Imagine a place where you can relax and take in the beautiful sights of Key West. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? Well, this is precisely what The Retreat offers! This hidden gem provides guests with an opportunity to rejuvenate their body and spirit while exploring the wonders of Florida’s Southernmost City.
Key West, Florida is the perfect place for your next beach vacation! It’s a laid-back paradise that offers activities for all types of travelers. Whether you’re looking to enjoy some time on white sandy beaches, explore historic sites, or get away from the winter weather, Key West has something to offer everyone.
Marathon is one of our favorite parts of the Keys and when I was searching for the perfect house, there were certain things we wanted and when I found the Retreat, I immediately was in love + booked it! Honestly, I waned a place to where we never had to leave if we didn’t want to – and with the Retreat, that is exactly what I found.
With over 10,000 square feet of livable space spanning across two structures, The Retreat boasts 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 2 pools, a gourmet kitchen, an enclosed outdoor sports bar, a game room with billiards table, a commercial style bar complete with 4 draft taps, a conference room with seating for up to 14 with full multimedia capabilities (where Shawn worked most days), a full outdoor spa (INCREDIBLE), an expansive tiki bar with outdoor kitchen (our FAVORITE part) and SO much more (including a fully stocked bar with anything and everything you could ever want, and yes, they even had Red Bull for me, hehe). While The Retreat is perfect for larger families, we loved everything that it offered and couldn’t think of a better way to spend our Keys vacay. I think the thing I loved the most is that they literally THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING! Sunscreen, bug spray, towels, TV’s, cups, koozies, pens, groceries (and all condiments), dishwashers in EVER room necessary, toys for kids, all the pool accessories, paddle boards, life jackets, kayaks, fishing gear, board games, books, the best music entertainment system in every room ran by a waterproof iPad, I mean I could go ON AND ON with how amazing everything truly was.
I do have to say, we are now a bit spoiled, hehe! I already tried to book it again for my birthday but they were already booked! Ruth, the property manager went above and beyond for us, and even used her chef skills to make us my favorite fish, Hog Fish, one night for dinner. The house also offers yoga, massages (amazing), a boat you can rent (super nice), sunset cruises, etc.
Since my dad is on nightly dialysis, we had to have them deliver his supplies a day early and Ruth was there to get the supplies and take them in for us. Little things like that make everything so much more personable and we are forever grateful for that.
Honestly, as I sit here recapping these pictures and writing this post, I am just full of so many emotions. We celebrated dads birthday, our anniversary, fished, danced, cooked, sang, ATE (a lot), relaxed, swam, shopped, toured, you name it – we did it! It was the best family vacation I have ever been on and honestly, we loved it because we were just all together in the most beautiful place we could dream of. It was so nice to be at such an amazing property that we worked so hard for, to be able to take a week off and spend with Bo in a place that he loves so much, and most importantly, was so nice to see my dad so happy, swimming in the pool, drinking Pina coladas and daiquiris, listening to Jimmy Buffet, and cherishing everyday.
I received SO many dm’s and emails about where we were staying and while I couldn’t wait to share with you all, I 1- wanted to leave before sharing details, and 2- make sure it was ok with them that I shared such a beautiful, luxurious piece of heaven.
I am linking The Retreat here for you all to check out and also recapping below so many of our favorite moments from the trip + my outfit recap! Honestly, I was even able to shoot all of my content at The Retreat which also made it SO NICE!
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Marathon Favorites:
•Burdines
•Island Fish Company
•Sparky’s Landing – great casual spot on a canal…has music often in the evenings and during happy hour
•Franks Italian Grill – for authentic old school Italian dining.
•Butterfly Café – more formal dining… and one of our favorites for good food in Marathon.
but no sunset views…but they do have outside and inside dining – make reservations ahead of time.
•Keys Fisheries and Seafood Market – great for casual seafood dining… and sunsets also. Best place to get stone crab!
•Hideaway Café – beautiful spot for nicer dining… and sunset. Make reservations!
•Driftwood Pizza – next pizza
•The Stuffed Pig – great for breakfast
•Irie Island Eats – great for lunch. Nice spot with games for everyone.
Very Keysie spot to order all sorts of tacos and bowls… and other tropical Mexican items.
•Fish Tales Seafood and Market –only open during the week. Great market also…
and the most amazing prime beef for steak or burgers!!
•Brutus Seafood and Market – casual spot, nice for lunch. And also great seafood market.
•Florida Keys Steak and Lobster House – no sunsets…but great for sushi and all around good food.
Key West Favorites (you have to do the Duval Crawl at least once, hehe, and see the sunset at Mallory Square ):
•Latitudes – MAKE RESERVATIONS ASAP
•Bagatelle
•BO’s Fish Wagon
•Lighthouse Grill
•Blue Heaven
•El Siboney
•Hogfish Bar and Grill
•Conch Republic
•Hot Tin Roof
•The Flaming Buoy
•Lola’s Bistro
•Harpoon Harry’s
We also loved Islamorada – definitely recommend:
•Islamorada Fish Company
•Lazy Days
•Lorelei
•Wahoos *my favorite, the view is gorgeous!
•Chef Michaels
•Marker 88
What are some of your favorite places/things to do in the Keys?
