large balcony overlooking the pool.

When we arrived in the room, it was a bit dark, and I struggled to figure out the lighting situation. There were two switches as you entered the door, but they didn’t turn on anything helpful in the room. One turned on the bathroom vanity area light (which shed zero light on the main room) and one turned on an interior light in the closet. Weird. The only lighting in the room came from a large lamp on the desk and two reading lights above the headboard. Each of these had to be turned on with the switch directly on the lamp. Once we finally figured it out, it wasn’t really an issue.

I am a huge fan of the beds at Hilton hotels. Not only are they super comfy, but they also always come with plenty of quality pillows and top-notch bedding. This room was no exception and I slept like a baby while we were there. The two queen beds shared a headboard with a center nightstand. The nightstand had a clock, a phone, outlets to charge our devices and overhead reading lights.

The room was also equipped with a dresser and desk combo, a small refrigerator and a seating area. The fridge came in very handy for us because we stored snacks and drinks that we picked up at the local supermarket and plenty of hotel supplied water bottles that we utilized during pool time or on our excursions.

The bathroom was nothing special, but it was clean and everything worked properly. I liked that the sink and vanity were separately located outside of the shower/toilet area. It made it easier for 2 people to get ready at the same time. However, I did find that the counter was a little small for all of our grooming supplies. We made it work though.

Across from the vanity was a good-sized closet, with a safe, ironing board, luggage jack, blow dryer and plenty of hangers. There was ample room to store our shoes and luggage inside plus hang our clothes and coats.

The desk area was equipped with a coffee maker, disposable cups and an ice bucket. Although we gave the ice bucket a workout, we preferred to grab our coffee in real cups from the lobby. I attempted to acquire a wine glass for our room from the front desk, but they seemed dismayed and made it feel way to complicated, so I skipped it.

When we weren’t at the pool or exploring Key West, you could find us chilling out on the huge balcony. In the mornings we would watch the sun come up from there while sipping our coffee. We also enjoyed afternoon snacks on the balcony or a glass of wine before heading out for dinner. This was one of our favorite features and you certainly couldn’t beat the view!

Hotel Amenities

Gym

The Fitness Center was handily located in the main corridor between the lobby and the hotel elevator. I rarely use the gym when on vacation, but I could see that it was equipped with everything a guest could want. It’s always nice to have the option.

Pool

Wow! This hotel has a great pool and outdoor spaces. We were fortunate to have amazing weather, so we were able to spend some quality time there. The pool has a zero-entry end where it starts off shallow, then it bends around a landscaped waterfall and gets a bit deeper. Some very entertaining iguanas reside in a palm tree located on a peninsula formed by the bend in the pool. We had a lot of fun watching their shenanigans.

The pool area offered fluffy towels and a building which housed showers and restrooms. Lounge chairs were available on a first come basis at no cost to guests and several large cabanas were available for a fee. There were also quite a few Adirondack chairs in this area as well as a sand pit with a volleyball net.

This area was serviced by the hotel’s outdoor bar and restaurant. A waitress circled through regularly taking drink and snack orders. They were quite accommodating, and even made an Aperol Spritz for me one day, even though it wasn’t on their menu.

Hotel Transportation

Key West International Airport is only about 5 minutes from the hotel. The DoubleTree has a complimentary van, which is available on demand, to transport guests between the hotel and the airport.

They also have a larger complimentary shuttle to transport guests to downtown Key West. It departs from the hotel entrance every hour and seats 22 guests. During busy times when there are more guests than they can get on board one shuttle, they simply call in a second one. The shuttle also has a schedule to pick up guests at the same downtown location and return them to the hotel.

This was a great service that we took full advantage of. If you plan ahead and follow the shuttle schedule, it works really well. We saved around $350 in car rental costs and airport transfers by being able to get around via the transportation provided by the hotel.

In addition to the shuttle services, you could also rent bicycles or golf carts from the Concierge Desk. It looked like a fun way to explore the area.

Daily Food & Beverage Credit

If you are Hilton Loyalty Member, you are currently eligible for a $15 per person Daily Food and Beverage Credit at this DoubleTree hotel. The credit can be used for breakfast, food and beverages at the pool bar or items from the hotel pantry.

We took advantage of the breakfast buffet on 3 mornings during our stay. The menu changed daily, the food quality was very good, and the service was fantastic. We especially enjoyed having our breakfast in the outdoor seating area.

On a day that we chose to eat breakfast in downtown Key West instead, we decided to use our Food and Beverage Credit for drinks at the pool later that afternoon.

For a 4 day stay, we saved $120 by utilizing this credit.

My Honest Review

DoubleTree hotels by Hilton are quickly becoming some of our favorite places to stay. This hotel was no exception. I feel like they offer a lot of value for the price you pay to stay there. The staff were always friendly and helpful whenever we interacted with them. You could tell that this hotel sincerely values providing great service to its guests. We didn’t encounter a single issue during our stay.

We thought the property was truly lovely and offered a lot of well thought amenities for their guests to enjoy. The complimentary shuttle service to downtown and the airport was a great perk, and did I mention the warm chocolate chip cookies at check in!!!!! The pool area was beautiful and relaxing, and the breakfast buffet was superior to many other similarly priced hotels that we have stayed at.

Although our room was a little dated, it was clean, comfortable and had everything that we could need. We especially enjoyed the extra-large balcony with the amazing pool view. This hotel still provides daily housekeeping which has gone away at a lot of places since the beginning of Covid. I had forgotten how much I appreciate this service.

The DoubleTree Resort Key West may not be located as close to Duval Street as some hotels are, but with the complimentary shuttle service, that really isn’t an issue. I actually think that being a little further from downtown made this property even more relaxing.

Would I stay here again? Heck yeah, in a heartbeat! I would highly recommend this property to anyone visiting Key West. We found this hotel to be a great value, especially if you are a Hilton loyalty member.

Dream, Plan, Save, Adventure!!