I’m currently staying in the Florida Keys, specifically Key Largo, at the Bakers Cay Resort Key Largo. Essentially it’s Hiltons version of a boutique hotel. It’s also $1000 per night because it’s New Years.

Even though this hotel is $1,000 per night, I paid with points (which essentially makes it free.) Currently, this hotel has a very underrated deal. You can either pay a thousand dollars per night with cold hard cash or 18,000-20,000 points per night, which is fewer than most Hilton hotels. Paying with points also gets you out of paying their $39 daily resort fee. So guess which option I picked?

Now, I’ve never been to the Florida Keys, but I’ve always heard it’s super fancy. One of the main reasons I decided to check out this hotel is to review it for people who might want to know if this hotel is worth the money. I want to give an honest opinion, even if it’s a harsh one.

Key Largo

Key Largo is an island about an hour south of Miami, Florida. Although driving to Key Largo, you would think you’re in a swamp suburb where Monsterpuss lurks at night. The road here is narrow and dangerous with minimal signs, so make sure you have your GPS on when looking for it.

I drove through Key Largo to look around and get a feel for the island. It appears many of the hotels use the beach as their private beach. Even though I didn’t find a public beach, I’m sure there’s one you can find (but please correct me if I’m wrong.)

As you would guess, there are many trailer parks along the roads mixed between shopping centers and gas stations.

As I rode down residential streets, these million-dollar houses on the waterfront look disappointing and somewhat sad. It appears people enjoy living here just to say they can afford it, not because it’s beautiful. It’s something I don’t understand. If I had massive amounts of money, I would live in Monte Carlo, not the Florida Keys.

In any case, I’m not here to review the neighborhood. I’m here to review the hotel. It also appears this hotel is also set up like an all-inclusive resort. Especially because walking anywhere outside of the hotel is not an option. Thank goodness I have a rental car.

Bakers Cay Resort Key Largo

After finding the hotel, you’ll notice that it’s behind a wall of bushes, which is nice because it gives it an exclusive feel. Now, Hilton has one of the best check-in processes (even though not all Hilton hotels do this.) If you download their app, you get a digital key upon arrival. So, there is no need to stand in line. You can do it all in the app.

With all the covid social distancing stuff going on, this digital key is incredible, and I hope all hotels eventually do this.

So, check-in is as fast as heading to your room and pushing a button near your room, which unlocks your door.

Although, I have to say the hotel looks like a glorified motel. 

Bakers Cay Resort also has two pretty excellent bar restaurants. Calusa and Dry Rocks. Dry Rocks is right on the beach. It’s an indoor/outdoor restaurant that’s chic and well designed. The service is great too.

Dry Rocks has a few enjoyable seats that swing as you dine and look out into the blue water. It also has several terraces with comfortable couches. The entire area is very cute.

The beach on this side has a pier you can walk through, rent a kayak or a boat, maybe go fishing with the family. 

The water is crystal clear, which means you can see massive amounts of guppies swimming by.

There are many kayaks, boats, and other fun stuff you can rent. It’s a cute beach, but it’s busy. There are many families and many way too many kids, as well.

Calusa is on the third floor. It’s the place where breakfast takes place, and there is always a wait. Breakfast is not included with your stay. It’s an extra cost—however, it’s tasty.

I ate the Belgian Waffles with a side of sausage and the Breakfast Sammy. Both are delicious. 

If you’re looking for a more private beach experience, you can venture behind the hotel through their very own private beach path.

Here a small patch where the forest meets the water. Between the trees, they’ve placed several loungers for you to sit back and relax on your own private patch of sand. It’s beautiful and more private than the other beach. Although several teenagers sat next to me while I was trying to relax on my own.

Other Amenities

I checked out the gym while I was here. Mainly because quarantine has me gaining weight. However, it was very full and not just with adults. Teens also came here to use the weights. You cannot social distance in this gym. I was also the only one wearing a mask.

I got a good workout in, but I wasn’t comfortable. From what I can tell, it looks like the hotel is pretty full.

The pool is nice. They have two pools. One is adult only and the other one is the family pool. Although they are connected so technically, kids can wander into the adult pool. Don’t get your hopes up though, it’s not “adult” in that sense. It is not a place to cruise or find partners that swing, although it might be better if that was the case.

In between both pools, there’s a jacuzzi filled with about 20 kids every time I checked it out. 

The water is ice cold, so on a hot day, it’s definitely worth a dip. Apart from the refreshing water, they have a very cool waterfall feature.

The poolside restaurant looks basic, but they have cocktails and bar-type food for sale. I had a Bacardi Rum Punch, which I recommend (it’s so tasty.) My partner got a quesadilla, which he liked.

I liked the pool area, especially the adult pool, because there are minimal people for social distancing purposes. But the family pool was a zoo and overcrowded.

Fun Activities at Bakers Cay Resort Key Largo

One of my favorite actives is playing ping pong. They have one semi-unpopular ping pong table that was usually available. I took advantage of that and made my partner play with me.

I’ve actually never played ping pong in real life. All my ping pong experience comes from virtual reality games I’ve played. It turns out it’s very similar and just as fun.

For families, there is a pineapple hunt. The resort has several golden pineapples cleverly hidden throughout the premises. It’s cute for the kids.

The Room

The room is very basic. There is a flat-screen TV, a closet and two chairs to lounge in. My room has a balcony overlooking the forest behind the resort.

The restroom is big. The shower is nice, and the water pressure is excellent. 

You also get all regular toiletries like soap, body wash, and conditioner. 

A couple of negatives: you don’t get a robe or sandals. Also, Hilton has the worst coffee machines. Not just here, but they use the same type of machine at each hotel they own, and I don’t like them. Beware.

Overall I have to say, I was not impressed with the room itself.

Let me break it down for you:

So what did I really think of Bakers Cay Resort Key Largo? I didn’t hate it. But, I also don’t think it’s worth $1,000. The room is disappointing. The look and feel of the building is more like a motel than a hotel. And there were kids and teenagers running around everywhere. 

This hotel is more family-oriented. For me, kids and teens are a dealbreaker. But to each their own.

The restaurants and beach access are great. It has that all-inclusive resort feel, which is good because you can’t really leave the hotel to do other things. In that case, it works, even though I’m really not into hotels that make you feel like a prisoner. All-inclusive is just not my thing.

Would I pay $1000 per night? No. I wouldn’t even pay $300 per night.

But like I said, this is not a complaint. I’m happy I explored Key Largo and experienced this hotel. However, I hope I was able to give a good description of this hotel in case you’re thinking of booking it.

For more info check out the website: Bakers Cay Key Largo