The Moorings Village

I booked a trip here for July to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, and the only way I can describe this place is 'Perfect'. From the very start, the staff was on top of things. They were polite, great at communicating, and quick to answer any questions I had. It was a flawless, world class performance from them. The front office gets an A+. Keep in mind as I tell you the rest of this, that this whole thing was a surprise for my wife. She had no clue where we were going. We stayed in the Maroni cottage which is one of the several beach front places you can reserve. After check in, two folks from the front office drove us and our luggage to our cottage on a large golf cart. The drive to the cottage was like something out of a movie. We started driving down a long, narrow trail lined with tropical plants that formed an absolute wall of green around and above you. At that point right there, easing down that tropical trail not 40 yards from the main office, you know you have officially arrived on vacation. The world and the stress it contains, cannot pass that point to accompany you. Eventually we pulled up in front of a sign for our cottage, but it still couldn't be seen. We had to travel a bit further, walking down a sand and seashell path through what’s essentially a tropical hardwood garden, with multiple layers of canopy keeping the area in dense shade most of the day. The path was fun, with twisty with turns, keeping you guessing as to what lay around the next corner as you peek past giant green tropical plant leaves that slightly overhang the trail, which adds to the sense of mystery. It looks like Disney planned this place, or that it was made for a movie, its THAT nice. When the cottage finally comes into view, you are right on top of it, the greenery is that dense, and I’m certain it was designed to trigger the pleasant surprise that you get. When it pops into view you can see down the long covered porch on the west side, which forms a tunnel through which you can see the emerald green waters of the keys just a short distance in front of you. We entered the cottage from the side, and when you step into the open living room/kitchen, the only thing you can look at is the view. I didn't see a single thing in that cottage because I couldn't take my eyes off the view through the double glass doors that look out onto the beach just 20 yards away. Coconut trees swaying in the tropical breeze, green grass, white sand, and the ocean were right outside the door. We stood there for a stunned moment just taking in the view. Its so nice that at first it doesn’t seem real. When you walk through those doors to the beach, you step onto a wide, breezy, comfortable and covered porch that wraps around two sides of the building. The porch is covered to the point that the sun and the rain can’t touch you. The more time I spent on that porch (both day and night), the more I realized how great the design was, it is the perfect porch for this application. A small staircase descends to another sandy path that winds through the lush green grass to the beach. You pass your own personal hammock on the way to the sandy beach. Several chairs are permanently reserved for you and your guests, but as you'll learn shortly, crowds and the problem of not being able to find a chair are not issues you will run into here. A nice personal touch they included was to ice down a bottle champaign and leave that in the room for us as a 30th anniversary gift. This isn't a place with a big high rise hotel or buildings crammed onto a small parcel with a pool surrounded by 150 chairs that are all taken. The entire four days we were there, my wife had 1,100 feet of pristine, white sand beach almost entirely to herself. A few people came and went over the days, but it was rare to see anyone, and I never heard anyone. Its very quiet here. If you've ever wanted to sit on a beautiful beach in complete solitude like they show you in the commercials...this is the place. There are just eight cottages on perhaps 15 acres. I don’t know the exact acreage as I’ve seen it listed in various places as anything from 11 to 18 acres but the point to take away is that they have way more space than they have people, which is the exact opposite of what I see in most places. They keep the population density low to ensure there is no crowd here. That is the reason one of the reasons you pay more here, and its 100% worth it if you’re looking for luxury. In addition to the lack of crowds, to ensure you get solitude, everyone on staff has clearly been trained to make no more noise than necessary, and to be seen as little as possible. They respect the guests desire for peace and tranquility, and that shows up HUGE when you're there. I never heard any gas powered equipment working in the area, the only engines I heard were on boats passing by in the distance, and I rarely saw anyone who worked there. If you needed them, they were a quick call away, and would do anything you needed, but they respect the fact that you are here to relax. Getting back to the chairs, you don't need to make reservations because again, its not crowded. I once stayed at a resort that's just about next door to this place, and when my wife and I went to the pool, we weren’t greeted by the big spacious pool we saw in the commercials, it looked like a rush hour traffic jam. The perimeter of the pool was lined with chairs side by side the entire way around, and every single one of them was taken. Even if we could have gotten a chair, what a crappy way to spend an afternoon, jammed in tight with a bunch of other people, scared to leave your seat bc someone else will take it, lots of noise, etc. That’s not relaxing to me, and its certainly not what that place showed me in their marketing shots. If they’d showed a pool so crowded that I couldn’t use it, I’d have never booked there, which is exactly why they don’t show that in the pics. The pool at the Moorings was like something out of a commercial. Its a long rectangular pool surrounded by tropical greenery. It literally looks like something out of a TV commercial for some high end fashion brand. I counted maybe 15 chairs, and we were the only people at the pool in the middle of the afternoon. We literally left a beach we had to ourselves, and walked a short distance to a pool that we had all to ourselves. That is luxury. That is relaxing. At that point it feels like you own the place, like this is home. The cottage was just as perfect as the beach and the pool. It was in perfect shape, had very comfortable furniture, a good kitchen, VERY COMFORTABLE bed, and a cool bathroom. The wrap around porch is a very nice touch. It has comfortable furniture on it, and I will not forget falling asleep out there at 2 AM with a steady ocean breeze blowing and the sound of the surf gently lapping at the shore. A+ on the cottage. The location is amazing, its a very short drive to anything you need on Islamorada, and despite its close proximity to Highway 1, you never hear the first bit of traffic. As for value? What price would you put on perfection? I'm going to guess you'd put a much higher price on it than they are asking for here. A short time after we got home my wife said to me “I didn’t realize how badly I needed that. That gave me a huge recharge.” What is the value of that? What else in life gives you that? If I paid twice as much as they asked, I would still be extremely satisfied with the value. If you want a quiet, secluded, luxurious place to stay while getting away from the noise, distraction, drama, and inconvenience of crowds, this is THE place to stay. The only thing that might might not be optimal for some is the shallow water at the beach here. Its not a swimming beach, so keep that in mind. One more logistical thing to consider is "distance to the beach". When we stay at the usual places that are multi story buildings, its a bit of work getting to the beach. You have to pack a bag with all your stuff, then take an elevator to a lobby, walk through the lobby, out the back, past a pool, maybe past a bar, then over a boardwalk to a beach that's likely crowded. If you need something that's up in the room? You have to go through the entire process again, or you go without. Also, I recall hearing people asking "is the beach crowded?” while in the room at most resorts or hotels, because they wanted to get out there before it was. At the Maroni cottage you don't have to pack a bag because your entire house is literally 20 yards behind you. If you forget something, walk a few steps and get it. Space is a luxury, and you pay for it because its worth it. Here you are paying for a very low population density. Consider that the resort next to them is on 27 acres and has 247 rooms. Compare that to the 15 acres and 8 cottages here. This places is secluded by design, whereas other places cram as many people in as they can. These are different design choices, with different price levels. Crowded, hectic, and inconvenient should be cheap, because that sucks, and luxury, solitude, peace, and an actual recharge should be more expensive, because its worth it. I must add one thing about the chairs and crowds. My wife did have to move her chair one time, and it was because a Loggerhead Sea Turtle had come ashore to make a nest the night before. :) The chair was moved so maintenance could put up a protective barrier around the nest. Every time she used that chair, she was lying next to a hundred future sea turtles. :) If luxury, peace, quiet, and relaxation are what you’re looking for, stop looking and start booking…this is your place. Below are a few videos I took with my iPhone. Count how many people you see in the background. Path to Maroni: https://youtu.be/TOFEhRC8WNM View from Maroni Porch: https://youtu.be/rTXotpQHnPI We woke up to this every morning. View from Bed: https://youtu.be/w0ts8fvb12Q Evening View from Pier: https://youtu.be/8WRIUTFNk38 Evening view from porch: https://youtu.be/mdtcvLJZKdE

My wife and I had stayed here many years ago but had gravitated to the Cheeca when our daughter was with us over the years. Just stayed 3 night over new years with daughter and fiancé in adjoining north and south cottages. The moorings is really nice . Super peaceful and so worth it for a relaxing place to be. Beautiful gardens and pool area . I hope they never change . Really great all around !

My husband and I just spent 5 days in The Moorings Village and it could not have been a more lovely experience. The property is well-managed with a helpful staff and the grounds were absolutely spectacular! It felt like we were staying in the middle of a botanical garden with access to our own private beach area. We stayed in the well-appointed Orchid Cottage which I would highly recommend to any couple looking for a quiet and relaxing place to stay. The Moorings Village is unmatched in its privacy, service, and amenities. If you are seeking somewhere to stay in The Keys that is away from the hustle and commercialism so prevalent in the other Keys, this is the place!

5 out of 5 Fabulous Exquisite setting in Paradise’s Quiet Peaceful Service was impeccable A perfect get away, we stayed in one of the cottages perfectly appointed The gardens the landscaping the orchids were spectacular The gymn a perfect reset Choice of pool and or beach … did both Looking forward to our next visit Great resturants for dinner with if walking

Great place so much surround in the hotel I loved it anything there .location was amazing lots places to visit I enjoyed every second.high recommend,especially family with young children.lovely beaches and playgrounds near by,many choice of restaurants.