Updated May 3, 2022
If you’re looking for an amazing and luxurious travel destination, look no further than Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys. This resort is absolutely beautiful, and offers a wide variety of activities and amenities to enjoy. Whether you’re looking for a place to relax and soak up the sun, or want to be adventurous, Hawks Cay Resort is sure to please.
In this blog post, I will be sharing a detailed review of the resort along with a helpful travel guide. I’ve also got some special information on their Keys to Country music series! Read on to learn more about what makes Hawks Cay Resort so special!
Here’s a Table of Contents if you want to jump around this post.
Hawks Cay Resort Review Video
Make sure to give the video a watch for a more detailed look!
Getting to Hawks Cay Resort
Hawks Cay Resort is located in the heart of the Florida Keys, about a two hour drive from Miami International Airport and about an hour and a half drive from Key West.
You can hire a car service to transfer you to and from the resort, or rent a car for the drive down. The drive down to the Florida Keys is beautiful, and a very interesting ride.
For this trip, car service was arranged through Florida Keys Express Shuttle, and they were professional and timely. Highly recommend them if you want to go that route. Next time I’d love to rent a car and drive down so we can do some more exploring!
Hawks Cay Resort Location – Duck Key, Florida
Midway down the Florida Keys at mile marker 61, you’ll find an island called Duck Key. It’s small, secluded, yet central to Miami and Key West, and easy to reach by car, boat or plane. Duck Key is filled with aquamarine water all around, and glorious sunrises and sunsets.
The only things on Duck Key are the resort and residential homes. It is small, and we actually were able to bike nearly the entire island!
The Florida Keys aren’t known for wide, extensive sandy beaches because these islands are coral islands. Coral reefs prevent and sand building up on the shore. However, the aquamarine water is gorgeous, and there are plenty of spots to snorkel and swim. Hawks Cay Resort also has a really unique saltwater lagoon where you get the feel of a calm, swimmable sandy beach.
Relaxation and recreation is the name of the game in the Florida Keys. If you’re into snorkeling, fishing, boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, and other water sports, you will love Hawks Cay. If you love to relax and take in the amazing scenery, this is for you.
Hawks Cay Resort Property
Hawks Cay Resort spans across 60 acres. There are 177 hotel rooms, 250 villas, five pools, a saltwater lagoon, a splash pad, six dining options, a full spa, marina, and beautiful grounds. As soon as you enter the hotel lobby, you know you’re in paradise.
The resort property is beautifully manicured and absolutely gorgeous! It’s easy to get around via tram, but can also be walked fairly easily.
The vibe of this resort is very friendly and relaxed! I just can’t get over how beautiful this property is. Hard to believe this is in the United States!
We could not get over the beauty of this resort.
Accommodations
For this trip, I brought my sister along and we were set up in a Waterview King Junior Suite. There are lots of room options at the resort, along with villas. The resort is very family-friendly and is sure to accommodate your party’s needs.
Not only was the room spacious, comfortable, and gorgeous – the view was absolutely amazing!
Waking up to this every day was a gift. Can we go back?
Dining At Hawks Cay Resort
There are various dining options at Hawks Cay Resort.
There are two sit-down restaurants, a fast-dining marketplace, poolside bar & grill, adult-only bar, and family-friendly hangout grill. They can also do made-to-order boxed lunches!
These include:
- Sixty-One Prime – fresh steak and seafood with a Keys flair
- Angler & Ale – Dockside marina restaurant with Keys’ favorite dishes
- Hawks Cay Marketplace – On-the-go family-friendly options
- Tiki Grill – Poolside bar and grill
- Oasis Cay Leisure & Libations – Adult-only bar
- Coral Grill – Family-friendly hangout
We were impressed with all of our meals! Even the poolside offerings were fresh and tasty. We really did not have a single bad item.
Our favorite things were the tuna nachos and fish tacos at Angler & Ale, conch fritters at the Tiki Grill, and of course key lime pie everywhere. We had key lime pie every single meal – no regrets, ha!
Hawks Cay Resort is not an all-inclusive resort, but make sure to check out their website for any specials and packages that may be available at your time of booking!
Hawks Cay Resort Amenities & Activities
There is no shortage of things to do at Hawks Cay. This resort’s amenities are quite impressive and is sure to keep everyone in your travel party busy! Let’s chat about all the things you can do.
Pools
There are five pools on property. The main pool is at the hotel, and it is an amazing place to hang out and relax.
If you are without children, the Oasis Cay adult area and pool is where you’ll really enjoy hanging out. It’s quiet and relaxed.
Pools have servers walking around and serving food and drink from Tiki Grill. The service was amazing and friendly!
Cabana Rentals
Cabana rentals are available at Oasis Cay (the adults-only pool) or at Coral Cay (the family-friendly area). We had a cabana at Oasis Cay, and it was the best way to spend the day! Our cabana came with fresh fruit, bottled water, and a cocktail shaker of our choice. We were also able to order lunch and any additional drinks.
Hanging by the pool and relaxing was truly what two moms needed.
Saltwater Lagoon
The Saltwater Lagoon at Hawks Cay is a unique spot that’s fed straight from the ocean. It’s a Florida Keys attraction found exclusively at this resort! You can swim, rent a paddle board, and relax.
Dolphin Connection
Swim and interact with dolphins at Hawks Cay’s own Dolphin Connection! There are different ways to encounter with these adorable dolphins, so make sure you check out their website for more information.
Spa & Fitness Center
Hawks Cay Resort has a full-service spa and fitness center at Calm Waters Spa. Choose from a wide variety of relaxing spa treatments and salon services, or get a workout in.
Recreation & Rentals
There’s quite a few recreational activities to participate in at Hawks Cay! You can play tennis or pickle ball, rent a golf cart, and there’s also free bike rentals!
We decided to rent bikes for a little while to explore Duck Key. Like I mentioned before, we were able to bike nearly the entire island. There’s lots of cool spots to explore, and the residential homes in the neighborhood are beautiful. It was a great way to spend the morning.
Fishing & Water Sports
The Florida Keys is a big boating and fishing destination. There is no shortage of that at Hawks Cay. There are fishing charters available, and all sorts of water activities.
From private sandbar excursions to kayaks, there’s something for everyone to do on the water!
If you don’t do any water sports, you at least have to check out the marina! There’s a ton of huge tarpon and nurse sharks that hang out there!
Kids Activities
Hawks Cay Resort is very family-friendly, especially if you hang out at Coral Cay! There is a pirate ship pool and splash pad, mini golf, games, and all sorts of programs and events geared towards kids and teens.
While we didn’t have our kids with us, I know this is something they would LOVE!
Keys to Country Live Music Series
One of the main reasons we visited Hawks Cay was to attend the Keys to Country live music series! This is a two-day intimate concert experience for guests of Hawks Cay Resort.
This was the most unique concert event I’ve ever attended, and we loved it! The stage was set up alongside the water – nothing like listening to live music among the palm trees, a gorgeous sunset, and beautiful views.
The first night we saw Sarah Darling, Jeff Garrison, Keith Gattis, and Ronnie Bowman. They each played fun and engaging sets.
The second night we enjoyed performances from Emily Shackelton and Trent Tomlinson, along with headliner Cassadee Pope! I was so excited to hear her perform, and she did not disappoint.
Keys to Country music series kicked off in 2021 and sold out in less than two weeks, so book your tickets early to reserve your spot! Additional concert weekend dates will be announced soon, so make sure to stay tuned (I’ll update this post, too)!
To book the Keys to Country package use code COUNTRY. Book two nights or more and you’ll get admission for two guests per hotel reservation or four guests per villa reservation. Tickets the the concerts will be provided at check-in. There’s limited availability and certain restrictions may apply.
The Keys to Country concerts were seriously the icing on the cake for this trip.
Overall Thoughts
We were so impressed with Hawks Cay Resort, and we would love to bring our kids here! This resort was relaxing but also had plenty for everyone to do. Food was great, concerts were amazing, and the amenities were incredible.
Not only that, but the staff was very friendly and welcoming! Big shout out to Jimmy at valet – he was the kindest staff member that always took care of us. He went above and beyond to make us feel welcome!
If you’re considering a trip to the Florida Keys, you have to check out Hawks Cay. You will not be disappointed!
Hi, we went to Hawks Cay over the Christmas holidays. It was a very nice family friendly resort but I would not call it “luxe” by any means. We stayed in a villa, which was very, very dated and looks nothing like the accommodations that you were provided. The unit had a combo vcr/cd player, if that tells you anything! I believe the bills are all individual owned do there is a huge variation in quality. For us the lodgings didn’t matter that much because we were outdoors most of the time but just wanted to call out that discrepancy. Anyone who really is looking for 4 or 5 star lodging experience will be disappointed.