Went to Hawks Cay for a long Thanksgiving weekend with family. We booked directly through the resort for a villa in sunset village. We were very excited to get out of the cold and enjoy some fun in the sun. We are very easy to please people who go with the flow; so was expecting some possible delays or crowded pools, especially being a holiday weekend. That would've been wonderful compared to what we had to put up with.

I must say check in Weds. afternoon was very smooth and quick. The rep. @ desk was very pleasant. We headed to our villa (which we opted for having two young children, 4 & 7, so that they have more room while in between activities). Villa looked clean on surface; so we dropped our bags and headed out to check out the resort. The landscape and resort itself seems to be well kept. Went to Tio's for dinner (was average at best). Kids were tired after long day of travel & put on pj's & feel asleep on top of bed. I went to go in @ 11 & tuck them in. I pulled down covers & swiped over the sheet & was horrified. It was covered with what appeared to be dead skin(husb. described to friends looked like instant mash potato flakes..yuck!!). Also there were some long black hairs(we are all blonde). Of course called front desk & was just offered new sheets but my kids were out already so we just kept on top for the night. When called back next day was offered new sheets again..said fine..just put them on myself....45 min later still nothing..was told someone could come in & do it then if we didn't mind...when at capacity can't guarantee housekeeping for 24 hrs..rep. was surprised someone told me @ 11 at nite that they could be there by 11 a.m. WHAT? Are you kidding me? Was done when we got back at 4. O....your feet will be black after walking around villa for a while....gross!!!

Also we weren't able to make resv. for Thanksgiving buffet or Alma..was told they were all booked. We were referred to Key Colony Inn down in Marathon. So we called and got a resv. there no problem....for 1/2 cost of what they were charging @ Cay we had a wonderful dinner. The owners & their staff @ Key Colony were great...recommend for casual dining.

Fri.(day 3) we head out to the Indies pool for the majority of the afternoon. We were ther whole time..playing with our kids in pool. We do not resv. chairs or leave our things & come back. When we went to leave @ 4...my husbands brand new & only pair of shoes he brought were gone...STOLEN!!!! Are you kidding me? Believe we know who did it(employee @ Indies) but had no proof...so didn't even bother trying. (keep an eye out for black & red Asics...lol). Stewart @ guest services was great...allowed for a pair of flip flops & would credit our account! Both he & Mike at Indies Grille were stand out employees to us....one if not only good thing to say about this place! The woman who braids hair down by the lagoon is wonderful too...very sweet!

Upon returning to our villa...no fresh towels...(day 3!!! come on!!). Understand water conservation but should have fresh towels every other day. So again, I call front desk as we had dinner resv. @ Alma for 6. Needless to say..no towels before we left. We ended up using our pool towels as I already had our bath towels on floor for housekeeping pick up. Towels were there after we returned from dinner.

I know this is very long winded but I feel people need to know all. I wish I would've taken heed to some of the bad reviews and gone elsewhere. For the amount of $$$$ you pay to stay here..luxury..no!!! Resort fee crazy too...supposed to be for housekeeping, valet, indies club & fitness center. For luxury resort & amount you pay....these things should be included. Just another way to nickel and dime your hard earned dollars!! Have no problem paying good money for a vacation but would expect to get what I'm paying for!

After all we had to deal with while here it was a little disappointing that a resort of this caliber didn"t have anyone to check & follow up on major issues such as filth & theft!! Busy or not...no excuse!
It was a very disappointing experience & even still my family tried to make the best of it & enjoyed our time together.

Obviously, I would not recommend this resort to any family or friends.....must be something better in area for same and actually get what you pay for!!

***if want fun place to go off resort & have great food..pool & sand pit with corn hole & projection screen to watch games....check out Sunset Grille****

This is our second visit to the Hawks Cay Resort and both experiences have been wonderful! Last year my family had a wonderful time! The resort is beautifully landscaped, inviting, friendly staff, clean rooms and heated pools. (not to forget the lagoon for fun snorkeling, kayaking or laying under the umbrellas). My family wanted to return to the Florida Keys this year and stay at the resort. Although I was a little leary about booking at the same place... (it couldn't possibly be as great the second time around).... IT WAS! Just a wonderful resort, close to any destination that you are interested in doing while visitng the keys.

We had a great family vacation for Thanksgiving. We stayed at Harbor Villas, which wasn't what we booked but it worked out well because our sun loves to fish. So, he got to fish right out the back door all week. The kids loved the pool and it was great to use the marina for boating activities. The Dolphin Connection is run very well. But those extra activities are very pricey. The front desk, door and wait staff were very kind and fun to chat with.
The tram ran on time and the staff were very courteous and fun.

The reasons I can't give an excellent review is thw simple fact of cost. The overall look is tired. The furniture is in need of a thorough cleaning. The daily resort fee must not cover housekeeping. Our villa was under ok for cleanliness. The one time during a six night stay they cleaned, the staff said he could change the bedding. You assume they will do the other standard cleaning as well. I'm not even sure our beds were really changed. New towels were left on the flirty bathroom floor in a folded pile. A let down for a 'luxury' resort. All of us have tiny red bumps that itch from our Fl. Stay but cant exactly pinpoint where we got the itchy bugs. For part of our stay I realized we had other guests, cockroaches, big ones. Being from Colorado, the kids were entertained, since they only see them at our butterfly museum. Gross. Our trash was taken out 3 times during our 7 day stay.
As a side note, there were no salt/pepper or kitchen towels. I was told to grab salt and pepper at the small market they have on site. When I asked for another box of detergent, I would have walked to the front desk myself for the $20 delivery fee?! Which I was not told over the phone. They also charged the $20 delivery fee for dessert we ordered over the phone and that I personally picked up inside the lobby!

The pool was lovely for the kids to enjoy. The seagulls were a problem as they landed in the pool to hang out often and then swoop and steal food right out if your hand.

The firepit area, poolside, is awesome and the best atmosphere besides the lobby. It was a little gross to wade through 1-2 inches of standing water by the end of the day at the firepit area though. You just know there is bodily fluids and food mixed in.

It would have been more fun if the bikes and water gear/kayaks were free to use as part of your stay, or for a small charge. You felt like there was nothing just given to you, for being their guest. They did give a lot of smiles.

The Indie club for kids is great, it just looks older, a bit run down. The basketball court severely chopping its paint. But my kids and I had a fun time shooting hoops.

The saltwater lagoon I expected to see fish or sea turtles, like our stay in Hawaii. You could snorkel all day and see beautiful sea creatures.
Lack of sand, too.

There's 2 buildings that are near the Indie club that must be for staff. It looked like a slumlord owned it. Window screens torn or dangling. Buildings needed paint. The grounds not primped or pretty. A lot of personal items astrewn; bikes, lawn chairs, bbqs. It just didn't 'fit' in the resort scheme.

The food is ok. Drinks overpriced and 18% gratuity added to all. Even one drink that my husband got for himself at the tiki bar! The breakfast/brunch overpriced for what is on the buffet, however the omelette station is nice. There is no menu to order anything else, other than that, at breakfast.

Due to the non-exciting food choices, and lack of ornate, pretty paths to just walk through at the resort, we totally enjoyed driving to other local establishments for fantastic fare and atmosphere.. We had a great day trip to Key West, which is where I would stay if we ever venture to the Keys again.

We just got back from our wonderful stay at Hawks Cay Resort, We were in Key West for a family wedding and spent several days post wedding ready for some chilling out before heading back to our home state of Montana. We had a suite by the adult pool and enjoyed the quite surroundings. It was great to have the beachside bar/dining around the corner. The bartenders and staff were friendly and the tropical drinks were great. The views were stunning and the sandy cove is like nothing I've ever seen before. Our room was stunning with great furniture and amenities. Nice flat screen tv, comfy bed, private balcony. Will definitely return!