Little Torch Key, FL, USA
Featured Lodging
Little Palm Island
What to expect: President Harry S. Truman and wife, Bess, visited often when the island was a private fishing retreat, and President Kennedy came when PT-109, the story of his World War II exploit, was filmed here. Today Little Palm Island attracts an international clientele of celebrating couples, lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, and celebrities seeking peace, quiet, and privacy in the Florida Keys. (Guests must be at least 16 years old.)
Amenity highlights: Staffed by 30 specialists, the spa offers massage, body and facial treatments, beauty services, yoga, and fitness training. Swimming and sunbathing sites include a 75-yard beach furnished with padded lounges and umbrellas and a good-sized lagoon-style garden pool. Complimentary water gear includes outboard-motor pontoon boats and Boston Whalers for fishing, snorkeling, and excursions to other islands (fishing and snorkeling equipment included); kayaks; canoes; paddleboats; and small catamarans. For fees, there are scuba diving and snorkeling excursions to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, deep-sea and flat fishing, eco-tours, and sunset sails on a 45-foot sailboat. |
Insider tip: Tiny Key deer, an endangered species, frequently appear on the island after swimming narrow channels from other islands. It's illegal to feed them–and you never know when you’ll see one--but one story goes like this: an intrepid Key deer, attracted by the mint leaves, poked his nose into a guest’s mojito cocktail.