This can be your home in the ever-freshened Keys. Little Palm Island is set on five acres of tropical hideaway that gives new meaning to the word seclusion. Located twenty-eight miles north of Key West, accessible only by water, Little Palm Island is a fifteen minute boat-ride away from Little Torch Key, but light years away from civilization. That doesn't mean it's not luxurious. In fact, all the comforts of home are here, without any of the nuisances or distractions.
Guest accommodations are in fourteen villas scattered across the island, all built on stilts to keep the floodwaters away. Inside the bamboo and thatched roof villas are twenty-eight luxury suites, with two more in a permanently moored houseboat. The suites all have large bedrooms, living rooms, mini-bars, whirlpool baths, private sundecks, and outdoor showers Interiors are ( plush and tropical, furnished in rattan and wicker. The exteriors are screened and louvered, to keep the
mosquitos and sunlight away while allowing the tropical breezes to pass through the rooms.
The fresh-water pool is fed by a waterfall, and heated by solar power; its loungers are fueled by tropical drinks and snacks from the poolside Palapa Bar. An intimate beach is ringed with white sand, uncommon in the Keys. There's a small-boat harbor for guests. And the docks are a great place to watch the spectacular sunset. The spa, which offers a vast array of treatments, will attend to your body. A dive shop will provide all you need for scuba or snorkeling. The well-stocked library has hammocks swinging outside, where you can curl up with a good book, or make bookends with someone special.
Of course even in paradise, you have to eat. And Chef Michel Reymond serves award-winning cuisine in the Cypress Dining Room or out on the deck. The tables are set with white linen, blue-rimmed plates, and hand-blown glassware. Fresh seafood is a specialty, often imaginatively prepared. Breakfast offerings include a fresh seafood delicacy and home-baked corn and banana bread. Lunch is popular with the local yachters, and salads and sandwiches are served along with more adventuresome fare like raw fish marinated in lime juice. Every Thursday is Gourmet Night which showcases Chef Michel's talents, and each Sunday brings a sumptuous Sunday brunch which is not only a feast for the palate but the eyes as well.
But the best part of Little Palm Island is still ahead, the gorgeous sunset and quiet, star-filled nights. This is what you've escaped civilization for-to sit out on the deck or lie in the hammock and enjoy each other's company in this blissful setting.
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