travelncguy

Thank you for the information. Did you think the Hilton had enough to do inside the resort to say keep kids entertained, etc. without having to leave the resort itself? Did they charge for the room upgrades at all? Thanks again. Eric

danam

The resort itself has a pool and shops. I'm not sure if there's much to keep the kids occupied.

The aquarium is very close and all the other Key West attractions are nearby.
Also there is the nightly sunset celebration right on the doorstep.

Regarding upgrades, I'm HHonors gold so that usually secures it for free (as it did on this occasion). Hilton almost always run promotions to pick up this level without the stays so it would be worth having a look around FlyerTalk to see what they are running at the moment.

Beckles

As I said in another thread, having grown up in Key West I really don't think that Key West is the best place to take kids, there's just not enough to keep them occupied unless you're only staying 2 - 3 days.

If you are taking kids, the Doubletree may not be such a bad choice just because it's a little larger property ... you might also consider the Wyndham Casa Marina resort, which would be my personal recommendation.

CharlotteConsultant

travelncguy,

Congratulations on your soon to be wedding! My fiance and I got engaged in Key West this past Feb. We stayed at Hilton and enjoyed it very much.

While we were at the hotel there was a wedding on the premises that looked very nice. Like many people have said, it is not a great place for kids. It depends on how old they are. The hotel can arrange a lot of activities within Key West. We went on a private sunset cruise that was extremely nice. If you are interested I can get you the captain's name and number.

keywestbars definitely knows what he is talking about. He hooked us up with some great ideas. Thanks again!!! We were just listening to our Michael McCloud cd this past weekend.

Good luck and let me know if you need any more info. BTW we are getting married in Charlotte in May 03.

keywestbars

Fyi,
Weddings in Key West.

www.keywest.com/weddings/

Sweet Willie

Yes, more info would be great.

Did you pay for the Sunset key cottages?
How much?

Is there a beach where the sunset cottages are?

Do the rooms have a patio, or face the water?

Are there "better" cottages than others? such as location, amenities, view etc?

Is parking free?

danam

Sweet Willie, I hope this answers your questions....

I think the cost for Sunset Key was about $500 a night. That was the rate for a 1 bedroom cottage (cheapest at the time)

There is a small beach that looks out at Christmas Tree Key (I think that's the name) and lots of moored boats. Hilton guests can go over there for the day but it didn't get busy when I was there.

All of the cottages had patios and seating areas outside and there are a few hammocks strung between trees near the beach.

Some of the cottages were 2 stories, but these seemed to be divided to give 2 cottages (if you get what I mean)

Some do look out over the water. Ours was near the pool. Everything is well laid out, with lots of trees and plants to give some privacy.

I think the amenities are fairly universal between cottages, I guess you'd need to pick the best location on the island for you. The cottages only take up a corner of the island so are quite close together. The rest of the island is private.

Regarding parking.....I wouldn't know. Probably best to contact the hotel about that one!


(edited to correct spelling)

[This message has been edited by danam (edited 12-08-2002).]

traveler4ever

I've stayed at the Hilton Key West and they charged for parking. We were there about five years ago and parking was at least five dollars a day. Probably about fifteen by now. It's a nice hotel though. Great location. You take a Hilton water taxi over to the Sunset Key cottages.

Beckles

Parking at the Key West Hilton is $7/day for self-parking (no in/out privileges though!) and $10/day for valet parking (with in/out privileges). The garage is right next to the front door, so self-parking is not a huge deal, but the cost often is not worth it if you're using your car more than once per day.

Sweet Willie

thanks for the detailed replies danam

gotta love Flyertalk. No way would you get details like this from the Hilton website.

edited to add: I wonder if you can use HHonors points for the cottages? Think I'll call Hilton on this one.

edited to answer my own question: Called Hilton and was told one can not use HHonors points for the cottages. Reason is that it is not a separate property from the Key West Hilton. IMO, this is a huge downfall of the HHonors program, in *wood and Marriott you can use extra points to obtain upgraded rooms, one should be able to at Hilton as well.

[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 12-09-2002).]

a2sportsguy

Planning to be in Fort Walton Beach Dec. 30-Jan.2 (I know it's cold for Florida, but hey, it's a last-minute redemption of a TCV – and 60s in florida is better than teens in Michigan). Three properties interest me: The HI on the beach, ES Miramar Beach and Hilton Sandestin. It sounds like a few FTers have been to these properties. Which would you recommend to a Diamond member? Does the HI upgrade or even have rooms with jacuzzis and the like? Is there a lounge at the Hilton? Better rooms at the ES?

Beach access is pretty important to me so I may go with the HI which also has a lower rate ($60 vs. $90-$100). But I'm open to any suggestions.

Or should I just drive down to Sarasota?

lofly

Try doing a search on Sandestin, I know that site has been reported on several times. Don't know about the other two.

It is rather "nippy" in NorthWest Florida this weekend.

Good luck.

a2sportsguy

I actually did a search and got some conflicting reports. So I'm putting the question up to folks who might have experienced all three places -- or one to two of them. BTW, another hotel intrigues me: A beachfront HGI in Orange Beach, AL, 60 miles west, which is quoting me rates of $50(!) a night. Any thoughts on that property?

Threy

I chose the HGI over the Hilton Sandestin because it was over 60 $ cheaper, when I needed a Hotel in the area.It is on the beach and I believe my room rate was 43.20 ( 10% off the 48 $ Standard Rate )
Standard HGI, nothing special, but all rooms had balconies, if I remember correctly.There are some more Beach Properties in walking distance, I remember a HI Sunspree Resort and a HI Express and I believe there were all run by the same company.There is also a Hampton Inn in Foley, a stonethrow away from the Outlet Mall.They had rates from $ 35....

BTW, I actually like the off season in the area, it is cold but sunny and you don`t have to share the beach with anybody except some birds.

Go for the HGI and make sure to check the AAA rates, if you are a member !!

Best Regards !!

Patrick

mm42

I have stayed at the HI-FWB and the ES-Miramar. The beach access at the ES-Miramar is horrible, but in winter season it won't be a big problem - you just have to cross a not very busy two-lane road. ES is a nice new property.

HI-FWB is an older property, but it is right on a nice stretch of beach and in walking distance to some restaurants and shopping.

There is also a HI on the beach at Pensacola Beach (haven't stayed there) in addition to the HGI-Orange Beach which you mentioned (also haven't stayed there.)

Hilton-Sandestin is a totally different type of property - it's a real resort with award-winning restaurants, golf, etc. I haven't stayed there but I've been to a couple of the restaurants (which were pricey but lived up to the billing.)