Hyatt Vacation Club Key West Beach House - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Mar 13, 2012, 7:05 am
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Hyatt Vacation Club Key West Beach House - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
I did not see one for this yet so I am making a placeholder for my return. This is for the Beach House property which is the first one you come to on Highway 1 as you enter Key West.
This is a vacation club property and 12 hours in no one has tried to sell us a week so all is good. They do want you to talk to their concierge to get a parking pass. I think he does the pitch however when I went to see him, he was on the phone so I just went on with my day and never went back.
Staff was great and very responsive the entire trip. We had a few issues and they were johnny on the spot. Always nice, smiling and very Hyatt like.
Property was in pretty good shape with very little if any deferred maintenance. Not sure on the age which is a good sign they stay on top of it.
We were given a two bedroom end unit on the east side in building C. C11 which is pretty much one of the least desirable as we are up against the parking lot, the walkway to the pool and across from the highway.
This two bedroom unit had two full baths and a fold out sofa bed. We could easily sleep 6. Three TVs (although small) made fighting for what to watch with my kids a nonissue).
There are 3 buildings on the east side A, B, C so you are across from the canal and probably get a bit more road noise than the other side as. From the layout they showed me it looks like on A and F buildings have any prayer of an ocean view.
D, E, F, buldings are right across from the marriott property next door so not sure if that gives a better noise buffer or allows for echo.
All buildings and units open up to courtyard with view of the pool area in most cases.
There is a private beach which consists of sand up to a tree line water way. We discovered that most of the beaches we came across in Key West were sand up to rocks and not like Destin where the sand takes you all the way into the water. I would say the whole beach is about 70 yards wide.
If you go into the water wear water shoes to protect your feet.
They had some good views of the Gulf from the beach and a dock with some benches. It was a nice place to go hang out and take in the water view and watch the people do yoga on surfboards.
On the beach they had some propane grills that guests could use to grill by the water. We did not because I was on vacation and that means Dad does NOT grill. I get enough of that at home.
There is some highway noise as you are pretty close to Highway 1 but is does subside at night. It was noticeably abscent when we went to visit the Hyatt Resort on the water on Front Street.
Love the screened in porch which is attached to every unit. We spent a lot of time out there eating, reading, just hanging out. WARNING - Everyone else in every other unit does the same and some of the other conversations we heard were quite inappropriate and quite crude. Not fun when you have to explain that type of stuff to your kids. So be aware everyone in that courtyard can pretty much hear you on those porches.
Wifi was hit or miss on some computers. Worked well on most devices but for some reason my computer would only get it on the cord hookup. I was running Norton Firewall but even with it turned off it was a problem. ipad, itouches and other computers worked fine.
No resturant on site but units have full kitchens, refrigerators, washer dryer, etc... There was a bar but I don't drink on family vacations and by the lack of activity there I suspect that was a common issue with other guests.
They do give you a Passport to use at the other Hyatt which allows you to bill to your room and get a 20% discount. We ate at the Shore on night at the HR on Front. Good food, Great view, Neat property and with the 20% off it was priced about right. The will validate your self park if you go to HR for dinner.
Well worth grabbing some groceries on the way in. They will do it for you before you get there if you want to pay a service charge and trust them to get the right brands. There is a 24 hour Albertsons up the street about 1 mile so even if you get in late you can still get food.
It is about a 5-10 minute drive to the "action" from the property to Key West proper. Plenty of resturants both local and national chains. on the way into town.
Parking is a bear as we were there during Spring Break so bring coins and be prepared to walk a bit.
Would I go back to this property? Yes! It is not quite a beachy as the other properties but quite a bit more room and in our case $200 less per night.
It is even a better savings as in most cases with a family of 5 I would have to get two rooms but we all fit in our single unit. Their pricing model appears to be the more nights you take the lower your rate. We did 3 nights at about $280 a night. They do have resort fees and an assortment of taxes. It worked out to a bit over $300 per night.
For What Its Worth - You do get Passport points but no Diamond Amenities or treatment. GP did confirm that you will get stay credits as well.
Not a bad place but the drive into Key West is a bear. Give yourself 4 hours from MIA and 5 hours from FLL to be on the safe side. And when you get the change USE those passing lanes.
This is a vacation club property and 12 hours in no one has tried to sell us a week so all is good. They do want you to talk to their concierge to get a parking pass. I think he does the pitch however when I went to see him, he was on the phone so I just went on with my day and never went back.
Staff was great and very responsive the entire trip. We had a few issues and they were johnny on the spot. Always nice, smiling and very Hyatt like.
Property was in pretty good shape with very little if any deferred maintenance. Not sure on the age which is a good sign they stay on top of it.
We were given a two bedroom end unit on the east side in building C. C11 which is pretty much one of the least desirable as we are up against the parking lot, the walkway to the pool and across from the highway.
This two bedroom unit had two full baths and a fold out sofa bed. We could easily sleep 6. Three TVs (although small) made fighting for what to watch with my kids a nonissue).
There are 3 buildings on the east side A, B, C so you are across from the canal and probably get a bit more road noise than the other side as. From the layout they showed me it looks like on A and F buildings have any prayer of an ocean view.
D, E, F, buldings are right across from the marriott property next door so not sure if that gives a better noise buffer or allows for echo.
All buildings and units open up to courtyard with view of the pool area in most cases.
There is a private beach which consists of sand up to a tree line water way. We discovered that most of the beaches we came across in Key West were sand up to rocks and not like Destin where the sand takes you all the way into the water. I would say the whole beach is about 70 yards wide.
If you go into the water wear water shoes to protect your feet.
They had some good views of the Gulf from the beach and a dock with some benches. It was a nice place to go hang out and take in the water view and watch the people do yoga on surfboards.
On the beach they had some propane grills that guests could use to grill by the water. We did not because I was on vacation and that means Dad does NOT grill. I get enough of that at home.
There is some highway noise as you are pretty close to Highway 1 but is does subside at night. It was noticeably abscent when we went to visit the Hyatt Resort on the water on Front Street.
Love the screened in porch which is attached to every unit. We spent a lot of time out there eating, reading, just hanging out. WARNING - Everyone else in every other unit does the same and some of the other conversations we heard were quite inappropriate and quite crude. Not fun when you have to explain that type of stuff to your kids. So be aware everyone in that courtyard can pretty much hear you on those porches.
Wifi was hit or miss on some computers. Worked well on most devices but for some reason my computer would only get it on the cord hookup. I was running Norton Firewall but even with it turned off it was a problem. ipad, itouches and other computers worked fine.
No resturant on site but units have full kitchens, refrigerators, washer dryer, etc... There was a bar but I don't drink on family vacations and by the lack of activity there I suspect that was a common issue with other guests.
They do give you a Passport to use at the other Hyatt which allows you to bill to your room and get a 20% discount. We ate at the Shore on night at the HR on Front. Good food, Great view, Neat property and with the 20% off it was priced about right. The will validate your self park if you go to HR for dinner.
Well worth grabbing some groceries on the way in. They will do it for you before you get there if you want to pay a service charge and trust them to get the right brands. There is a 24 hour Albertsons up the street about 1 mile so even if you get in late you can still get food.
It is about a 5-10 minute drive to the "action" from the property to Key West proper. Plenty of resturants both local and national chains. on the way into town.
Parking is a bear as we were there during Spring Break so bring coins and be prepared to walk a bit.
Would I go back to this property? Yes! It is not quite a beachy as the other properties but quite a bit more room and in our case $200 less per night.
It is even a better savings as in most cases with a family of 5 I would have to get two rooms but we all fit in our single unit. Their pricing model appears to be the more nights you take the lower your rate. We did 3 nights at about $280 a night. They do have resort fees and an assortment of taxes. It worked out to a bit over $300 per night.
For What Its Worth - You do get Passport points but no Diamond Amenities or treatment. GP did confirm that you will get stay credits as well.
Not a bad place but the drive into Key West is a bear. Give yourself 4 hours from MIA and 5 hours from FLL to be on the safe side. And when you get the change USE those passing lanes.
Last edited by Milesbuilder; Mar 16, 2012 at 6:13 am Reason: Updating & Completed the review
Mar 13, 2012, 8:04 am
#2
Moderator: GLBT Travelers & Hyatt Gold Passport
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: CVG
Posts: 15,300
Thank you for the review - however, there are 3 Hyatt Vacation Club properties in Key West - could you please let us know which one you are reviewing so we can retitle and link appropriately? Thanks!!!
Mar 16, 2012, 6:13 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: 2.4mm++ AA Plat, Hlt Diam, Hyt Globaist, Mrrt Gold, Gold Pts, MilesForDreams.com, etc.. etal..
Posts: 428
Thanks, please put Beach House in the title of my post as I was not able to retitle.
Oct 12, 2018, 5:18 pm
#7
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
Programs: NEXUS/Global Entry, Delta, United, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Hertz
Posts: 18,039
I had a very pleasant two-night stay last weekend. I specifically chose this property as both bedrooms have king beds, as +1 and I shared the unit with my mom and her boyfriend. My Explorist status and request for a quiet room with a water view translated into a unit in the D complex and was the closest room to the lobby and highway and farthest from the pool and ocean. This turned out to be fine as it was very quiet (despite the highway nearby) and easy to walk over to the lobby (more on that).
The first bedroom is somewhat cozy, with the bathroom across the hall. There's a standard-sized tub and shower and dual sinks. The master bedroom is connected to the open bathroom that has a huge Jacuzzi tub and separate shower stall with dual sinks. The closet is strangely far into the bathroom, next to the small toilet area. Standard Kenet soaps and hair products.
The full kitchen was nicely stocked with appliances and dishware and has a full-size fridge with an icemaker. It was easy to run over to the Publix and stock up a bit with provisions for our short stay. There's also a stacked washer/dryer unit which came in handy.
There's a coffee and tea station in the lobby each morning in case you need that and if you need any extra provisions such as more coffee packs for the in-room coffee maker or dish or laundry soap, you can get that from the front desk. Sadly, we got brushed by an outer band of Hurricane Michael so we weren't able to spend much time out in the screened patio that each unit has.
The official policy is that there's only free parking for one car per reservation; we weren't charged the $10 per night fee for an extra car, but YMMV. My mom said she didn't get that hard a sales push from the concierge when getting our parking passes. The resort fee is $17 per night. We didn't have too hard a time finding spaces under the units and only had to park outside once.
Overall, the room and property was in good shape. They appeared to be in the process of re-planking all of the wood walkways and stairs so there might be some construction noise during the day. We found the property and location to be very convenient and a good value. We would certainly stay there again.
Pro tip - The parking lot connects with the lot and driveway of the Marriott next door. I found it much easier to cut through the Marriott lot and use their entrance/exit onto Roosevelt over the Hyatt entrance on US 1. This is especially true when trying to turn left to head North on US 1. We split time driving into Old Town and Stock Island (we found some great local restaurants in the latter).
The first bedroom is somewhat cozy, with the bathroom across the hall. There's a standard-sized tub and shower and dual sinks. The master bedroom is connected to the open bathroom that has a huge Jacuzzi tub and separate shower stall with dual sinks. The closet is strangely far into the bathroom, next to the small toilet area. Standard Kenet soaps and hair products.
The full kitchen was nicely stocked with appliances and dishware and has a full-size fridge with an icemaker. It was easy to run over to the Publix and stock up a bit with provisions for our short stay. There's also a stacked washer/dryer unit which came in handy.
There's a coffee and tea station in the lobby each morning in case you need that and if you need any extra provisions such as more coffee packs for the in-room coffee maker or dish or laundry soap, you can get that from the front desk. Sadly, we got brushed by an outer band of Hurricane Michael so we weren't able to spend much time out in the screened patio that each unit has.
The official policy is that there's only free parking for one car per reservation; we weren't charged the $10 per night fee for an extra car, but YMMV. My mom said she didn't get that hard a sales push from the concierge when getting our parking passes. The resort fee is $17 per night. We didn't have too hard a time finding spaces under the units and only had to park outside once.
Overall, the room and property was in good shape. They appeared to be in the process of re-planking all of the wood walkways and stairs so there might be some construction noise during the day. We found the property and location to be very convenient and a good value. We would certainly stay there again.
Pro tip - The parking lot connects with the lot and driveway of the Marriott next door. I found it much easier to cut through the Marriott lot and use their entrance/exit onto Roosevelt over the Hyatt entrance on US 1. This is especially true when trying to turn left to head North on US 1. We split time driving into Old Town and Stock Island (we found some great local restaurants in the latter).
