Baker's Cay Resort Key Largo, Curio Collection by Hilton

Valdez was amazing when we had breakfast. Very attentive.

The hotel was beautiful. Friendly staff and excellent service. The rooms were very spacious (Hammock room) and well appointed - the shower was sublime! Food in the Top Rock was great - nice sharing plates or main plates. I am British, so found the pricing what you would expect for this type of resort. The beach bar area is very pretty and right on the beach with plenty of sunlougers. The pool area was quiet and beautiful. Highly recommend!

I almost didn’t want to write this review, don’t want to spill the secret however I love this restaurant and hotel. Kingsley was simply the best, food is incredible and hotel is amazing. Thank you!

We ate at Calusa for our anniversary dinner. Miguel was an incredible server. Attentive without being overbearing. Offered great suggestions and made our evening perfect.

I’ve been coming to this resort regularly for many years, and it has always been one of my favorite places. I’ve recommended it to so many people because our stays have usually been close to perfect. Unfortunately, our last few visits have felt noticeably different. I’m not sure if there have been changes in management, operations, or overall direction, but there have been enough issues lately that they no longer feel isolated. There have been a lot of changes, and unfortunately, many haven’t improved the guest experience. Rooms & Housekeeping Housekeeping and room maintenance have become noticeably inconsistent. Across recent stays, we’ve encountered dirty mirrors and sinks, hair and dirt left behind, a dirty rag in the bathroom, a stained folded towel, a broken door lock, a clogged sink, and even part of our room number missing from the door. During another stay, housekeeping knocked extremely loudly between 8–9 AM asking about checkout two mornings in a row, even though we weren’t checking out, then knocked again almost immediately without giving us enough time to answer. We’ve also noticed rooms missing things that were consistently provided before, including a hair dryer, ironing board, luggage stand, and table. Smaller amenities like the salt scrub, shower cap, and makeup wipes have disappeared as well. Individually these things are minor, but it feels like more and more of the little extras are slowly being removed. The mini fridge during our most recent stay was essentially a freezer. It froze my dog’s food, which meant I couldn’t feed her at her normal time, and one of our seltzer waters eventually froze and exploded around 6 AM. It was loud enough to wake us up scared, blew the refrigerator door open, and left quite a mess. Dining & Breakfast During one visit, we had the worst dinner service we’ve experienced here. Several employees barely acknowledged us, our server wasn’t attentive, and after patiently trying several times to get someone’s attention, we eventually had to get up and ask for our bill. Unfortunately, this was a birthday dinner. On another visit, we learned Calusa was closing at 9 PM instead of 10 PM because there weren’t enough guests. I understand the business reasoning, but it isn’t very convenient for the guests who are staying at the resort. Watching the sunset is a big part of being here, and a 9 PM closing doesn’t leave much time afterward to return to your room, get ready, and enjoy dinner. The dinner menu could also use more variety, especially for guests who don’t eat much seafood. After several stays, the choices become repetitive, and some dishes have been inconsistent in quality and portion size. I do have to give credit where it’s due though, the braised short rib is AMAZING! We’ve also noticed that bread service is no longer offered. One of the changes I miss most is food ordering at Hammock Beach. There used to be menus and QR codes so guests could order food directly to the beach. That has completely disappeared. It was a fantastic resort amenity and made it easy to spend the whole day enjoying the beach without having to leave to find food. Breakfast used to be one of my favorite parts of staying here, and sadly it isn’t anymore. The new $40-per-person buffet seems to be heavily prioritized while regular breakfast options have become increasingly limited. Initially, a limited menu was available if you specifically asked for it. Then, from one day to the next during our most recent stay, we were told it was no longer being offered at all. We, along with several other guest parties, ended up leaving the resort to eat breakfast elsewhere. I really miss the old breakfast menu. The buffet’s “fresh scrambled eggs” also remind me of the pre-made eggs commonly served at hotels offering complimentary breakfast, and even little touches like the individual glass jam jars have been replaced with basic Smucker’s packets. Those details may sound small, but they were part of what made breakfast here feel special. More Charges, Fewer Extras This is probably the overall change that concerns me most. More things now seem to cost extra while some of the previously included amenities and special touches are disappearing. Overnight parking used to be included and now carries an additional charge. Kayaks and paddleboards also cost extra, despite overnight guests already paying a resort fee. I completely understand charging day-pass guests separately for these activities. However, overnight guests are already paying to stay at the resort AND paying a resort fee. I don’t think those guests should then have to pay another fee to use kayaks and paddleboards. Even smaller touches have changed. Complimentary sunset champagne used to come in nice acrylic champagne flutes, and tropical drinks were served in proper reusable cocktail cups. Now they’re often served in basic plastic cups. Individually, these things might sound insignificant. Together, they contribute to whether the experience feels like a luxury resort or simply a nice hotel. Resort Activities & Pet-Friendly Experience There have been some changes to activities as well. A miniature golf activity was added where guests hit biodegradable golf balls into the ocean. Personally, I don’t love this addition. Even knowing they’re biodegradable, seeing golf balls floating around in such beautiful water takes away from the natural appearance of the ocean and beach. There also seems to be some inconsistency with scheduled activities. During our most recent stay, I specifically went to the pool at 2 PM for the scheduled “Cay Creations” activity, but nothing was happening. If an activity is advertised to resort guests, it should either take place or guests should be notified that it has been canceled. One thing I still LOVE is how dog-friendly this resort is. Being able to bring my baby is a huge reason I continue staying here. I actually think there’s an opportunity to make this even better. I’ve stayed at regular hotels where food and water bowls or a small treat are waiting when they know a dog is coming. For a resort known for being so dog-friendly, a simple touch like that would make the experience even more special. Room service could also feel more like resort-level service. At other nice hotels I’ve stayed at, room service arrives in a hot box and is set up for you. Here, it’s essentially dropped off at the door. The Staff Who Make a Difference I definitely don’t want this feedback to take away from the wonderful employees we’ve met over the years. Peter, Stacey, Tashana, Valdez, and Miguel at Calusa have always been especially amazing. They’re friendly, attentive, and make us feel genuinely welcome. They deserve recognition for how much they contribute to making our stays special. There are several other employees whose names I unfortunately don’t remember who have also been wonderful. Overall What disappoints me most is that I know how great this resort can be because I’ve experienced it for years. I’m very familiar with hospitality, and a resort, especially a Curio Collection resort, should feel like a significant step above a regular hotel. It used to consistently feel that way here. Lately, many of the little things that made this place special seem to be disappearing while additional fees are being introduced. When you combine the loss of beach food ordering, additional charges for water activities, earlier restaurant hours, fewer dining options, changes to breakfast, missing room amenities, housekeeping inconsistencies, and all the smaller changes, it feels like there are actually fewer reasons to stay on property throughout the day than there used to be. And I’m not writing this because I dislike the resort. It’s actually the opposite. I love this place. I’ve continued coming back for years, I’ve bragged about it, and I’ve recommended it to so many people. That’s exactly why seeing the experience change has been so disappointing. Lately, we’ve found ourselves leaving the resort to eat or looking elsewhere for experiences we previously enjoyed right here on property. When that starts happening, it begins to defeat the purpose of choosing and paying for a resort experience in the first place. For me, five stars represents the luxury resort experience we consistently received here in years past. I’m giving four stars because there is still so much I genuinely love about this property, but our recent stays simply haven’t been at that same five-star level. I know this resort is capable of providing that experience because I’ve experienced it firsthand for years, and I truly hope it gets back there. I really hope management listens to longtime guests and considers bringing back some of the quality, value, attention to detail, and special touches that made this one of my favorite places to stay. I genuinely want to keep coming back and loving it the way I always have.