Hawk's Cay Resort, Florida Review

Really nice place. Had a water-view lanai room and it was really nice being able to walk out to the pool every day. Beautiful clear water with thriving wildlife and a dolphin place in the resort! Giving it 4 stars because it is way too expensive for what they offer. Food is nothing special and you pay a lot of money ($15-65) per entree. Rooms are ok they are old but really nice bathrooms. Loved the property and the saltwater lagoons. As long as you don't eat on the property and bring your own alcohol it will be a great time.

Nice resort with great amenities. Great pools and family friendly.

Wonderful place to stay! Could easily live there. Very quite and peaceful

Place has potential. Really disappointed in service. They need a activities director for programs for kids and teens. Not sure is the storm effected their services they offered. Currently it s an expensive hotel that has high prices restaurants with good food and a few pools and beach view. I really hope they step it up and improve services/ activities. Really disappointed..Had an over priced stay at a hotel who tries to act like the Ritz by opening front doors and forcing you to use them to unload luggage. Needs new management!!!

Great place for a vacation or hosting a business meeting. Excellent accomdations, great restaurants, lots of activities!

Wonderful place to stay with all amenities onsite , adults only pool is great.

Nice.. Big resort.. Good for people who enjoy sports..

Great view. Plenty of stuff to do. The staff is so accomadating. Has its own lagoon and private 21 and over area!

What a great resort! Beautiful facility, nice staff and great food. If you have little ones, you ll love the set up; this place is extremely kid friendly! Shout out to Leo Castellano- my kids still talk about your bubble time .

Secluded, private clean and organized. Staff was top notch.

Truly I would give this resort a 4.7. The resort is clean and beautiful the rooms are very nice and all of the amenities are above average . The staff is very nice and the pools are perfect. The only thing that is even somewhat negative is the lagoon as it is definitely no substitute for true beachfront. However, as I have learned most resorts do not have access to the beach directly because it is very rocky so this man-made lagoon certainly better no salt water access. I really enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back again . If you're looking for an upscale luxurious relaxing time in the keys I highly recommend it! However as I have learned it is not common for beachfront access in the keys at resort.

Outstanding. An experience for the entire family. Pools and lagoon of salt water. Large and small sports facilities and a lot of water sports.

- Accommodations: While the location is good -- between Marathon and Islamorada -- there was a lot to be disappointed about, especially considering the price point. The accommodations were terrible (had to call to get our villa changed from the very old, outdated and dirty Unit #5053 after 3 days of our 7 day stay). I've included some pictures. I don't think anyone would want their family to stay here. We even had to call again the next day since we were told by the night manager that someone would contact us before 3p the next day, but nobody ever did. When I called the front desk that next day at 3p, they had no idea what I was talking about and had me explain everything all over.

Beware! All of Hawks Cay's villas are privately owned which means that some owners care and use them but many more seem to approach them with a land-lording (I will spend nothing to maintain this unit) mentality. In the case of 5053, the carpet was so filthy due to many years of neglect that the bottoms of our feet were black just from walking around INSIDE. The furniture was at least 20 years old and in very poor condition. One of the bedrooms had a strong and disturbing odor. The vents for the central air were visibly caked with years of grime. Who knows what's going in my kids' lungs?

I'm not sure why the resort would allow these and other owners to tarnish their brand, but they definitely have. Even after switching, to an admittedly much cleaner and more updated unit, I don't want to have to ask when I check in -- "Hey, can you please give me a unit that is not completely filthy and run-down?". No, I shouldn't have to, again, especially not at this ridiculous price point.

This unit (5053) should be taken out of circulation. Nobody should be placed in a room that is so bad that they have to move partway through their trip when they're spending close to $600 per night. For the hassle of having to move rooms we were provided a $200 dinner voucher, which, while we appreciated, was not sufficient in light of the unit's condition. Effectively, we were not provided the accommodations we paid for, instead inferior ones no where near
what was presented online in print or photo. However, I didn't argue, just wanting to move on with our family vacation and make the most of our remaining time together.

- Amenities: The amenities, such as the much-hyped "lagoon" and kids area are underwhelming and lacking, especially compared to other true resorts that you might find in any many other cities in Florida. They were also poorly maintained with very murky water in the main pool and kids pool on at least 4 days there (maybe from the massive amount of people/ sunscreen?), with food and dirty towels everywhere. In search of cleaner, less crowded areas, we went to the Sunset Villas pool. The water appeared clear but you soon realize you must compete with large iguanas which drink from the pool and defecate in/ near it. The units right in front of the pool also appear to treat it as their own personal pool, with dirty clothes and swim diapers hanging from the pool fence. There were also no towels -- just a huge pile of dirty ones.

More on service -- even though we made it clear when we booked that we would be needing a pack-n-play (crib) and height chair, we still had to call the front desk and remind them when they were not there by late evening. Not a huge deal, whatever, but, when the pack-n-play finally arrives, it comes without a cover and a balled-up used tissue in it -- top notch guys!!

The bottom line is that, based on my family's experience during our week-long stay at Hawk's Cay, we would not return and would advise others to choose a different "resort" for their money.

The most beautiful resort in the keys by far!! Worth every penny!

Let me start by saying I really liked Hawk's Cay, but that there were a few things that kept me from giving this 5 stars.

First was cleanliness: in our room was a fake plant in water. Either it had started to deteriorate or someone had poured something in the water but it looked pretty gross and from the state of the glass vase it was in it had obviously been that way for a while. Either clean it or just get rid of the thing. The pools around the kids recreational area were littered with empty plastic cups, most with ants swarming them. There was even one floating in the pool. The entire time we were there (several hours) no one came by to do a sweep and pick these up.

Several of the pavers around the pool area were loose and would move and wobble when walked on. Some of these were roped off but others were not. Again, not a huge issue but for the money you pay to stay here these things should be re-mediated.

Lastly the service was fair at best. Some of the staff were quite friendly but others were let's say grumpy. I understand these people are working and may not always be on their game, so I can understand. What doe bother me though is we had to call for additional bedding for the pull-out sofa and for fresh towels (this was after we gave them two day to come change them). It took them a full day to get these delivered and another call to remind. This is a simple thing that a resort of this price should get right the first time.

With all of that being said: I did really enjoy our stay here. The location is beautiful, the resort grounds offer a ton of fun stuff to do, and its conveniently located near Marathon key for restaurants. I would recommend staying here but I hope these things get fixed or that we just had an "off" experience.

What an amazing experience! Every staff member we've encountered has been very friendly and super helpful. The property is absolutely beautiful. The food is delicious! The views are simply breathtaking!! We highly recommend.

The amenities are great. We had a great room but for the price. They must show the staff some manners and pay for a customer service course. The whole crew at the dock store was crap. From the dock hands which all turn there faces when to ask for direction to the dock cashier lady who nearly accursed me of wanting to steal the ice. Towel boy and cleaning crew were the best. Friendly and kind. Maybe should give classes to those at the dock store.

For the price they charge breakfast should be included, or maybe even complimentary drinks, but the only included was valet parking. If you want to shop, or eat for a reasonable price you have to go off the resort. In my opinion way over priced when all you're really getting is a place to sleep.

Great experience! Friendly staff, clean, and peaceful!

This isn t a direct review to hawks cay, but a review I think they need to be aware of. Booked 4 months in advance to go diving with dive duck key, 365$. The morning of the dive one hr before go time Joe called and said he had boat trouble and that he would couldn t take us diving and had to cancel the trip. Said he would refund us and recommended another dive shop. 4 weeks from that we still haven t seen our refund, I ve called 6-7 times asking for a explanation, joe told me that the resort, Hawks cay is processing the refund, I called the resort after a week, and Hawks cay told me thats not how they do things and the dive shop is separate. Straight up lie. I hope the resort get wind of this and takes action on how he is doing business. I ve contacted my credit card company filing for a dispute, and will never use dive duck key again.

Great place. Very clean. Nice rooms. Very nice staff very helpful. The food however is a joke. Not many options whatsoever. And extremely expensive. But. Even with that I d definitely come back here.

Great place with decent service. Nice adult pool and bar to hang out at. Lots of kids and families but they stay on there side typically. Even though it rained most of the time we were there, we used the down time to talk and nap. Isn't that what vacation is really about? Unwinding?

Stayed here a handful of times and I have the best experience every time. I tell all my friends who come to the keys via car to stop here for a break. The poolside bar and nearby dolphins are a must see in the Florida Keys. I m already looking forward to coming back and going fishing from the nearby charter dock. Wonderfully fancy experience.

Great place to stay in the middle of the Keys. Lots of activities on site to keep the whole family busy and entertained.

From the gracious staff to the fabulous food and amazing variety of activities, I had a wonderful week!

Amazing place to get away from the everyday stress. Excellent staff.

Beautiful. Relaxing. Brought some of the kids this time.

Terrible service.
No room service,they dont clean my room.
wait for 1 hour to receive my towels( after thet i run to reception and get it )
Kids area not working ( but they still charging full for all) Was surprise when i arrived.
They say a lot SOOOORRRYYYYY.
Never come back. 3 days 2 nights around $780. lost this money.

Just enjoyed a week here and wow! Gorgeous resort, excellent service. We particularly appreciated valet/bellman Chris, Christine in housekeeping, Travin at Island Time, Danielle the server at the Tranquility Pool, and Chris at 61 Prime. Staff went above and beyond for any request we had. My only complaint was the breakfast provided for our conference had a few low points--potatoes too oily and the bacon was the precooked variety which IMO is just a gross waste of time. There were other options so it was ok but that's the only thing I would improve. We hope to return!

Hawk's Cay is one of those places that have everything you could need in one place. You never need to leave! It's a resort that offers cottage rentals or main house rental homes.

The pool area boasts a tiki bar with delicious drinks and a restaurant with an amazing breakfast buffet. For $25 you can have a much as you like. The coffee is excellent. The food included your usual egg, bacon, sausage, pancakes, omlettes and fruit. But they also have watermelon juice shots, smoked salmon, and other daily specials.

There is a dolphin encounter, marina, dive shop, snorkle excursion, dive and fishing charter, and boat slips. You can also rent kayaks and fish from the shore.

If you travel towards the end of the year and are military they give you great rates and free perks for your service. It's an excellent hotel that supports and honors its veterans.

BC the staff has history of being unprofessional n rude to the guest, my fiance and I will not be considering this resort.

Beautiful resort and fun amenities and activities! Don't forget about it!

The place is wonderful at Duck Key, near Marathon, Florida.

Very nice, a lot of activities for kids and adults. Lagoon for swimming, multiple pools!

I visit it every year spectacular, very good in general. The sanctuary It lives up to its name. Thanks to its executives and employees.

We spent a week with our boys ages 4 and 10 and stayed in the main hotel... the resort was nice and the staff was wonderful ... our family enjoyed all the pools and the lagoon... overall a very restful place. We did choose to eat off resort due to the restaurant prices, but good local places are within a 10 minute drive. Overall a great vacation!

Nice clean resort in the middle of the keys. Not cheap but nice. Stayed in a villa. So much better than a motel. Will return.

Staff for the most part were very nice and accommodating, but restaurant was very overpriced for quality of food. We came in a half hour before closing and we're asked to hurry and order everything at once because the chef was not going to be happy we were there so late. We left and ordered room service. Same menu, but about 30% more expensive, and very average at best.
Pool and lagoon were pretty, but not really impressive. Pictures are a lot better, which may be why we were disappointed.

Very nice pool, staff not the most enthusiastic, food good

Always love it here. Best location in the keys. In the middle keys close to Marathon. Resort has a great pool, mini water park for kids, salt water lagoon, and adult only pool. Service here is great. Valet parking is included in the daily resort fee. Bars offer a refillable shaker of drinks and there is a refillable soda package as well. Go to spot everytime I come to the keys.

Hawk's Cay was perfect! Nice, beautiful views, friendly staff, easyily accessed, close to Marathon.

Better dress the part or the staff will look down their collective noses and not make you feel very welcome. To their surprise I bought dinner and drinks and actually paid my bill!
Food is good but not to the level of attitude of the staff. I had to constantly fight horse flies to keep off my meal. My server was very nice and helpful. This is a place I like to say "I've been there twice ... My first and last!"

It's definitely the best hotel experience you can get on the keys. While it's an hour drive to Key West, they give you ample activities, beaches, and events you can go to. It's literally its own little paradise.

Good service, though slightly overpriced; unnecessary "resort fee"

We had a nice relaxing time even if it was a working vacation. I loved watching the dolphins play and the boats going by. The view was nice by the water. The only negative thing I could say was that the room did not get attention and clean towels and i never saw a wash cloth.

Fabulous resort Immaculately clean. Great food no matter where you eat on tne property. Super amenities with friendly caring staff.

Location and lagoon spa awesome, didn't like cockroaches in Villa which were uninvited guests upon complain had pest control treatment but my 1 year old could still pick dead ones here and there

Rented from VRBO. The facilities and location were awesome. My only complaints were with the amenities and services provided by the housekeeping company contacted by the private owner.

The pool and the atmosphere were nice. The hotel is also located in a good location but the service was terrible for the amount of money that we paid for a room with a pool view. I d rather go to the Ritz Carlton in Miami for the same price!

Layed back friendly and first class. I enjoyed my stay again.

Our experience has been extremely disappointing. We came here for our annual vacation and none of the amenities are open, in fact the resort is only about 10% functional. We were not given any notice of this. Do not waste hundreds of dollars coming here as they have nothing to offer.

Stayed for 3 nights as we island hopped thru the Keys. Opted for the Sanctuary Village, with a private plunge pool & it was definitely worth it. Great daily activities are offered throughout the resort for both kids & adults.

I have been here 3 times in the past 3 years, and each time I am reminded how much this place needs a overhaul. Just expect to make calls to have things fixed.

The food is not good for the price so we bring our own.

The 3 stars and the reason why I keep comming back: It's great for the kids, nice views, and convenient boating access.

my experience..... highly overpriced, they will gouge you for all you have, wake up to bills for 400.00 $ under your door for stuff you don't even know about???? the shower door was falling apart at the one room I stayed in and the shower door was not even working at the house I was in for the other two days, I would never stay here again for two reasons, all the hidden charges they try to kill u with and its really just not worth the money, there are plenty of places where you can get your moneys worth nearby and have a better experience, the only positive thing I can say is that the staff was very nice

I stayed here briefly for only one night. The hotel and surrounding area is beautiful. There's a great pool area and fire pit. The gym is a bit of a walk, but no big deal. The food at the restaurant was decent. I will definitely be back, hopefully for a longer stay.

They take care of their guests well and the place is very nice, the rooms are nice, it's an overall great experience

Great Resort for Both Families and Couples

I have visited this resort many times over the years. It is a great resort for both families and couples. The resort does a pretty good job maintaining peaceful, adult only environments for couples seeking a romantic experience while maintaining family environments for children and young adults to run free and have fun. There are so many activities such as the Dolphin Experience, the Spa (book your reservations early to ensure availability), paddle boarding, etc, that I would refer you to their website. Many of the popular activities may book early especially during season so recommend making reservations up front.

Amenities. I have enjoyed the spa many times (even through name changes) and have had many relaxing massages with my husband however not this trip since it was a trip associated with a small fishing tournament with an industry trade association. Generally though, we always book our massages at the same time we book the room because we have missed out in the past. I have also enjoyed all five of the pools but we especially enjoy the Serenity Pool which is very quiet and peaceful (this is where to head if you are on a romantic trip without the children). There is chairlift in the main pool which I am seeing at more and more resorts in Florida. Besides the pools, there is also a very nice lagoon now to hangout at. A nice fire put to hangout at night. Very pretty at night with all the tiki torches lit.

Rooms. They have rooms and townhomes. We have stayed in both. This trip was a room in the main building. There are robes, and the bath and shower stuff are from the Spa. Plenty of outlets. Coffee machine in room. Nicely decorated with a tropical flair. Typical room otherwise.

Food. The food is good however this trip, since we were with a group of 400 for the fishing tournament as mentioned above we ate in the conference center, not the restaurant. We ate one meal off campus which I will write a review for (as well as review a restaurant we ate at on the drive down).

Valet. We do not always valet here (we typically arrive in the boat or sometimes the motor cycle). This trip we valeted the first day but because of some of the confusion my husband saw the first day, he was not comfortable valeting his sports car the second day so he self parked. We did not have much luggage so it also expedited our departure not having to wait. They were friendly though.

Service. I can best describe this with a common saying down here, "changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes". It is VERY laid back so if you take that into consideration, service was not bad. In fact, better than many other places we have visited in the Keys.

Management. I probably should have waited to write this however I have noticed a number of times, having difficulty with our bill and this time I have a couple of charges on the bill I did not understand and have yet called about it. In fact, there was even confusion when we checked in when there should not have been --this trip was a company trip (the company was paying).

Complaint (?). I was a little miffed that the water in the shower was not very hot. Just because it is hot outside does not mean that I desire a cold shower. Also never saw such a cheesy luggage stand (in fact two good stands would have been bonus). Again, I would remind the reader about the very laid back atmosphere mentioned previously which could affect your rating of service (I know to expect it so it does not disappoint). Lastly, still have not resolved my questions about the bill as mentioned earlier (hopefully it is okay, not certain this site allows for updates).

Overall, I recommend this resort. Like I said, we have visited many times.

Let me begin by stating that Hawks Cay resort changed management some months back and the resort has completely changed from the previous times I have stayed with them. Recently I spent a weekend at Hawks Cay and it turned out to be the absolute worst experience I have ever had at a hotel. Firstly, the hotel was improperly staffed and the employees seemed very overwhelmed. Secondly, all linens and towels were dirty and had a strange smell. Thirdly, someone in our party had dirty shower curtains and spent the weekend showering without one because the staff would not drop one off. Lastly, in the hotel website, they advertise a restaurant yet they don t have a restaurant open onsite and wont even go as far as offering drinking water in the rooms for their guests. Please do your self a favor and don t stay at this resort. There are many other fabulous hotels in the Florida Keys that will run you the same price or cheaper and will offer a far superior experience.

$$$ Arrival Sunday for a weeks stay. First and for most THANK YOU!Stephanie! Adult pool associate/rep. Made our stay very pleasant/relaxing. Miss her hospitality already. And the front desk clerks, were attentive, Kudos!!
Minus 2 stars because we were ignored for minutes at the guard shack (talking on radio comm) no greeting at all, just pointed his finger for us to proceed. Trash all over: sidewalks, parking, hallways not vacuumed) near rooms, by the lagoon and burnt pizza and no available medium size Hawk Kay Huk casual shirts.

We spent a couple of days in our own marina, there is quite a current where mooring is not easy. The resort is beautiful, with few sports facilities and nice restaurants. If you are on the way to Key West (by boat) I recommend to make a stopover.

This is a nice resort and ticked the majority of my family's needs but lacked one critical item - a true beach and a place to truly snorkel. If you dare you can go in the boat channel and see lots of interesting marine life including small nurse sharks, rays and a variety of fish. Note - you will be asked to leave once spotted but I cannot understand why they cannot buoy off a channel and this would be a huge plus point for the resort. The rooms are well appointed and clean and I like that it has a on-site market which gives you extra options for breakfast and lunch over just restaurants. The on-site lagoon was too busy and too murky to see any real marine life (hence recommendation for boat channel a few feet away).

It was beautiful! Everyone we came in contact with was very nice. The musician was great. The food was absolutely delicious.

Wow, way to treat guests as second class citizens. This place is a ghost town and you're hassling florida residents about a bunch of garbage restrictions? The restrictions are all enfoced by foreigners and yankees, no less.
No locals. Stay away. I accidentally rented from a private owner. That gives us zero rights to use the property other than our parking spot and inside the "bungalow" walls (read: crappy townhouse). We rented unit 7027 from "Silvia" who told us the marina is closed so we would have to use somehwere off campus....no big deal but when we got here we found out it's open, just not for renters...we aren't technically resort guests. They won't even let us pay to launch, use the docks, nothing. Save your money and go somewhere locally owned and operated.

Me and husband stayed at Hawks Cay for 2 nights (Sept 17-19) for our "babymoon".

The experience was amazing!!! Read on...

My husband is a Firefighter so we were able to get the "Heroes" rate. Hawks Cay have a great program for Military Personnel, Veterans, Police, Fire & Rescue, Sworn Officers and Medical Personnel. We met firefighters and nurses from all over.

- The check in and check out process was fast, simple and easy.
- The room we booked was a simple 2 queen beds and we have no complaints. It was nothing too fancy but great for our needs. Me with this huge belly needed a bed for myself since they didn't have any king bed room available. The bathroom was my favorite part of the room. So nice.
- We spent most of our time at the Tranquility Pool which is for adults only. Awesome pool with great food/drinks service. We arrived on Saturday and left on Monday. The whole hotel was pretty busy during the weekend and the the Tranquility Pool was not that tranquil but that didn't bother us at all. It was actually fun. There were groups of young adults drinking and partying, listening to music and all. It kinda reminded me of "Las Vegas" type of pool. No complaints though. Whole different story on Monday. There were only a few couples in there and total silence. We enjoyed both, the party vibe during the weekend and real tranquility on Monday.
- Food: we ended up not eating at any of the resort restaurants but we did order the Mahi Dip and Island Burger from the pool. It was AMAZING!! It was actually one of the best burgers I ever ate.
- We had a huge iguana that came over to our pool chair (while we were at the pool) and it ate a cake I had brought from home. It was pretty hilarious. Everybody was staking pictures. One of the girls from the pool staff was able to send the iguana away and gave us new towels and a yummy cake from their Starbucks (because the iguana ate mine). It was quite a fun experience.
- The staff from the valet, front desk, towel guy, pool servers... were all AWESOME!!! They all treated us very good.
- The resort has a great vibe, beautiful views, gorgeous sunsets, nice amenities and we only have good things to say about it.

We highly recommend Hawks Cay and we can't wait to bring our growing family back!

Very nice service and support for your time. I'm happy spend the times there.

The workers are happy, excited and helpful and are very genuine; they give directions, have conversations, and even crack a couple of jokes in. This resort has a home-like feel but the tropical aspect finishes with that final touch. Definitely one of the best vacations I've had in a long time.

Get ready to walk... And take a while to check in. Everything else is good.

I was a little worried after reading other Google reveiws but so far our stay has been great, Friendly courteous staff decent rooms, beautiful grounds.

Amazing Resort! My fiance and I stayed here for a week and we had such an amazing time! The grounds are extremely beautiful and very well kept! The views around the resort and from our villa were nothing short of amazing! Breakfast was really great (buffet style) and the new restaurant Sixty-One Prime was to die for! Just as the place and food was fantastic the staff was just as fantastic if not more! Steven, from Miami Florida, Tara from Sixty-One Prime deserve special mentions and A HUGE SHOUTOUT to Donalene from Duck, Key for being one the nicest, sweetest and most genuine people that we have had the pleasure of meeting. You are the best! Thank you Hawks Cay Resort for giving us a great place to stay and get engaged!!! We will definitely be back!!