Sunset Inn: A Great Place to Stay in Islamorada
A trip to Islamorada offers a lot of opportunities – to eat, drink, fish and relax – on a small piece of real estate. The island’s not getting any bigger, and it’s a popular destination, so the laws of supply and demand mean that you’ll pay a premium for everything from groceries to gas to Gulp. That applies to lodging, too. As we prepared for our recent trip to the Keys, we were at a loss about where to stay.
We had a group of six anglers and one non-fishing spouse, so we either needed four hotel rooms or a rental house that could accommodate our group. The latter proved elusive for a four night stay, so we took the advice of our guide Mark Cockerham and booked at the Sunset Inn. It proved to be an extremely good choice for the following reasons:
PRICE
You’re not going to find a $49-a-night roadside flophouse in the Keys, or if you do it’s going to be really rough. We paid a little bit over $200 per night, per room at the Sunset Inn. That’s at the extreme low end of what’s on offer. If you want to book somewhere else that’s comparable in terms of amenities, you’re likely going to have to pay $50 to $150 more per night.
LOCATION
While the Sunset Inn is right on the main road through the Keys, you’d never know it once you’re inside the “compound.” There was no road noise at all once we were at the pool or ensconced in our rooms. In fact, it’s hidden enough that we missed the sign the first time we drove by. Blink and you might not know that it’s there. Perhaps more importantly, it’s close to everything. We ate breakfast at Mangrove Mike’s, right next door, each morning (they opened at 6, which gave us plenty of time to get to the marina by 7). The Islamorada Brewing Company, where we enjoyed a killer Frozen Key Lime Pie and great banter with the bartendresses, was about a 3 minute walk. It was almost exactly a mile to Publix for groceries, and a mile in the other direction to the Worldwide Sportsman, where we met our guides each day. We ate dinner at four solid restaurants, none of which were more than 3 miles away up or down the main road. It was a perfect jumping off point to anything that we wanted to do.
It’s 78.7 miles from Miami International Airport, and should take about 90 minutes, although weekend traffic or an accident can cause that to be longer. Similarly, it’s 82 miles, and about 2 hours, to Duval Street in Key West.
THE ROOMS
In decades of traveling to fish, I’ve stayed in every manner of accommodation possible, and I’ve learned not to expect too much from them. The Sunset Inn not only exceeded expectations, it was a place I’d take a picky traveler. They put our group in a separate building across the parking lot from the main hotel. It had four double rooms, two up, two down. They were immaculate, with quality sheets, hard-blowing air-conditioning, a mini-fridge and coffee maker. Everything, including the bathrooms, was newly remodeled with quality furniture and fixtures, updated flooring and subway-tiled bathrooms, and it was super-clean. They offered high-end soaps and shampoos, and while cleaning was only upon request, the staff made it clear that they would happily tidy up and replace towels every day. I especially liked the fact that the rooms were full of old fishing photos.
AMENITIES
I normally don’t expect much from “motel” or “inn” style accommodations, but again the Sunset Inn exceeded expectations. They had a warm-as-bathwater pool in the courtyard, but because we fished later than expected we ended up using it only two of four afternoons. They had plenty of towels and comfortable lounge chairs (some shaded) to use. We had nice Adirondack chairs outside of our rooms to meet in the morning, or for a pre- or post-dinner drink each night. Our building also had a grill in case you want to cook your catch or something from the store. The room also came stocked with Keurig cups and a couple of bottles of water, and there was an ice machine.
Finally, they had bicycles available to the guests, a really nice touch. Emily, the non-fishing spouse in our group, took long bike rides to either end of the island each day, and then met our group at the bar at the Worldwide Sportsman when we were done fishing each day. She didn’t need to use the rental car to see and do everything she wanted to experience.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ATTITUDE
If you can’t have a good time in the Keys, you need a major league attitude adjustment. Unfortunately, at a time when front-facing workers are in short supply, I’m certain that staffs down there deal with a lot of crap from impatient customers. You’d never know it from the staff at the Sunset Inn, however, From the time that Hanna started talking to Tammy about setting up our reservation, through check-in and the entirety of our stay, they were friendly, helpful and gracious. It seemed that they really wanted us to have a good time and were working for our return visit. That extended to the guests, too. In and around the pool, everyone shared fish stories and beers, and genuinely seemed to be living on island time. I can’t wait to go back, and I know where we’re likely to stay.
