Sunset Key Guest Cottages Key West

I went to these guest cottages in April 2004 for spring break. Now, I'm only 14, but this was the best vacation I've ever been on! It was the first time I was in Florida, and I thought everything there was fantabulous! I loved the pool and beach, and the food.. oh geez, the food was great! It was also nice, because there was no curfue. My cousin and I sat on the pier until almost 1:00 a.m. every night, and just talked, and when the boat came in, we just greeted people, and no one really say anything.

The downside was that it wasn't all that entertaining. Often times my cousins and I would find ourselves laying on the beach or at the pool saying, "What can we do?" It was the most relaxed I was in my entire life, but it was pretty boring at times.

Another thing that we liked is that, with four teenages between the ages of 14 and 16, we like things loud and we love to have fun. Some nights when my aunt and uncle went out to dinner, we had to watch my 10 year old cousin, and so we would put him in one of the bedrooms with his TV show, and us girls would crank up a DVD or some music and just chill out and be girls.

I recomend staying at the Sunset Key Guest Cottages on your next vacation!

We rented three cottages and we initially couldn't believe how gorgeous this resort was...that is when the pleasure ended. The cottages are fantastic, beautifully decorated and very comfortable...with gorgeous robes and beds. All your amenities are great but the bathroom ammenities are fruit smelling stuff that really cheapened an otherwise elegant surrounding. This resort is lacking exclusivity and privacy. The management lets Hilton Key West visitors over to use your supposedly isolated, exclusive, private beach. This we felt was aborrable! They were coming over in droves! And the hotel did not have enough beach floats to go around. They also did not adequately provide you with staff to serve you on the beach. Because so many staff were assigned to the pool when so many visitors were using it, you who were left on the beach got NO SERVICE! You are paying over $800 a night and this is UNACCEPTABLE. We got three rooms so this was very expensive. The breakfast basket was awful with poppyseed muffins and pound cake with nothing to go with it!!! Just dry muffins!!!! Managment needs to take a hard look at what they are doing here. By letting visitors come over, they are losing guests who would otherwise be faithful and return. Don't get us wrong. This resort can be great, but management needs to get there act together and really make it the exclusive, private resort it can be if they gave it the attention it deserves. We will not be returning!

Went here Memorial Day week to take advantage of lower rates after hearing nice things. It's a special place, well maintained..we happened to be there over a Thursday which is grass cutting day so all day all you heard was power mowers and trimmers, the accomodations are nice and really capture a Key West relaxed flavor...almost too relaxed as in the four days there our rooms were not vaccumed once even though housekeeping came twice per day.....the boat ride to KW itself is conveniently scheduled..the restaurant on the island is excellent, although expensive....the pool area is also well maintained...its Key West so you do see everything even on Sunset Key as I stumbled upon one evening on the beach! ......overall a very positive experience, but for what I payed for four days, at that time of the year, I could have gone on two vacations anywhere else in Florida in a suite on the ocean....From the Ritz Carlton in Naples on the west coast to the Four Seasons on the east. The prices here are !!!!. Our friends stayed at the Pier House in KW, a waterfront room for 1/3 the cost we paid. Granted, Sunset is nicer, but we ended up eating and drinking over in KW with them most of the time anyway.

Just got back from a stay June 6-10, 2004. Maybe the build up of the anticipation made me more critical, but I felt more pampered on my Celebrity cruise last fall. The cottages were beautiful, the grounds incredible, but the food and the service were not what I expected for the price. My husband arranged a surprise of flowers and champagne on arrival, and both were more expensive and not what he ordered (I am very picky about my bubbles!) The food at the restaurant and room service was boring, overcooked and only salvaged by the beach view. The "basket of breakfast goodies" never showed up before 8:30am, way after I normally eat, and the first day consisted of poppyseed muffins AND poppyseed bread. I don't like poppyseed that much! Who does! And it never showed up at all on the day we left.

It seems like they got all the big things right with the surroundings and such, but once you are a captive audience on the island, the little things fell through the cracks. I expected more for the money, especially some breakfast!

Was torn between this and Little Palm Island. Next time we'll try Little Palm.

We recently spent 4 days on Sunset Key with a wedding party of 25 people in 4 cottages, all beachfront. As Father of the bride, I was initially sceptical that the cost of the cottages would not be worth it but now that I look back on it, every person in our group had the most magnificent time of their life on this island. The cottages provided a very high end stay, were spotless, decorated like out of a magazine with dishes and placemats complimenting the furniture and interiors. The privacy was wonderful, and the boat service to/from the island was smooth as silk, including luggage pickup and delivery. The Hilton truly has their act together with this island resort, and we WILL be back! Each morning a picnic basket with hot muffins and sweet breads was delivered to our patio picnic table, along with a current newspaper. The groundskeeping is perfect, with all bushes and flowers manicured each day. The beach was quiet, no hustle and bustle of crowds like on the mainland. The pool, complete with waterfall, was great for lounging, and the private snack bar near the pool was great. I knew this was going to be good when I arrived and the lady tending the snackbar knew me by name as I walked up! The food in this snackbar was top end, and the restaurant on the island was where we had our wedding reception dinner. I cannot think of one single thing to complain about after our stay at Sunset Key! The accomodations, the service, the privacy, and the serene calm of this place will certainly draw me back there.

We stayed at the Sunset Key, Mar. 2003, which is a while ago, but our visit was so incredible I had to write a review. We stayed here for my brother's wedding. Before arriving I was a little freaked out by the price, but after leaving I wouldn't hesitate to go back and spend it again. The cottages are beautiful. They are more like private luxury residences, in the way they are decorated. The bathrooms and entryway have natural stone tile, the windows have wood blinds, the beds have deluxe bedding, all in a airy tropical feel. When you first open your cottage you feel like you are touring a model home. Perfect. The pool area is wonderful. Perfectly clean, not a leaf on the patio. The 0 entry pool is perfect for kids. The beach was beautiful for lounging, but there appeared to be a current in the water so I'd be careful swimming with little kids. We had dinner at the on island restuarant.

The table is on a wood platform on the sand. It is truly out of a movie, and the food was fantastic. The true test of service had to be our departure. I arranged with the concierge for the bellhop to come get our bags at 3:30 AM (yes AM) since we had a flight at 6 a.m. They also had to schedule a special boat trip back to Key West for us and a taxi once we arrived at the mainland Hilton. I thought for sure at 3:30 in the morning someone would drop the ball. But no one did. Everyone was in their spot at the right time, we didn't have to touch a bag.

Perfect synchronization.

Although this review is about a year and a half old now, I had to rate it due to the terrible rating it got from another person. We actually made reservations for Fantasy Fest in October 2002 for the Hilton right at Mallory Square. When we arrived, we were told that they had overbooked the hotel and they would place use in the guest cottages for the weekend at no additional charge! Sure enough, they transported us and all of our luggage by boat to a "Martha Stewart" haven 2 bedroom cottage. It was great! Both bedrooms had separate entrances, so if you were staying with other people you could come and go as you please without disturbing each other. The bathrooms and showers were huge! The cottage was decorated in tasteful blues and yellows with plush amenities, from the bed linens, fluffy pillows and absolutely the nicest robes I have ever seen. Breakfast and daily paper were totally unexpected, but a very nice touch. We spent most of our time at the pool, wich is just heavenly. We had great service and a great bartender that catered to our every need. In the afternoon they would serve frozen towels, fresh fruit on a stick and drinks...IN THE POOL! The whole staff was very nice and a pleasure to deal with. The whole island is a beautiful atmosphere with the pool surrounded by swaying palm trees, hibiscus flowers and a small waterfall. At night, it's great to go and lay in the hammocks and enjoy the lights of Mallory Square or watch the cruise ships dock. We ate at the pool bar several times and the beach restaurant once. The food was great! All in all, it was the best place that I've ever been to. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

You have to have a special key to show that you are staying on the island to board the boat. Even though we moved on land for the remainder of the week, they let us keep the key and visit the island as often as we liked. If you can just appreciate the beauty of things instead of whining that someone didn't hand you a lounge chair, then this is the place for you. After we left Sunset Key we stayed at the Hilton at Mallory Square and the service there was just as impecable. I will definately be back!

Sunset Key Island,Key West , has to be the best kept secret in Florida. Everything was a 'ten'. Accomodations, food, beaches and the weather were perfect. Worth every dollar. Can't wait to go back.

I booked this because of the article stating "pampering beyond your wildest dreams." I paid $1,100/nt for a 3 bedroom cottage and $900/nt for a 2 bedroom cottage. We arrived at the Hilton lobby at 9pm. By the time the boat took us to the Sunset Key Island it was 9:30pm. The island was dark and we were told to wait with our luggage someone would be with us shortly. For that amount of money someone should have been there waiting. Finally we get to our two story cottage and the luggage was left in the foyer. The cottage had a bad smell, and we did not know how to turn off the music. We have asthma and allergies and smells are a big problem. The kitchen, living room, and one bedroom were on the second floor. Which meant to get a drink you had to go up the flight of stairs. I called the manager at 10 pm, as the wheezing started from the smells. Quite scary when you are on an island. When he finally got back to me he told me it was too late to deal with me. After wasting the night and all morning, trying to get a new cottage, I gave up. I did not want anymore time spent on this. The manager never came to see us.At the pool we had to get our own heavy chair off a stack, and roll it to a suitable location. We had to go to the bar ourselves to get drinks. This is NOT pampering!Don't take a shower in the middle of the day! They will take your towels at turn down service and not replace them. You will not have towels in the morning. We just used the robes (which are fabulous). Really the robes are exquisite!Breakfast does not come early. It is only muffins, made from a boxed mix. Honestly, my third grader has made the same muffins. If you want an early start be prepared to get breakfast elsewhere.The staff does not accomodate anything outside their routine.I had a massage in the room. That was great! A very good therapist!Unless you have insomnia don't go to the guitar concert. It is a waste of money. The restaurant at the Hilton pier service was extremely slow. Members of our party wanted to surpr staff three times, and were assured it was taken care of. We ordered dessert and everyone looked at each other. We were served our dessert, then they ran out with the cake.I also felt uncomfortable because the downstairs bedroom had the two single beds, so that was where I had to put the children. After hearing that some cubans with guns had walked through the streets just a day earlier, without going through customs or anything. I did not feel as if their security was as good as it should be.

One of the best places we've stayed in the world. We've been there a couple times and have sent friends who've said the same. No cars allowed, rooms are bright, colorful, and service is fabulous. A short boat shuttle will take you every half hour to the excitement of the Hilton Marina, Mallory Square and Duval Street's electifying night life. Upscale and high priced, but worth every bit of it! A great restaurant also, but last Thanksgiving we prepared our own turkey dinner and ate it outside on our front porch under palm trees with a spectacular sunset view of the gulf!