Island Bay Resort

Every year we take a family trip to the keys (30 years and counting). This year, on our way out, we stopped at several motels to check out potential locations for our trip next year. The last stop on our list was this motel. We were greeted by an extremely rude man who told us we were not welcome because we were not guests. We were simply looking at the property to see if it was a place we would be interested in. No disruptions, simply driving by and taking a quick look around. One would think that when you are told we are interested in becoming guests that you would take us to the office to discuss, but instead we were asked to leave. You are correct, sir. Please don’t expect us to ever become guests. We will take our business elsewhere.

The best experience I have ever had in a hotel/​resort – period! First off-​let me say that I have stayed in dozens of other hotels in the Florida Keys. I grew up in Florida and have taken many-​a-​vacation to the keys.
The attention to detail at Island Bay Resort is amazing. The property has everything you could possibly need on a relaxing vacation (kayaks, a relaxing tiki hut with plush cushions, hammocks, games, lounge chairs, umbrellas, showers, etc). It is definitely for couples and is just beyond beautiful! The owners keep everything picture perfect. They bent over backwards for us and I just can’t say enough about what a great experience it was! Mike and Carol are super friendly and hard working for their guests! Relaxing, romantic, fun and beautiful. When I go back to the keys I will be staying at ISLAND BAY RESORT! *****

Paradise Found!
10 adorable cottages… humm…which one to stay in? We had the Flora and Fauna cottage #3 and were very delighted with our 4 night stay! When it was decided where we would go for spring break, we knew that we wanted to stay in a unique place. We found it! Island Bay Resort! Each cottage has a different theme. The grounds are quiet and beautifully landscaped. Lots of details have been put into making your stay wonderful!
After site seeing in the mornings, we would come back to this little resort’s beach because it was beautiful, clean, and comfortable to hang out in for hours at a time.
We followed the owner’s suggestions for places to eat and they were great. Our favorite place ended up being Snapper’s.
Island Bay Resort comes highly recommended if your are looking for a romantic, relaxed place to stay!

We loved every moment we were here and we stayed 5 nights. We had a much needed vacation which was romantic, relaxing, quiet, and healing. Island Bar Resort gave us all that and more. We had such great memories in the Keys in general but this resort made our vacation perfect. As soon as we stepped in, soft music was playing in the room from the radio clock and there was chocolate key lime pie on the bed with a hibiscus bloom. It really made me drop the feeling of stress almost immediately, I felt like I was really away from the crap life I was living.
The room was adorable and decorated with pictures and souvenirs that were taken by the owners from their own trips around the world. They even have a digital picture frame on the dresser showing all their amazing photos of wild life, landscape, and places they went. The TV is a flatscreen which is mounted on the wall and could be pulled out to face the bed. We were really impressed with every detail that went into this cottage — the chocolate on the bed, how clean and maintained everything are, kitchen had paper towels, mini fridge, cooking pans, and a stove. It also had a mini cooler, a wine bottle opener, and wine glasses among all the other kitchen necessities! There was a small grill on the patio of our cottage as well. And oh, let’s not forget they have free wifi! (But for folks who gets followed by work via internet, let’s pretend they don’t).
The shower was large though the actual bathroom seemed crampy but who cares! Just do your business and stop hanging out in the bathroom! ;) They have a guest book which was really helpful to read as there are suggestions from previous guests in there. The cottage also has a binder that was full of places to eat/​see and activities suggested, etc. I’d happily choose this place over any hotel in the area.
Our own little cottage was right on the beach and we had the beach mostly to ourselves on most days and nights. My fiancé jumped right off the dock on our first day but we mostly soaked up the sun when we were home on the afternoons. Our cottage has a mini cooler which was extremely helpful for our snorkeling trip and we used it to keep our drinks cold. This place is particularly special to us because it’s where he proposed to me on December 19, 2012. Everything was perfect.
We’ll be back here again, no doubt.

My wife and I spent our anniversary here. We had the cottage closest to the beach. We really enjoyed our stay here. Very quiet and secluded. Private beach, dock, kayaks, etc. we will definitely return again. It felt more like a honeymoon than an anniversary

The BF and I came down to relax in the Keys, since this place is my home away from home. We both work very hard and needed a break. I came across this place online and it seemed exactly what we needed. No big chain busy hotels with tons of noise and people and kids. Somewhere not crowded, a little private beach and boat dock, semi-​secluded with all the beautiful plants, a private cottage not hotel room was divine. This place is a gem. Owners Mike and Carol are very nice and attentive. They gave us suggestions on where to go and eat. We loved our room, #7 Conch Key. It had everything we needed, was beautifully decorated and super clean. A nice home-​like feel. Outside they have a cute set-​up of tiki huts, hammocks and lounge chairs. What I really enjoyed about this place was the privacy as only guests staying at the resort were allowed access to the beach. Also, that they only have 10 rooms so that means not many people will be staying there. The BF and I enjoyed late nights out on the hammock listening to the surrounding waters and watching the stars. It was definitely romantic. The sunsets I heard were amazing, but we were never around at the time to watch it due to exploring. I fancy this place much and would highly recommend if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of big hotels and want to really unwind and relax. Definitely not a budget place to stay but the hun and I don’t really put a price on comfort and relaxation. Hope to be back soon. Thanks Mike and Carol.

Let me just tell you that this tiny row of 10 cottages is a home away from home dream getaway!!!
This mom and pop run mini resort has covered every little detail if you were to stay in this home away from home! These little cottages are UBER clean, with kitchenettes, small fridge and microwave, awesome seaside-​esque décor, unobtrusive flat screen TV’s with little DVD players, Wi-​Fi, down to your own little charcoal grill outside.
A short jaunt to the private beach (which looks as if it actually gets grated every evening!)…and you can work on your latest novel or your tan. You can see straight down into the water here which is like having the Discovery Channel live and in action right in front of your eyes! AWESOME!!! AND kayaks (1 and 2 person) and snorkeling gear are available for the folks staying at this little resort! You really don’t have to leave this spot at all!
This just has a homey, comfy; don’t-really-want-to-go-anywhere-else feel! But if you do want to frolic in the Keys, all you have to do is go to the office and chat with Carol and Mike and see what local hot spots that they might recommend.
It is expensive here, starting from $ 136 or so on up, which is the only reason why we couldn’t stay at this location longer than 3 nights. With a 12% tax it was a good little chunk of change for our short little stay. But all things being equal… I did not leave with much Buyer’s Remorse as I truly did have a wonderful experience here.
I cannot say enough positive things about the owners of Island Bay Resort by the way. These folks are incredibly accommodating and completely customer service oriented. They even made up a Happy Anniversary sign for my hubby and I with a little pack of chocolates! So nice and personal! Not something you’d find at a Hilton for sure!
I just loved the incredible energy at this petite hideaway in Tavernier.
You just don’t find little spots like this run by phenomenal people like that anymore. This truly is a treasure found in the Keys!

We came down here for a friend’s wedding, and were definitely impressed by the secluded private beach and overall island décor. The cottage we stayed in, Bahia Honda — #5, was very cute but the pricetag of $ 168 a night seemed rather steep for a tiny one room efficiency. This was our first time in the Key Largo are so perhaps this is the norm. Owners, Mike and Carol, were very sweet and even let us take out the kayak and hang out on the beach until our flight later in the day. All in all, a beautiful place but without checking prices at other resorts (especially one with a pool as this beach is very shallow HOT waters) would have to be a 4 star