Hawks Cay Resort

Took my 3 kids (19,16,15) This resort had everything for all ages. Many other little ones under my kids ages seemed to enjoy themselves all day. For the adults, there is an Adult only area that was very peaceful to enjoy. I'd definitely stay at Hawks Cay again with my family!

Great service, very friendly great with my family. They brought drinks right to us and made them very well, couldn’t be happier with Jacob’s service at the tiki bar everything was amazing. You guys so lucky to have this gentleman at the bar

We absolutely loved our stay at Hawks Cay Resort. Just a couple of days into our visit, we were already talking about planning a return trip. That said, we were very disappointed to learn on our last day that the dolphins are scheduled to leave later this month. We would have been heartbroken had we planned this trip only to discover that Dolphin Connection was no longer there, and I truly hope this decision is reconsidered. My heart especially breaks for the dolphins who have called Hawks Cay home for so many years. I can only imagine the stress involved in relocating them to another facility. Dolphin Connection is a truly unique and special environment, allowing the dolphins to live in a natural habitat while forming meaningful connections with guests. In addition to participating in a dolphin encounter, we enjoyed watching the dolphins throughout our stay. The trainers and caretakers were absolutely exceptional. It was clear they were attentive to every detail of the dolphins’ care. These dolphins are clearly loved, well cared for, and deeply respected. Taking them away from the home they know would not only be an extreme disservice to the dolphins themselves, but also to the local community and visitors to the area. This appears to be another example of a large corporation trying to save money and completely abandoning not only these beautiful creatures, but also the dedicated staff, who have made Hawks Cay so special! Please don’t take them away from the home they know. Quite honestly, Hawks Cay Resort would lose much of its unique appeal without the dolphins. Dolphin Connection is a major reason the resort stands out among other Florida Keys destinations, and I believe many future guests may choose not to return once they learn the dolphins are no longer there. Our two-bedroom villa was very comfortable and offered a wonderful view. Every staff member we encountered was incredibly kind and welcoming. We took advantage of several resort experiences during our stay. In addition to the dolphin encounter, we attended the family New Year’s Eve party, and a mini coastal photo session. The New Year’s Eve buffet was enjoyable, and the fireworks display was long and impressive. The photo session was a great experience. Jette did an excellent job capturing beautiful family photos in a short amount of time. There are several pools on the property, each with a different atmosphere. The pool behind the activity center was relaxing and perfect for kids, with nearby activities such as soccer, volleyball, and miniature golf. The main pool had excellent food and drink service from the Tiki Bar, along with great music and a fantastic DJ. Our only complaint regarding this pool was the ongoing issue of lounge chair saving. Despite clear signage stating that chair saving is not permitted and that unattended items will be removed, we never saw this policy enforced. Guests placed towels and small personal items (like an almost empty pop bottle) on loungers early in the morning and did not return for hours (or return at all). On our first day, we left and went to another pool because there was no sitting (yet MANY chairs only occupied by a folded towel). On the second day, we arrived at 9:30 a.m. and managed to get the last two chairs. We were at the pool until 1:30 p.m. During that time, many loungers went completely unused, yet staff did not remove any items. This was frustrating and detracted from the experience. Guests should be more considerate, and staff should consistently enforce the posted policy. Overall, we truly enjoyed our week at Hawks Cay and had hoped to return again this year. However, we will be watching closely to see whether the dolphins do in fact leave. If they do, we will likely consider other resort options. The dolphins are one of the defining features that make Hawks Cay Resort so special, and it simply would not be the same without them.

Things you should know before booking • Pools close at sunset. • The resort does not facilitate booking or payment for excursions/experiences. • $200/night incidental hold for the entire stay. • Activities are extremely limited: maybe one hotel-hosted activity per day. • Complimentary bikes and paddleboards are very limited. • About 99% of activities cost extra and are run by third parties—you must book separately. Overall, the resort lacks activities, organization, and clear communication. The grounds are beautiful, well maintained, and largely underutilized. The overall vibe feels “checked out”—as if upper management is phoning it in rather than curating a true resort experience. It feels out of touch and, frankly, boring. Staff & Service Front-line staff were excellent across the board—front desk (with one exception), housekeeping, grounds crew, and dolphin experience staff were kind, attentive, and genuinely service-oriented. One negative experience with a manager at check-in aside, service was consistently strong. That said, leadership is noticeably absent. Directors and managers do not appear to lead by example. They stay behind the scenes while service staff carry everything. As someone with decades of service experience, this was very apparent and frustrating. The lone exception was the front desk management team. Jason (Front of House Manager/Director?) Jason deserves special recognition. His ability to listen, de-escalate, problem-solve, and meaningfully improve our experience was exceptional. Truly best-in-class guest service. Entertainment The acoustic musician at the pool was wonderful—great voice, great song selection, perfect poolside energy. However, the playlist was very limited; we heard the same songs repeatedly throughout the week. The Café (Breakfast) • Service: Several rude and inappropriate interactions with servers—every single morning. However, the hostess and baristas were consistently lovely and professional. • Food: Coconut pancakes and the buffet were solid and enjoyable. • Coffee: Well-made lattes and hot chocolate; never had a bad drink. • Cost: Fairly priced, not overpriced. Tiki Bar • Food: Kids’ mahi and hot dog meals were a hit. Fish tacos, ahi tuna, and truffle fries were very good. • Service: Servers appeared overworked with little to no visible manager support. • Drinks: Cocktails were okay; decent beer selection. • Cost: Average pricing. Christmas Day Buffet (12/25) Strange and disappointing. It felt like a generic conference buffet welcome dinner. • No festive décor or ambiance. • Food was fine but uninspired. • Drinks were limited to sparkling wine. Not worth the price. We canceled our New Year’s Eve tickets after this experience. The Spa Co-ed amenities are not appealing. Separate men’s and women’s lounges would have encouraged us to book multiple services. My husband’s 80-minute sports massage + scalp massage: • Massage: 3.9/5 • Therapist: 4/5 • Ambience: 3.5/5 Final Takeaway Hawks Cay has beautiful grounds and strong front-line staff, but it is severely lacking in leadership, activity programming, and resort-level experience. With engaged upper management and better organization, this could be a standout property. As it stands, it falls short of expectations for the price.

Great time at the hawks cay for new years celebration, my family came to this beautiful place and we had so much fun it is a very family oriented resort, but with adult apeal. At the tiki bar the bartender jacob made the greatest cocktails i’ve ever had, he was very charismatic and kind. He was very knowledgeable and worldly. Even if it had started raining i would have had a good time because of jacob