Casa Marina has been on my list of places to stay in Key West for a few years but the timing was never quite right. Everyone kept telling me it’s the best hotel in Key West and I couldn’t wait to see for myself.
We finally got an opportunity to stay there for our family babymoon and I wanted to give an in depth review to help you answer the question, is the Casa Marina worth it?
First, I’ll go over what to expect at the Casa Marina (amenities, history, etc) and you can read my full (and probably way too detailed) review at the end.
Click Here to Book Casa Marina
About Casa Marina
The Casa Marina is not a budget-friendly or cheap hotel. It’s probably one of the nicest hotels in Key West.
Casa Marina recently completed a renovation with the renovation ending in early 2024. The renovation was $72 million and included the guest rooms, meeting space, restaurants, and public spaces.
If you’re looking for event space, there are options at Casa Marina and this is a really popular spot to have weddings. We saw two while we were there on a Monday through Friday stay.
Rooms at Casa Marina
There are a variety of rooms that you can book here. Of course, room rates vary quite a bit depending on the season, day of the week, and what kind of room you book.
There are standard rooms with no view as well as plenty of options with ocean views. Obviously, standard rooms without a view are the cheapest while you can also book a 2-bedroom loft. But even that will be cheaper than the ocean view 2 bedroom loft.
History of Casa Marina
The resort has a lot of history, which is something I really like about it. Its history actually dates back to the early 1900s (it opened its doors in December 1920!)
The property was first thought up by Henry Flagler (who was ultimately responsible for the Overseas Railroad, what we now know as the Overseas Highway). He wanted the resort to be a place for the wealthy travelers taking the Overseas Railroad to Key West. Unfortunately, he died before the construction even started.
Casa Marina was designed by the same architects who designed New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Public Library, and the Senate and House of Representative office buildings in Washington, DC (Thomas Hastings and John M. Carrere). And even though Henry Flagler wasn’t around to oversee the development, developers kept his wishes in mind as they designed it (Spanish style and made with the same mix that was made to make the original Seven Mile Bridge on the Overseas Railroad).
The hotel became the luxurious hotel that Henry Flagler had dreamed of. But besides its long history as a luxurious resort in Key West, it has also been a part of American history.
The hotel was purchased by the Navy and used as officer’s quarters in WWII. Then in 1962, it was used by the Army as their headquarters during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It sat empty from 1967-1976 (though there was a lounge open to the public during this time) and started to fall into disarray until it was purchased by the Waldorf Astoria in 2009 and renovated.
And as you know, it was renovated again in 2024 by Hilton (the current owner of the resort).
Click Here to Book Casa Marina
Casa Marina’s Sister Property
The Reach is located just next door and it’s a sister property to the Casa Marina. If you’re staying at the Casa Marina, you will also have access to the amenities at The Reach, which has 150 rooms.
On Site Food
There are several options for on-site food and drinks:
Dorada – A brand new restaurant that opened in 2024 when they renovated. It features Mediterranean dishes and outdoor seating right on the water (in other words, gorgeous, amazing views)
The Canary Room – Another new spot in 2024 with the renovations. It’s a bar and lounge and one of my favorite spots on the property. It’s inspired by the 1920s (an ode to when the Casa Marina first opened) and also by Hemingway’s “A Canary for One” which was a short story about traveling to Paris in the 20th Century. The space has brightly colored murals and serves amazing, unique cocktails.
Flagler’s Restaurant serves a la carte or a breakfast buffet from 7 am to 10 am.
Morrison’s Market – Your typical grab and go type of spot with coffee, pastries, and simple foods like sandwiches and salads. They also have a cute little gift shop here.
Room service is also available. Breakfast is from 7-11; lunch is from 11:30-4; and dinner is from 5:30-9 pm.
Amenities
Casa Marina has the largest private beach in Key West for easy beach access. On the beach is also a private pier, which is great for photo ops!
If you’re not already aware, Key West isn’t exactly known for beaches. There tends to be a buildup of coral, so instead of sand, it can feel like you’re stepping on rocks. It’s also common for a lot of seaweed to wash up on the shore. This is not to deter you but realistic expectations are good. I personally don’t mind and thoroughly enjoy Key West beaches, including the amazing one at Casa Marina!
You can also rent jet skis or a sunset cruise (both for an additional cost) and they launch directly from the resort.
The Casa Marina also has two very large outdoor pools. Yes, poolS, as in plural. There are two pools at Casa Marina. One is adults only while the other is kid friendly, making it a perfect family pool. The adults-only pool has wonderful water views!
Review of our Room at Casa Marina
We booked a standard king room then upgraded at check in to a Key West king suite with balcony. It wasn’t a free upgrade and we paid an additional fee, but was so worth it.
Our view was mostly of the adult pool with peekaboo views of the water.
Our space had a full living room, complete with a big couch and small dining room table. The bedroom had a door to it for extra privacy with the bathroom located outside the bedroom so you didn’t need to go through the bedroom to access it. Having a full bedroom separate from the living space also made it nice when I wanted to sleep while my husband stayed up a little later.
It was a perfect size for our family of 4 (our kids were aged 1.5 and 2.5 at the time of the visit and I was also pregnant). We found every single room to be spacious, including the living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
I read a lot of pretty terrible reviews about the bathrooms being really small at Casa Marina. Like, barely being able to use the toilet small, but that wasn’t our experience (I suppose this is the downside to it being such a historic building!) The bathroom had a separate vanity area separate from the sink, a walk in shower, and plenty of space to use the toilet.
Our Review of Casa Marina in Key West – What We Loved
The pictures speak for themselves, this property is absolutely stunning.
Check-in time is 4:00 and they got us in around 90 minutes early, which is always appreciated.
It’s such a historic hotel and I absolutely love how much history is in this place. I’ve been really fascinated by Key West history so to stay somewhere with so much of it was really special.
They have on site food and drinks. I didn’t get to try any alcoholic drinks from the bar (we were on our babymoon when we visited), but they looked so delicious and inventive. They were definitely unique and when we come back on an adults trip, grabbing a drink from the bar at Casa Marina is definitely on my list.
The location is both a pro and a con for me. While most people feel this is a great post, I’ll list what I don’t like about the location in the cons below and will stick to the pros for now. Casa Marina is located on the southern edge of Key West with easy access to some amazing things to do on the island such as the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, Louie’s Backyard (one of the best restaurants in Key West), and the Southernmost Point. Perhaps most importantly, it’s also just a short walk to Duval Street (it’s only a few blocks away!)
We loved the two pools and that there is one for families and one for adults. As a family with little kids, we absolutely loved knowing that we were taking them to a pool where they wouldn’t be annoying people. If people didn’t want to be around kids, they could just go to the adult pool!
Casa Marina has its own private beach! This is a really big deal in Key West. While the seaweed was definitely present, it didn’t take away from the beauty.
Our Review of Casa Marina in Key West – What We Didn’t Love
Some of the things we didn’t love might sound a little nitpicky. But keep in mind, this is not a budget hotel in the Florida Keys. We paid a lot of money to be there, so we did have higher standards. Many of these things wouldn’t bother me if we weren’t paying so much to stay there.
The fire alarm went off randomly in our room. They were very prompt to respond and it probably wasn’t anyone’s fault (they said it was probably an electrical issue). But it was annoying (and it scared our toddlers).
Internet was horrible. Now, I totally understand you’re probably rolling your eyes at this one. Who is worried about internet on vacation? But we were still working while we were there a little (remember – it’s really a staycation for us, not something we needed to fly halfway around the country for, we definitely wouldn’t be bringing work with us if we were going somewhere entirely new!)
No smart TVs I know, this probably sounds ridiculous, too. Most people aren’t spending time in their room. But I’ve stayed at $100/night budget hotels that have smart TVs and it was a little surprising that our only option for TV was cable. We stayed at Casa Marina for our family babymoon, so we weren’t out partying.
Inconsistent staff. One valet person would tell us one thing, another would say something totally different.
Parking is really expensive. Not only is your stay expensive, but so is parking. Self-parking costs is a daily fee of $40 and valet parking is a daily fee of $45. We had our car there and wanted to rent a golf cart (which counts as a vehicle). This would have cost us $80 per day in parking alone.
Speaking of additional charges, the resort fee is $54/day. This is fairly standard for resorts throughout the Florida Keys, but it’s still pretty pricey.
While the location is great to Duval Street, we actually prefer the other end of Duval Street, so it was a bit of a trek for us to get to the area of Duval that we prefer. This is entirely personal preference, though.
Final Thoughts on Casa Marina Key West
With so many Key West hotels to choose from, making a decision on where to stay can get pretty challenging. We did have a great time while also noticing some room for improvement. Hopefully this review of the Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton was helpful for you in making a decision on where to stay!
