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My Key West Adventure and Stay at Cypress House

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While on our family getaway to the Florida Keys we were grateful for a day away just the two of us. My parents took care of our daughter for one night while we escaped to Key West. What a spectacular time we had.

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We were given the opportunity to stay in the beautiful Cypress House, one of the many beautiful properties of  Historic Key West Inns. They own six historic hotels in the center of Old Town Key West.

CypressHouseKeyWest_25Although the navigation in our Kia Soul said we had arrived at our destination, the Cypress House was hard to see with all of the trees and gardens surrounding it. The building to the right with the green door is the guest check-in area. We were greeted warmly by Alexander who offered to keep our luggage stored safely until our room was ready. Valuables were kept in a back room. This made it possible to start our adventures early in the day which we appreciated greatly. He gave us directions to the nearest parking garage (few people explore Key West by car due to the lack of parking in the area) which was only a short walk away. He also gave us some suggestions for lunch which was on our way back from the garage. We relaxed by the harbor and enjoyed the open air dining and a cold drink.

CypressHouseKeyWest_6After lunch we headed back to the pool area at the Cypress House to wait for our room.

CypressHouseKeyWest_3They had ice water and a variety of local newspapers.

CypressHouseKeyWest_5The outdoor couches were perfect for lounging and soaking up the sun.

CypressHouseKeyWest_4The covered breakfast area had plenty of seating if you preferred a shady place to relax and read.

CypressHouseKeyWest_2Although they do have a pool it is a shallow lap pool. Our stay was too short to find the time to enjoy it. I would have loved a jacuzzi to relax in although I’m sure that’s less desirable on hot days than it is in the Minnesota climate I’m used to.

CypressHouseKeyWest_13We were handed our key and escorted to our room at 3pm which meets their check-in policy. Our room was right at the top of the stairs in the main building.

Amenities:

CYPRESS HOUSE | 601 Caroline Street

  • Outstanding Location in Old Town
  • 40 Foot Heated Lap Pool
  • Municipal Parking Lot Nearby
  • Continental Breakfast
  • 1 Block to Key West Nightlife Duval Street
  • Free Wireless Internet
  • Best for Couples
  • Adults Only
  • 22 Guestrooms

CypressHouseKeyWest_7The room was clean and well-kept with a mix of contemporary linens and furniture amidst the overall vintage feel of the building.

CypressHouseKeyWest_12My husband thought the chandelier on the ceiling was an odd fit with the other pieces in the room but I loved it. I think it’s romantic charm and nod to the history of the building was a beautiful touch.

CypressHouseKeyWest_8Our room had all of the modern amenities of a high-end hotel room with air conditioning and a flat screen TV.

CypressHouseKeyWest_10They even included a mini fridge stored discreetly under a side table and a safe hidden in the closet. Although we didn’t use the closet for more than a few hanging items, it would be nice if we had stayed longer.

CypressHouseKeyWest_9The linens were clean and the bed comfortable. I loved the pop of lime green in the accent blanket at the foot of the bed. The king sized bed was more than enough for the two of us to lay back and relax our time away.

CypressHouseKeyWest_11The bathroom was also well-kept and clean. The fixtures were all updated and the mirror was huge which helped the otherwise small space.

CypressHouseKeyWest_14We changed for the evening and headed out to find adventure in Key West. The Cypress House is just one block from Duval Street and a few blocks from the seaport. You can easily walk to Margaritaville, Mallory Square, Key West restaurants, nightlife, and all the top spots in the area. With the parking challenge in Key West this is a priority.

CypressHouseKeyWest_15Before heading out we stopped down to the pool area and enjoyed a free spread of snacks and drinks. This was such a nice touch by the Cypress House.

CypressHouseKeyWest_16Traveling on a budget can be tough and we were thankful to enjoy the veggies and smoked fish dip with crackers before we headed out. They even had ice cold sangria to enjoy. Yummmm.

CypressHouseKeyWest_17One of the reasons I was most excited about the location of the Cypress House was how close it was to the sunset celebration. We headed down to Mallory Square to enjoy this stunning view. I read about this ahead time and we took the advice to get there early. I’m glad we did because even being there an hour before sunset it was already getting busy. We didn’t have perfect seating but you still can’t beat this view. After the sun drifted below the horizon we enjoyed a variety of street entertainers with flaming swords and unicycles. Quite amusing if you get over the crowds.

CypressHouseKeyWest_18After a fun evening walking Duval Street and people watching we had a late dinner at Pepe’s and then headed back to the room. The pool was closed so I took advantage of this huge tub and soaked my sore feet before bed. This tub was divine.

CypressHouseKeyWest_21Breakfast was included in our stay at the Cypress House and we were pleasantly surprised by the spread, although it took us a bit of time to actually find the kitchen where it was served. (Suggestion: Put out a sandwich board or more staff in the seating area to direct guests where the food is served. We weren’t shown the area at check-in.)

CypressHouseKeyWest_23We had the choice of a hot item (served in real crockware which I thought was so classy) and several cold items. This morning it was biscuits and gravy. Oh my goodness yum. They also had fresh bread, muffins and bagels along with oatmeal, cereal, yogurt and fresh fruit. My husband was happy to find the coffee and I had plenty of non-caffienated options to drink as well. My only complaint of the entire meal was my fruit choice. I was excited to try a Florida orange and when I peeled it open it was so dry and tasteless I couldn’t eat it. I had more than enough alternative options to fill up on.

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The breakfast area was busy when we came down but we found a nice spot for two alongside the pool. We gathered our bags to check out and were pleased to find that we could again store them in the guest check-in area while we enjoyed the remainder of our day. We spoke to Dennis and he gave us some great tips. We wanted to visit the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and were pleasantly surprised to find that he had coupons for us. He also suggested that we drive there and use the free parking behind the conservatory. This saved our legs after a lot of walking the day prior. We were so impressed with how kind and helpful the Cypress House staff was. We’d gladly return in the future; hopefully for a much longer stay.

KeyWest_Butterfly2The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory was the highlight of our trip. This amazing experience could easily be missed as a gift shop upon first glance so be sure to look it up before you go. The entire front of the conservatory is indeed a gift shop (and a beautiful one at that) while the back is a huge enclosed garden with thousands of butterflies flying everywhere. On this day the computers which control the humidity in the room had broken so the room was almost unbearably hot but it was still worth every minute. Thankfully our admission granted us access all day until they closed so we went in once, had lunch, and then returned for a second walk through. Our favorites were the HUGE blue butterflies. When their wings are closed they disappear into the bark of the tree and have spots that look like eyes. When they’re open however, they are a STUNNING blue that’s just indescribable unless you see it yourself. Go. Enjoy the beauty. It’s a must-see.

CypressHouseKeyWest_24Not far from the butterfly conservatory is the southernmost point on the continental USA. Okay so it’s really not so impressive. This marker stood inside a gated shoreline and had a line a block long to take pictures. We snuck to the side and snapped a shot and went on with our day. But hey, we can say we’ve been there!

CypressHouseKeyWest_1We had a wonderful time in Key West and hope to return again some day. Even in a short time we experienced much of the Key West culture. Who knew Key West had roosters roaming wild everywhere? I think we caught this guy as he was trying to catch a pedal cab. So why did the chicken cross the road?

 

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Historic Key West Inns however all thoughts remain my own.

21 Comments

  1. this place is stunning. i would love to visit one day. one of my favorite things to do on vacation is watch the sun set!

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