Hotels
Best hotels in Key West and where to stay on the island
Key West is the last island on the Overseas Highway, closer to Cuba than to Miami. Expect pastel clapboard houses, chickens in the streets and sunset as the town's most important appointment. These are the hotels we would choose, area by area.
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An hour and a half before sunset, people start drifting towards Mallory Square. Street performers, a juggler on a tall unicycle, someone selling coconuts. When the sun touches the sea, the whole waterfront applauds, as it has every evening for decades.
Key West is small. You can cross Old Town on foot in half an hour, and most people cycle. Even so, where you stay shapes the trip. You could be in the thick of Duval Street, on a quiet lane of wooden houses, by a private beach or on an island in the harbour. We picked eleven hotels across four areas. Links go to Hotels.com, and we always choose the hotel before the link.
In short: where to stay in Key West
Stay in Old Town, within walking distance of Duval Street and Mallory Square. The quietest streets are a block or two off Duval. For a beach right outside, pick Pier House, and for an island of your own, Sunset Key. New Town and Stock Island offer more space, but you will need a bike or taxi.
Best for couples: Sunset Key Cottages
Best for families: Opal Key Resort and Marina
Best for a first visit: Ocean Key Resort and Spa
Best for peace and quiet: The Marquesa Hotel
Best for value: Parrot Key Hotel and Villas
Our first choice: Ocean Key Resort by Mallory Square, with its own pier for the sunset. Check availability and prices
How to choose a hotel in Key West
Noise or quiet: Duval Street stays loud until late. A block away it is calm. Decide which you want before you book.
Beaches: Key West has few beaches and they are small, nothing like the Caribbean. If sand matters, pick a hotel with its own.
Parking: Old Town has little space and parking is expensive. If you are driving the Overseas Highway, check the hotel has parking, or drop the car and hire bikes.
Resort fees: Most hotels add a daily fee paid on site, often in the small print.
Minimum stays: At weekends and in high season many hotels require two or three nights.
On the harbour
Ocean Key sits where Duval Street meets the water, beside Mallory Square.
Mallory Square and the foot of Duval
This is Key West at its most famous, with the sunset celebration, the Duval bars and boats in the harbour right outside. It is the most practical base for a first visit, and the busiest.
Ocean Key Resort and Spa: sunset from your own pier
Ocean Key stands where Duval Street ends and the harbour begins, right next to Mallory Square. It has its own pier over the water with a bar and live music, so you can watch the sunset without sharing the spot with the whole town.
This is our pick for a first visit: step outside and you are in the middle of it, with all of Old Town within reach. Evenings are long and loud right outside the door. If you want an early night, ask for a harbour-facing room.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Ocean Key Resort and Spa
Pier House
The small beach at Pier House is at the very end of Duval Street.
Pier House Resort and Spa: a private beach in town
Pier House is also at the bottom of Duval, but spread across a larger site with its own small beach, pool and pier. That is rare in central Key West, where most hotels have no sand at all.
It suits anyone who wants to be in town and still have somewhere to swim during the day. Buildings vary in age and so do the rooms, so ask for one with a water view.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Pier House Resort and Spa
Near Mallory Square
Hyatt Centric is a few minutes' walk from the sunset celebration.
Hyatt Centric Key West: modern and central
Hyatt Centric is a short stroll from Mallory Square, with a pool, a narrow strip of beach and rooms that are newer than in many of the surrounding houses. It is a safe choice when you want a familiar standard.
Families and couples who want everything close and no surprises will be comfortable here. The feel is more chain hotel than Key West, so for verandas and clapboard, read on.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hyatt Centric Key West Resort and Spa
At the marina
Opal Key sits on the harbour and marina beside Mallory Square.
Opal Key Resort and Marina: the harbour on the doorstep
Opal Key sits on the harbour right by Mallory Square, with its own marina, a pool and rooms looking over the boats. You are two minutes from the sunset celebration and Duval Street, yet slightly removed from the worst of the crowds.
It suits families and couples who want modern rooms, a pool and a short walk to boat trips out to the reef and the Dry Tortugas. The feel is more resort than old Key West.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Opal Key Resort and Marina
The Marquesa
Restored 19th-century houses surround the pools in Old Town.
Old Town: clapboard houses, gardens and quiet lanes
A couple of blocks from Duval, the streets turn green and still, with old wooden houses, deep verandas and chickens wandering freely. This is Key West at its loveliest.
The Marquesa Hotel: restored houses and two pools
The Marquesa is made up of several restored 19th-century wooden houses arranged around gardens and two pools. Its restaurant is one of the most talked about in town, and Duval Street is a block away.
It suits couples who want old Key West with the service of a small hotel. It is not set up for families with young children, and there is no beach.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Marquesa Hotel
The garden
Rooms are scattered among the trees and flowers in the middle of Old Town.
The Gardens Hotel: a botanical garden in the middle of town
The Gardens Hotel is right in Old Town, yet the first thing you notice is green. It is built around a dense garden of paths, orchids and tall trees, with rooms in low buildings among the planting.
Come here for calm and shade between days in town. It is small, so popular dates go early.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Gardens Hotel
Old Town
Restored wooden houses around the pool in Old Town.
Winslow's Bungalows: old clapboard houses around the pool
Winslow's Bungalows is a cluster of restored wooden houses in Old Town, with rooms and suites gathered around a pool and garden. It is part of Key West Historic Inns, a group of small hotels in old buildings across town.
It suits couples and friends who want old Key West with space and quiet, and Duval five minutes away. There is no beach, and rooms vary from house to house.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Winslow's Bungalows
The Saint
The adults-only hotel is a block from Duval Street.
The Saint Hotel: adults only, a block from Duval
The Saint is an adults-only hotel a block from Duval Street, with a pool, a bar and a darker, more urban style than the clapboard houses around it. It is one of the few hotels in town designed for grown-ups only.
It suits couples and groups of friends who want the town, the bars and a quiet room. There is no beach, and the look is more city than Caribbean.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Saint Hotel Key West
Sunset Key
The cottages on Sunset Key sit on a car-free island just off Key West harbour.
Sunset Key: a private island in the harbour
Just off the harbour lies a small car-free island that you reach only by the hotel's boat.
Sunset Key Cottages: verandas and a boat into town
On Sunset Key you stay in your own cottage with a veranda, many looking over the water, and the launch to Key West runs around the clock. The island has a beach, a pool and a restaurant, and in the evening only guests remain.
This is our pick for honeymoons and couples who want comfort and quiet with town ten minutes away. Rates are among the highest in Key West, and spontaneous nights on Duval mean keeping an eye on the boat.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Sunset Key Cottages
Parrot Key
The pool area at Parrot Key in New Town.
New Town and Stock Island: more space for your money
On the east of the island, along North Roosevelt Boulevard, and on neighbouring Stock Island are the newer and larger hotels. Less atmosphere, more space and parking.
Parrot Key Hotel and Villas: pools and parking
Parrot Key has several pools, pastel rooms and villas and its own parking, which counts for a lot in Key West. It sits on the water on the north side of the island.
It suits families and groups of friends driving the Overseas Highway who want the car with them. Old Town is too far to walk, but bikes and taxis are quick.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Parrot Key Hotel and Villas
Stock Island
The marina at the Hilton resort on Stock Island, just east of Key West.
Hilton Key West Resort and Marina: space and parking on Stock Island
The Hilton resort is on Stock Island, the island just east of Key West, beside a large marina with pools and restaurants. Rooms are bigger and newer than in Old Town, and parking is easy.
It suits families and drivers doing the Overseas Highway who want room to spread out. Old Town is fifteen minutes away by car or taxi, so you stay outside the atmosphere and drive in to it.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hilton Key West Resort and Marina
When to book
December to April is high season, with dry weather and full hotels. Book early for Christmas, New Year and US spring break.
Fantasy Fest in October and the big regattas fill the town. Check the calendar before choosing dates.
Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. Prices are lower, but pick a flexible rate.
Our first choice in Key West
Ocean Key Resort
We recommend Ocean Key because it sits where Duval Street meets the harbour, right next to Mallory Square. The hotel has its own pier with a bar and live music, so you can watch the sunset without sharing the space with the whole town. Old Town starts at the front door.
Key West hotels: your questions answered
Where is the best place to stay in Key West?
On a first visit, stay in Old Town, where Ocean Key sits right by Mallory Square. The Marquesa and The Gardens Hotel offer calm a block from Duval. Sunset Key suits a honeymoon, while Parrot Key in New Town gives the most space and parking for the money.
Which Key West hotels have their own beach?
Pier House has a small private beach at the very end of Duval Street, and Sunset Key has a beach that guests have to themselves in the evening. Hyatt Centric has a narrow strip of sand. Key West has few beaches, so most visitors swim in the hotel pool.
Do you need a car in Key West?
Not on the island itself. Old Town is small and flat, and most people walk or cycle. A car is useful for driving the Overseas Highway from Miami, but parking in Old Town is scarce and expensive. If you have a car, choose a hotel with parking.
How long is the drive from Miami to Key West?
Allow three and a half to four hours on the Overseas Highway without stops, depending on traffic. It is worth breaking the drive with a night on Key Largo or Islamorada. There are also direct flights to Key West from several US cities.
When is the best time to visit Key West?
December to April has the driest weather and the most visitors. May and November are quieter and often very pleasant. June to November is hurricane season, with lower prices but a higher chance of weather spoiling the trip. Fantasy Fest in October fills the town, so check the dates.