South Duval / Atlantic Shore

Southernmost Beach Resort

★★★★★

Southernmost Beach Resort covers the Atlantic end of Duval Street, and for families and groups who want a beach, pools, and walkability without Casa Marina's prices or the bustle of the harbor end, it is the most practical choice on the island. The resort spreads across several buildings and adjoining historic guesthouses at 1319 Duval, with a total of around three hundred rooms ranging from standard hotel rooms to oceanfront and Victorian-guesthouse categories, so there is something for most budgets within the same complex. The waterfront is the draw: a private, groomed sandy beach with loungers and umbrellas, a sun pier jutting into the Atlantic for sunrise walks and sunset photos, and three heated outdoor pools around which most of the resort's daytime life revolves. The Beach Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with tables on the sand, and poolside bars keep the drinks coming. The location at the quiet south end of Duval is an asset: the Southernmost Point buoy replica is a block away, the Butterfly Conservatory is across the street, South Beach and the Atlantic-side seafront are right here, and the bars and restaurants of mid-Duval are a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk north, with the free Duval Loop bus for tired legs. Expect a resort fee and limited paid parking. The standard rooms are comfortable rather than luxurious, and the resort is busy and sociable in high season — but for a beach-and-pool family trip in walking distance of Old Town, it is the best value in its class.

The resort's mix of buildings gives guests real choice. The main hotel buildings around the pools offer straightforward resort rooms, while the historic guesthouses that are part of the complex provide more character — Victorian architecture, porches, and period details — for travelers who want Key West charm with resort amenities on hand. Oceanfront rooms put you directly on the Atlantic with sunrise views, and they are the category worth paying for if the budget allows. Families should look at the larger rooms and connecting options; groups often book a mix of categories.

The daily rhythm here is easy: sunrise walk on the sun pier, breakfast at the Beach Cafe, mornings on the beach or by the pools, an afternoon walk up Duval to the Hemingway Home and the lighthouse, and back for a swim before heading out for sunset — either up Duval to Mallory Square or simply on the resort's own pier, where the western sky still glows over the water. The beach is man-made and calm, suitable for wading and swimming rather than snorkeling; for reef snorkeling, the catamaran trips leave from the harbor across town, and Fort Zachary Taylor's rocky shore is a short bike ride west.

Who it suits: families above all, along with groups of friends and couples who want a beach without paying the top-tier rates. Travelers who want to roll out of the hotel into the Duval Crawl at night may prefer the harbor-end hotels, and those seeking hush and romance will find the Gardens Hotel more their style. But as a sunny, sociable, convenient beach base with the island's most famous photo stop around the corner, the Southernmost Beach Resort is hard to beat.