Look no further south for your next tropical getaway

Head to Bungalows Key Largo if you’re looking for paradise.

· Lahoma Scarlette Miami Times Contributor

· Ed. Note: Great advice from our SFPRN member Lahoma Scarlette! I’m buying a ticket!- linda hamburger, SFPRN editor, fonder

· Dec 31, 2019

Miami Times photos/Lahoma Scarlette

If you think the Caribbean is your only option when it comes to all-inclusive resorts, think again. Bungalows Key Largo is a sexy, luxurious, adults-only all-inclusive resort in South Florida. Yes, you read that right, Florida.

The first all-inclusive resort in the Florida Keys, Bungalows features 135 private bungalows on 12-acres of waterfront property. After a fire last May that temporarily closed the property, Bungalows Key Largo officially reopened on Dec. 19. I had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Bungalows, and I was impressed with what I experienced. Upon arrival to the property via electric boat, I noticed a crisp, vibrant teal color scheme that was so bright, my eyes widened. An immediate smile began because I knew I was in for something special. The property has two types of accommodations: waterfront or garden bungalows. Be prepared to make a tough decision of whether you want views of the ocean or seclusion in a botanical garden. A private outdoor soaking tub comes with either room type, as well as outside rain showers. You can’t go wrong with either choice. Because of the seclusion, I’d go with the garden bungalows. The attention to details in both room types is superb; from the bed and bath linens, to the wall décor, the design of the bungalows will put you in a relaxed mood.

As I was walking the property, I literally felt like I was on a faraway island and began to zen out. The lush gardens and exotic flowers align the pathways and serve as canopies as you walk along Lovers Lane (an actual pathway on the property).

Our next stop was a visit to the Zen Garden Spa, which offers a salt therapy treatment and eucalyptus steam room, with gorgeous black bamboo that aligns a pathway to a gorgeous, 5-foot Buddha sculpture. If your dream is a spa. day, Bungalows also offers five outdoor treatment cabanas where you can sip cocktails and be pampered.

After touring more of the property, including the beach house, the main pool area and the resort’s private Coconut Beach, it was time to sample bites from the property’s three onsite restaurants: Sea Senor, Fish Tales, and Bogie and Bacall’s. Led by Executive Chef Phillip Loud, we were treated to a global cornucopia of flavors. The food is locally sourced and locally caught, with everything made onsite and from scratch.

Since you will eventually become a repeat customer to Bungalows – trust me you will– it’s important to note the menu changes seasonally, so your taste buds will always be introduced to new flavors. We tasted shrimp and clam chowder, garlic ginger fillet with Thai green beans, seared scallops and Mexican street tacos. The seafood gnocchi, if you can imagine, were like little flavorful pillows filled with a cross of Caribbean and Italian flavor. So good. We ended our course samplings with a mango and passion fruit dessert with shavings of coconut and other flavorful tropical fruits, that was light and filling.

We went boating around the bay on a 22-foot Duffy electric boat, which included discovering the area of Buttonwood Bay. It was a great day as the ride was smooth and the skies were clear and beautiful. While boating, we passed by a group on one of the property’s two motorized tiki boats, S.S. Margarita and S.S. Rum Runner. Imagine being on the water on one of their tiki huts (BYOB by the way), cruising along the bay, cue Bertie Higgins’ song, Key Largo.

Bungalows Key Largo offers amenities such as the sunset cruise, daily yoga, Duffy cruiser bikes in the resort’s signature teal color, various aquatic excursions, and daytime and evening entertainment. A visit to Bungalows Key Largo is indeed a discovery of paradise; once you visit it may be hard for you to return to normal life.

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