Key West is a lot of things to a lot of people. The entire island is known for its laid back atmosphere. It’s a friendly and welcoming community for those who are LGBTQI+. Old Town is known for its bars. Key West has some amazing sunsets and even better restaurants (these are some our favorites and even more of our favorites).
But is Key West really appropriate to bring kids? Well, Your Mileage May Vary on the answer to that question. But I think a lot of people might say no. I mean, you’ve got the boozing (and I mean LOTS of boozing). Fantasy Fest. The clothing optional Garden of Eden bar atop the Bull & Whistle Bar (on the corner of Duval & Caroline). And don’t forget the fact that one of the naughtiest adults-only hotels & resorts in the world is in Key West.
And speaking of adult-only hotels (but this time not a naughty one), one more has just decided to stop allowing kids. Except this one is an IHG property that’s been around for almost 140 years.
Ridley House was built in 1884. It’s been through a handful of different names over the years, although it was known as Cypress House for decades. However, IHG bought Cypress house, as well as 4 other properties, a few years ago and totally renovated them. They also changed the name of Cypress House to “Kimpton Ridley House.”
The funny thing is, I stayed at Cypress House, with a friend, back in 2008. I even blogged about it (we didn’t have YMMV at the time. This was more of a diary-style blog). And then when Joe and I stayed there in 2021, we blogged about it as a “new” (to us) property.
Anyway, we were looking at possibilities for “long weekend” vacations for next year and Key West came up. I did some very basic research and how surprised was I when I saw the Kimpton-Ridley House is now an adults-only resort!
“The decision was made from a combination of previous guests and the property makeup, trying to have one that’s a little bit different and stands out and caters to that kind of traveler.
We have something for everybody in Key West,” explained Megan Coccitto, the sales and marketing director for Kimpton Key West.
The hotel’s amenities have also changed to reflect no children on property:
- They’ve partnered with Cupcake Sushi, and treats are available at the hotel on Thursdays
- They have a pool blackjack game on Fridays
- The hotel offers monthly Tarot card readings (timed with the full moon)
- Jazz and piano music is performed once or twice a week
We enjoyed our stay at the Kimpton Ridley and it’s high on our list of places we’d return to. They currently have a “Stay 3+ nights, save up to 30%” deal going on, so between that and the new “no kids” policy*….hmmmm….. 😉
* Nothing against kids. We just don’t have any and when we’re looking for a romantic getaway, we don’t expect to see a whole lot of children. An adults-only hotel will help us reach that goal. 😉
Feature Photo: Ken Lund / flickr / CC BY-SA- 2.0
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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