Cheeca Lodge & Spa Review

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74%
families recommend
182 family reviews

Families will love:
  • Snorkeling lagoon where kids can spot hermit crabs and lobsters
  • Newly renovated accommodations including one- and two-bedroom suites
  • Camp Cheeca, offering half-day and full-day outdoor nature programs for kids


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About Cheeca Lodge & Spa

Islamorada, FL

After a fire devastated the main lodge of this historic Florida property that dates to 1946, Cheeca Lodge & Spa re-opened in Dec. 2009 as a more contemporary version of its original self. Located in Islamorada, the self-dubbed "sport fishing capital of the world" (and most definitely of the Florida Keys), resort sits on 27 acres of palms, bougainvillea and golf course-style, perfectly-green grass that imparts a very tropical feeling. And while the Florida Keys aren't known for beaches, there's a smallish sandy stretch where the water stays shallow (and in the summer months, extremely warm) a long way out. Don't expect Caribbean-style waters, however. While the water is clear, there's lots of sea grass and floating seaweed -- an ideal habitat for the many fish and crustaceans that live here, but perhaps not the vision of paradise that some vacationers have.

The resort's 214 rooms are spread between the fully-renovated main lodge, where you'll find some of the swankier options (including rooms with deep outdoor tubs facing the ocean on private balconies), older two-story buildings scattered throughout the property and nine beachfront bungalows (housed in three buildings) which are for adults-only and sit directly on the sandy beach.

The resort's overall decor is very Tommy Bahama, with paddle fans and upholstery with large floral prints, palm tree motifs o'plenty, and a maroon and green color scheme. Dark wood furnishings prevail in the common areas and guestrooms, and bathrooms are decadent with glassed-in showers and over-sized tubs.

There are a few onsite restaurants, including a sushi restaurant, an Italian bistro and the main oceanfront restaurant, where buffet breakfasts segue into lazy oceanfront lunches alfresco and sophisticated dinners surrounded by flickering tiki torches.

Families tend to hang out at the oceanfront family pool, and there's a separate pool for adults-only located near the spa. A snorkeling lagoon fronting the beach is backed by a fake waterfall. And while the water is often murky, it's circulated in and out from the ocean, and home to fish, hermit crabs and lobsters that kids delight in seeing when they slip on a mask and snorkel.

Your daily resort fee covers bicycle, fishing rod and kayak use in addition to Internet and golf on the small three-hole course. For an additional fee, you can rent stand-up paddle boards and kite boards, go parasailing right out front, or organize a fishing trip or scuba-diving trip through the hotel's concierge.

Cheeca's favorite family-photo backdrop is the resort's 525-foot-long, wooden fish pier. You can sign out fishing rods from the watersports' desk and toss a line off the end of the pier to see what you pull up (perhaps a yellow tail snapper). And even though the sun sets on the opposite side of Islamorada, many folks would argue there's no better place to be hanging out at the end of a Florida Keys' day than this hotel's scenic waterfront.


Written by Terry Ward

 

Cheeca Lodge & Spa Reviews


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Best for:
  • Kids (7-9)
  • Tweens (10-12)

Family Interests
  • Beach
  • Bicycling
  • Golf
  • Theme Parks
  • Water Sports
  • Sailing
Family Amenities
  • Babysitting
  • Children's Program
  • Connecting Rooms
  • Cribs
  • Family Room 5+
  • Kids'/Theme Meals
  • Kitchenettes
  • Laundry Service
  • Onsite Dining
  • Refrigerator
  • Pool



Family Ratings
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