Travel & Leisure Magazine named
it one of the best 500 resorts in the world for seven years in a row. Travel
& Leisure also named it the 2nd best resort in the United
States. It made the Conde Nast Traveler Gold List and it has been rated as “extraordinary
to perfection in food” by Zagat. Little Palm has been given so many awards and
if you would like to check them all out you can see them here. http://www.noblehousehotels.com/noblehouse_awards.aspx
When you arrive at Little Palm
Island, you haven’t really arrived. You first have to take a boat out to the
island. The ride is very smooth and only takes about 20 minutes. When you get
to the island, you are greeted by a fantastic staff and then escorted to your
bungalow.
The bungalows all have your name on
the outside, spelled out with little wooden block letters. It almost feels like
you are in the South Pacific and not in Florida. There are no cars, no
televisions, unless you request one in the suite. They ask that you not talk on
your cell phone in public areas. It is a quiet, private island where you can
escape the noise and fast moving life back home.
Little Palm has a few residents. They are not people. They are Key Deer. Teh deer are native to some of the Keys and they have learned to swim over to Little Palm. They are very tame and will eat right out of your hands if you want them to. They will actually eat right out of your hands whether you want them to or not. They are very brave and I have never seen a deer so close. It is so much fun when you spot one by the pool or you see one walk up to you while you're eating lunch. Hold onto your drinks though, I discovered they like Pina Coladas.
Not only did I feed a few Key deer, I caught a few fish. Actually, I caught about 10. They were all Rainbow Trout and Grouper on my line. Little Palm gives you the fishing poles and the bait and you can fish right off the dock. I discovered that my girlfriend Angela knows more about fishing than I do. She grew up fishing with her dad, so while I had trouble taking hooks out of the fishy's mouth, she just did it, no problem at all. It really is true love, huh? I threw everything back. The Grouper was too small and so were the Trout but they say you can easily catch your dinner there and the restaurant will cook it up for you.
The other thing that is unique to the Keys and something you will love at Little Palm is the sunset. The sunset in The Keys is incredible but on Little Palm it is almost like you own personal sunset. Since this is a private island and since the restaurant has tables right on the beach, you can sit on the sand and see the sunset unobscured. I have posted a few pictures.
My favorite things about Little Palm
are these things:
1) The staff is incredible. Everyone is
nice and they will cater to pretty much anything you need. Travel & Leisure
Magazine gave Little Palm their “World’s Best Service Award” five times.
2) Little Palm doesn’t charge for most
activities. You can use kayaks, take a motor boat out and snorkel at no extra
charge. We also fished and the fishing poles are free to use and they even
supply the bait.
3) The food on the island is incredible.
Zagat has given their restaurant top ratings and in 2009, Travel & Leisure
gave Little Palm the World’s Best Dining Award. We didn’t have anything to eat
on the island that was bad.
The Little Palm Island Resort is an
amazing place to vacation. It is one of the most romantic hotels I have ever
stayed in and it is located in one of the most beautiful places in the United
States.
The one
thing that you should be aware of is food and spa activities are not
inexpensive. With rooms ranging from $400 to $1,700 per night, depending on the
season, it is expensive. Once you are there, expect to spend around $700 to
$1000 on food and drinks. We didn’t eat big meals, so if you are a big eater
and like to eat three meals a day and drink, you will spend much more.
Even though
it is pricey, I give the Little Palm Island Resort 5 stars out of 5.
Nice information here. I like this very much.
ReplyDeleteBryce Lodging
State regulations implemented by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission make feeding Key deer a misdemeanor offense. Federal law prohibits the feeding of Key deer on the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges.
ReplyDeleteNever feed wild deer for the following reasons:
(1) Deer that are accustomed to being hand fed lose their natural fear of humans and become easy targets for would-be poachers.
(2) Public feeding attracts deer to roads and highways where they are killed each year by passing motorists.
(3) Supplementing the natural diet of the Key deer with the completely unnatural foods used in public feeding may have adverse effects on the deer's behavior, population and even it's physical appearance.
(4) Public feeding is usually centered in areas of high human concentrations such as subdivisions. These developments expose the deer to human-related accidents such as entanglement in wire or other debris, accidental drowning in canals and harassment and attacks by dogs.
(5) Deer tend to concentrate in large numbers around public feeding areas and are more susceptible to contagious diseases, fighting or other density related mortalities.