This was the second time my husband and I have stayed at Little Palm Island. It was a wonderful experience both times! From the second we arrived at the resort we were greeted by the staff who took our bags from our car and placed them on the boat to go to the island. While waiting for the boat to arrive we were treated to champagne. We were brought onto the boat which is a chic old boat perfectly restored. Once we arrived on the island it was just as we remembered it except without the sun. But thankfully the rest of the trip was sunny. The room was beautiful and perfectly maintained, beautiful copper tub in the center of the bathroom, indoor and outdoor showers and a lovely canope bed.
The property is in such pristine condition that even the paths around the island are raked so there are barely any foot prints. The beach chairs are totally aligned with very comfortable towels and beach attends that take efficient to a new level. The water is not the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean and is not really that nice to swim in, however the pool is very chic and heated to the perfect temperature.
The food is very expensive, but worth it and it is so lovely to sit outside on the beach with tiki torches!

I booked the vacation directly via the LPI web portal, which could have been a little easier to navigate (at the time of my purchase,) but wasn't terrible.

LPI was a little slice of heaven from the moment we pulled up to the valet at the boat launch on the mainland. We didn't even have to unload they car, the friendly staff handed us a yummy adult beverage (a gumby) and asked us to wait a few moments while they loaded our luggage onto the skiff and parked our car. (There is a skiff taxiing from the mainland or the resort island every 30 min.)

We got to the island and had a very brief tour of the facilities and by the time we got to our bungalow, our luggage met us there and the bed was turned down for the night with a complimentary gift and bottle of wine. (As a matter of fact, we had turn down service every night with a little gift provided each time.) We had a chance to freshen up before heading down to the dining hall for dinner. The taste and presentation I'll get to later in my review, suffice it to say it angers me that I cannot relive that moment on a daily basis.

Being a cook myself, I very much appreciated the cuisine at the Island. It truly was excellent. I cannot stress that enough. It was rich, delicious, exquisite in taste and plating and a tableau of sensation on the pallet. The island had a lovely assortment of wines. I think perhaps that would be the only detractor, the 150% markup on wine. I'm used to a 50-100% markup, but theirs was a bit over the top. However, considering the ideal tropical local, the company, and the pleasant atmosphere emanating from the staff, the shore with it's calling tide, and the friendly wildlife - it was a fault I willingly turned my face from.

This resort is designed 100% around pampering the guest and allowing them to indulge in complete relaxation. The Spa was so fantastic that I extended my treatment and had not been so relaxed in years. I fell asleep during my hot stone massage and only woke to the sound of my own snoring. THAT is how relaxing it was. The beach is not huge, but it's private as it is bordered by a natural coral reef and preservation. If you want to go swimming, then this is the wrong vacation beach for you. If you want to relax, soak in a few rays, enjoy the breeze, the company, and an adult beverage, then you'll be going to the right spot. The pool and bar were not large, but they got the job done. The pool is not Olympic in size for a reason. Again, it's for relaxing and cooling off. The bar also had a reasonable menu of libations and bar food. (Note: the only sharks we saw near the shore were nurse sharks, so unless you're a guy who likes to swim nude you really don't have much to worry about here folks.) We also THINK we saw a manatee, but aren't 100% sure. LPI is prime manatee area.

IF, you're feeling restless and need to get a bit more activity into your schedule, the quartermaster will happily provide a pound or two of shrimp for bait. Poles and tackle are also available to the guests. (There is no extra charge for any of this.) There are several locations on the island that are excellent for fishing. And all this is provided to you. You're even welcome to take out the rod, reel, bait, and tackle on one of the islands several whalers. And we did just that, we checked out one of the small single engine boats and did some fishing a litter further out from the island as well as some snorkeling. The coral reef I mentioned earlier has several mooring locations. It was stunningly beautiful. (The staff even offered to pack us a nice lunch to take with us on our trip.) We didn't take them up on the lunch, but happily accepted a cooler of ice to keep our champagne cool.

If you still feel like a bit more activity, then hop on the boat back to the mainland for that run you've been craving ... if you're a fool who can't figure out how to relax that is. My wife and I took a trip to the Theater of the Sea to swim with the dolphins. (You can also swim with the sea lions if that appeals to you.) What does this have to do with LPI? Not much other than pointing out alternatives for those folks who can't figure out the island is about being pampered and relaxation.

The island also had a life size chess/checkers set if you're feeling the need to fire off a few synapses.

The rooming accommodations were perfect. Very quaint and cozy, yet surprisingly cozy for an outdoor bungalow. Even with an attached bungalow on the other side and one directly adjacent, we had near perfect privacy. Guests from other bungalows were not visible at all from the bungalow rooms or the deck. We were able to enjoy breakfast several times on the deck along with the morning paper. But I was more interested in the curious wildlife and the conversation rather than the paper or any of the books that we brought along. Was there perhaps a musty smell after a rain? Yes, it's what I like to call.....outdoors. It passes quickly, but if that's not acceptable for you, then I maybe it's the wrong spot. It wasn't even a blip on my radar till I read another reviewers comments. I had completely banished that smell (although not unpleasant) from my mind.

All in All:

The island staff: 5 out of 5 stars
The island food: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The island privacy: 10 out of 5 stars
The island location: 5 out of 5 stars
The island amenities: 5 out of 5 stars
The island activities: 5 out of 5 stars

I'm sure I could go on, but this is all that comes to mind right now. I hope this has helped you make a decision one way or the other.

The service, food, room, island overall was incredible. I've been to so many so called 5 star resorts but non have come close to being as relaxing and customer oriented as LPI. We were there on our honeymoon and had a wonderful experience we'll never forget.

If you've never been there before it may seem a bit pricey but once you arrive at the private island you'll notice it's worth every penny. We had the all inclusive and brought our own wine which we kept in the mini fridge. It was a huge cost saver for us but we did indulge in some of the wines they had with dinner which btw were also excellent.

If you don't like animals especially deer you may not like this island, my husband and I thought the island animals roaming around was a huge bonus and loved how natural yet elegant the island is. I was particularly impressed on how clean the island was from water, air, noise and light there was no pollution in sight. The only downside are some of the idiot patrons that arrive and like to feed the endangered key deer. I wish there was a way to get those fools thrown off the island.

the focus of the island is the restaurant, because there is no other choice ... there's not much to do on the 5 acre island, except eat

we stayed for 4 nights and 5 days ... the breakfast and lunch were quite average and the dinners were simply bad ... the menu choices are okay, but the food is very poorly prepared ... it's not a case of one or two entrees that didn't please, not at all ... during my stay I sampled 8 different dinner entrees, 4 for me and 4 for my wife ... each dish was a hugely disappointing culinary experience, by a wide margin

despite having any preconceived notions about your stay, the dining will command a majority of your time ... and it will be regrettable