Opal Key Resort & Marina Review – In The Heart of Key West

Location Location Location at Opal Key Resort & Marina

As much as we love a good resort for its amenities, the real perk of Opal Key Resort & Marina is not what is offered on-site (as nice as it is) but rather its location. When we say this one is in the heart of Key West, we really mean it.

This property is located right on Front Street at the end of the road- the furthest you can go without a boat. While not at the southern end of the Keys where the famous Southernmost Point Buoy is, it is on the west side of Key West next to the island’s popular business district, which is even better. 

Within seconds of leaving the property, you’re facing west and looking over the ocean for a gorgeous view. Walk one block north, and you’re at the acclaimed Sunset Celebration at Mallery Square gathering point. Turn around and walk roughly two blocks east, and you can be hitting up the famous bars on Duval Street. It is kind of like that.

As every major attraction is reachable on foot in Key West with this prime location, we did not have need to use our rental car at all when on the island. (That said, we did stop at the Southernmost Point Buoy and Fort Zachary Taylor State Park coming in/out of the Keys- those are reachable by a longer walk, but some would prefer driving when it is hot out.)

But going beyond the location, Opal Key Resort simply offered all of the amenities we come to expect from a higher-end property. Namely, comfortable rooms, a relaxing and secluded pool, an on-site bar, easy accessibility from the nearby parking garage (daily rates apply), and more. We particularly liked the pool’s location in an interior courtyard as it felt like a little bit of an oasis despite being just a few feet from all of the action.

Ocean View Rooms or Courtyard View?

One interesting element of Opal Key worth keeping in mind is that the coastal hotel has some acclaimed ocean-facing rooms. It is located in a prize spot on the western side of Key West, after all.

Normally, we would be all about booking these as the rooms have great views looking out west toward the water and for the famous sunsets. But when you wake up in the morning, your view may not be the water but instead be a giant cruise ship.

The cruise port of Key West is, as you may guess, located just next to the hotel. The mornings of our stay we saw a massive ship docked next to the property, just in front of many (but, admittedly, not all) of the ocean-view rooms. They could still see the water an angle, but straight on was a huge ship!

Now, we will say that all the ships seemed to leave well before sunset during our June visit, so those rooms did have epic views at that time. But for most of the day, the ship was present. Personally, while I will always splurge for upgrading to a great sunset view, at this particular hotel, we were quite fine having a pool-view room all the same (and for a lower rate).

All it took was heading down a couple flights of stairs, finding the closest exit, walking a few feet, and we had our view back all the same.

Is this important enough to you when deciding what room to stay in? That’s on you. But it’s worth noting that this could be a very real view you may have!

Overall, Opal Key Resort & Marina offered an incredibly delightful stay and was truly an oasis right in the heart of bustling Key West. You really can’t go wrong with staying at this one, but just keep in mind the cruise ship views and book accordingly if that is something important to you when visiting!

Opal Key Resort & Marina is located at 245 Front Street in Key West. To book your room, click here.