Hotel Reviews | 20something cupcakes

Welcome to my new favorite place.

The Florida Keys are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from us here in South Florida. And I’ve full-on decided that this is my favorite resort on Islamorada, my new favorite Key.

I swear to you that I’ve never been more relaxed in my entire life than I was on this weekend getaway. There is something in the stillness of the air that makes you feel you’re a world away from South Florida.

Perhaps it was the cocktails? Those agave margaritas pictured above were my favorite, and they were also the first drink we ordered upon arrival. I think Daniel and I have an unwritten rule that vacay doesn’t officially begin until a margarita has hit the lips.

And we all know I love a place with a great specialty cocktail menu. Also topping the list: frozen coconut margaritas (I know it sounds strange, but it *totally* works).

How bad can it be when this is what you’re staring at from the bar as you drink delicious cocktails all afternoon? Or, all morning. That’s how we roll.

{The photos don’t do it justice – but stayed tuned, for that’s all about to change as soon as my new + improved camera arrives!}

The entire resort is right on the ocean, which is part of the whole relaxation effect.

It’s also a great place for photo ops. Whether you want to be goofy…

Or cute. Pick your poison. I see it as the perfect place to rock my ginormous derby hat.

Just make sure that on your way {if you’re driving, that is} down, you stop at the Key Largo Conch House for breakfast. It’s the best. Conch benedict. Fried conch + eggs benedict. It’s only my favorite breakfast of all time, duh.

Not to mention all of the delicious food you’ll get at the hotel bar, which is another huge-selling point for me. The fish sandwich was probably our favorite. It was the ultimate mish-mash of fresh flavors and complimentary textures. Perfection. But then again, we really loved this flatbread. It was so perfectly crisp, and there were several amazing versions available – our favorite was this spicy one topped with shrimp. And we can’t forget the conch fritters. I always have to order them when I’m on vacation, and these were honestly some of the best I’ve ever had – the crunch-factor was unbelievable.

You can’t even consider not trying the crazy-good sushi place the hotel has to offer. I am a huge sushi fan – it’s one of those things I always get a craving for. I’m so glad we tried it: the quality of the sushi was amazing, and I absolutely fell in love with this place. You can sit outside at this low table with a couch, overlooking the bar area and ocean. It’s so beyond perfect, and you know we got our fix of unfiltered sake {our fave} while we were there – how cute is this serving bottle? There’s ice right in the center of the mini bottle to keep it cold. Love.

If you go, you *must* try the truffled escolar. It was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. You can opt for tuna instead of escolar, which I’m sure is equally amazing, but try the escolar if you’ve never had it. I’d never even heard of it, and in case you haven’t either, it’s a buttery, succulent white fish that you’re pretty much guaranteed to like.

There are also a ton of fabulous mom-and-pop eating options within about a mile on either side of the resort, which is what I love most about Islamorada in general. Bob’s Bunz is right across the street, and it’s a must for both the – you guessed it – cinnamon buns and all-around delicious homemade breakfasts. Daniel had this crazy egg/bacon/sausage/cheese/potato skillet that’s also a must-try.

Lazy Days was another favorite nearby restaurant. We ate right on the ocean, right at sunset – it was so gorgeous, relaxing, and perfect. This dish was my personal favorite: the hogfish served “Lazy” style. This is something I’ve had before on trips to other parts of the Keys, and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s this buttery, cheesy, key-limey masterpiece of a sauce with tons of scallions and tons of flavor.

After dinner that night, we headed across the street from our resort to Pierre’s/Morada Bay for the famous Full Moon Party. It’s basically two restaurants right on the beach next door to one another, and every time there’s a full moon they throw a huge party on the sand. There are live bands, lots of drinks and food, flame throwers, fun jugglers on stilts as pictured, etc. My favorite part? The drinks. They had two punches – a red and a blue – served in mason jars with glowsticks inside. How fun is that? They were super-sugary, which is usually not my favorite, but as they say – when in Rome…

The best part of the night was when we went inside the bar area at Pierre’s where there was a great dance party getting started {read: people-watching at its finest}. But then, it got even better: this awesome band came though the bar – tubas, saxophones, drums, the whole nine – and put on this crazy performance. The entire area was packed, the music was shaking the room, we were all covered in sweat…

It was fun. Possibly, too much fun.

On our last full day in Islamorada, we went to the world-famous Tiki Bar. This place has over the years become the number one stop for anyone driving down to Key West, or usually and perhaps more accurately, those driving back from Key West. Islamorada is basically the halfway point from the mainland to Key West, so it’s the perfect place to stop for a drink after a crazy weekend away. You know, for a pick-me-up.