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Macaroni Travel: Hawks Cay Resort, FL

Macaroni Travel Review: Florida

By Sam McDade-Wray September 16, 2015

Did you know that Macaroni Kid is a national newsletter comprised of nearly 600 publishers across the nation and even in a few international sites? Three weeks ago, I enjoyed a nice relaxing long weekend in the Florida Keys with a few of the top Macaroni Kid publishers from across the country at Hawks Cay Resort, located on Duck Key. This was not my first time there. My sister and I stayed there one month after Hurricane Andrew many years ago and my husband was even a bellhop one summer when he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do when he grew up!

My how this place has grown up! The resort now covers 60 beautiful acres. There are 177 guest rooms in the main hotel and about 230 two and three bedroom villas and vacation rentals. With lots of water options (5 pools, a salt water lagoon, and a marina), a spa, playgrounds for the kids, bike rentals, miniature golf, and even a dolphin encounter, there is something for everyone.




Accommodations and Amenities

Hawks Cay has been recently renovated and still has a few more upgrades planned. The main hotel rooms were beautiful and comfy with a sort of Tommy Bahama vibe. Fully functional for a relaxing visit or a business conference trip, the rooms included a desk, a mini-fridge, a Keurig® coffee maker (just like home), a flat-screen TV (not that we used it), and an alarm clock with music. The bathroom was equipped with a large sink area, hair dryer, luxurious shower (to get all of the sand off) and a private toilet. This makes it easy for a family to use.




Our room overlooked the pool and was surprisingly quiet with the balcony door closed. This location was actually quite nice since we could hear the live music playing on the weekend with the patio doors open while relaxing. Surprisingly though, the walls in between the rooms could be a bit thin. There are also family-style suites with bunk beds in the main hotel that can accommodate up to five people! I did not see the inside of the villas but they looked nicely kept from the outside and seemed to be spacious.

The main areas offered several restaurant options for casual or more upscale dining. The breakfast buffet at Ocean was not over the top and perfect for jump starting the day with an omelet bar, traditional American breakfast options and more. American cuisine could be found at the Beach Grill; they had great fish tacos and shaker cocktails. For a more upscale experience, fine Latin dining can be found at Alma restaurant. Pool side and lagoon service was a major plus too!

For Families

Hawks Cay Resort is well equipped for families. Though there is an entire resort to enjoy, the kid-friendly Coral Cay Club is where the kids want to be. It features a splash area, a swimming pool, mini-golf, bike rentals and planned kid– and family– friendly activities all day long. There is also Camp Hawk for children ages 5-12 years, which offer full and half day (morning or afternoon) options as well as babysitting. And if you are looking for kid coverage in the evening there are "Kids Night Out" parties.



The tween/teen set is covered with a space that has video games and ping pong tables. The main pool area offers a bigger pool and the lagoon rents kayaks and paddle boards. The space is a bit small for adults to enjoy these water activities, but it was perfect for the kids. So you don't miss out on any of the activities, visit Hawks Cay Happenings each day, with activities such as hula hoop competitions, water polo, Frisbee challenges, air hockey and ping pong tournaments, paddle-board races, and treasure hunts.

Another unique feature of Hawks Cay is their Dolphin Connection program. Located in an ocean-fed saltwater lagoon on property, visitors can interact with a pod of bottle-nose dolphins that have been rescued or were born at the facility. You can watch too at several look out locations. It is a one-of-a-kind Florida Keys vacation experience.




For Adults

One of the best things about the whole trip was adult time. Time to just lounge and relax. The resort offers a Tranquility Pool just for adults. A full spa is on site with massage, skincare, and other services available.




The concierge on site can assist with registering you for parasailing, fishing, and virtually any other water sport you might like. We went down to Marathon to Jerry's Watersports for jet skiing and had a great time on our two-hour tour (cut a bit short due to a storm). Our tour guide shared a bit about the local area and gave us a chance to venture out to see how our equipment operated!

Overall, the resort was not too big and not too small with plenty to do (or not) for a girlfriends' getaway weekend or a family trip. It was a very nice mini-vacation and I will look forward to bringing my family back!