We stayed at Tranquility Bay Beach House Resort in Spring of 2019 with our two kids ages 6 and 6 months. Here is my review of Tranquility Bay and snapshots of the fun we had!
Detailed Reviews Of Our Stay:
Review of Tranquility Bay Beach House Resort
I think the ultimate question when you’re reviewing a travel destination is “Would I go back?”
And our answer is: absolutely!
Our trip to Tranquility Bay Beach House Resort went swimmingly well and we couldn’t have asked for better accommodations given that we were traveling with two kids of very different ages. I had worried that the resort would be filled with adults wanting peace and quiet, but there were actually tons of families with small children there for Mazen to play with. (Probably more than usual due to spring break.)
Getting There
We took a direct flight from Richmond to Miami and rented a car to drive down. For $250 for the week, we got a super nice, new Toyota Highlander from Alamo. I was so glad we decided to rent a car and not take a shuttle. The drive was not bad at all and took us about two hours. There are lots of places to stop for lunch along the way.
We Loved
–Stunning property and convenient accommodations. Definitely spring for a beachfront house so you can walk right out onto the sand and take in the gorgeous views.
–Shallow, wave-free beach with clear water and plenty of chairs. Great for kids!
–Beautiful heated pool area with zero-entry and nice chairs. Perfect for kids of all ages. (There is also an adult pool for those seeking peace and quiet, but even if I was traveling alone I would prefer the main pool.)
–Full kitchen and nearby Publix so you can stock up on breakfast foods, light lunches, snacks, drinks, and coffee. We appreciated the nice coffeepot and provided coffee. (Even though we brought our own!)
–Laundry in the kids room. I put a load in every night (including our beach towels) and we had clean clothes every morning. This enabled us to travel very lightly. I can imagine going to the beach without a washer/dryer! (I also love doing laundry). I bought detergent at the grocery store.
-The view from our bed and wonderful porches.
-On-site activities: putting green, kayaks and (expensive) jet ski.
–Butterfly Cafe was delicious with a lovely ambiance.
Things To Note
-There are only two places to eat on the property: TJ’s Tiki Bar for lunch/dinner (super casual) and Butterfly Cafe (fancy) for dinner. We ended up just eating breakfast and lunches in our house and went out to dinner twice to Lighthouse Grill and Sunset Grill, neither of which impressed us all that much.
–TJ Tiki Bar was a disappointment. The food was just OK, and the drinks were $15! DIY a margarita in your room. I did have a good shrimp salad for lunch one day, but it cost me $23.
–Service: something to know is that this resort is not bustling with employees to bring you a poolside drink. This might be a pro or a con for you, but it’s something to be aware of. Housekeeping does come once a day to refresh your room and replace towels, so that was nice. Everyone was friendly!
–Pool towels are provided in your room and you have to carry them around with you. There are not extras by the pool, beach, etc.
-We really thought the rooms could have used some rugs. If you’re not used to it, the tile is quite cold/wet/sandy and hard on the feet, so bring some slippers! There was also no where to put our baby down on the main level so we resorted to towels and blankets on the floor. One nice indoor/outdoor rug and a few doormats would have been nice.
-The bathrooms, while 2.5 was nice to have, were TINY. Just something to be aware of. I could barely do a 360 turn in the master bath. They did supply shampoo, conditioner and soap – FYI!
–The resort is small, so if you want to go for a walk or run you’ll have to venture outside and there aren’t really great paths to take. There is a fitness room, but I never made it there. The few walks I took had me doing laps back and forth.
-There are iguanas by the pool and they are quite friendly! If you are afraid of them, you might want to go somewhere else : )
-Unlike some of the bigger resorts, there is no kids club.
A Return Trip?
We are really debating a return trip next year! Overall we really liked the resort, and now that we’ve been once we know what to expect. We are torn between going back to somewhere we liked and seeing a new part of the world. That said, it would be hard to find such a perfect walk-out beach with a direct flight and warm weather, so unless we want to up our travel game with a toddling Birch, we might just be back next year!
Sarah says
This is so interesting and we are always looking for good kid friendly resorts that don’t scream resort —though the less than awesome food is a
Drawback . What other places did you consider?
KathEats says
Hawk’s Cay, Cheeka Lodge, and Sunset Key Cottages
julie says
i’m the type of person who will go back to a place time after time if i like it. why chance it at someplace else?! especially beach vacations if you have little ones…it creates a nice tradition 🙂
the resort looks gorgeous!
KathEats says
I’m so torn!
Andrea says
It looks stunning!! Although it would not be the right place for me as Im not a fan of having to do any work when I travel …I don’t want to prepare any meals at all, go to the grocery store, and definitely no laundry. And I like to be served!! Hah… Otherwise it feels too much like every day life to me. In February we went to Mexico with our three year old and we even had a butler. Now that’s my idea of a vacation! 😀
KathEats says
Haha – I like those kind of vacations too!!
Melanie Hill Gilbert says
This was very helpful, we’re considering this for next year! Mind you I’m not a seafood eater, so that’s a BIG caveat, but I just find most beach town food is really lacking. I’m lucky enough to live in a big city with many interesting restaurants, and I don’t know, it just always seems like the “fancy” food at the beach is lacking. I’d usually just as well grill up some chicken or burgers every night in my rental! Thanks for sharing your trip info!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Sounds like a super kid-friendly resort! The views are really something! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
C. says
I love the Keys, happy spot!
We have found getting there an issue. Never do we fly into Miami again! A 2 hour drive turned into a 6 hour drive with bumper to bumper traffic with 2 traffic accidents on that streatch of causeway that goes to 2 lanes. The traffic was a nightmare. Having began the day in MI., it turned out rather disappointing as well in terms of my sunscreen —— I drove and had not applied / reapplied so my arm/ face got sunburned just from the car windows. So fishing in the flats ( my husband and I enjoy)….. was hard as my body had had enough sun.
Now we fly to Atlanta then to Key West.
As well—— returns to Miami airport ( again a headache due to super overcrowded roads in/ near Miami) is not a factor in travel time….. b/ c you always have to factor in the extra 2 hours “ just in Case”.
KathEats says
Yikes!!! We hit some traffic too but not too bad. I can imagine that road getting awful though.
Sandy says
We have stayed there and it all looks familiar. You were lucky to have such great weather. It’s a short drive but we took our daily walk on the old 7 mile bridge. Drive south from the resort and there is a parking lot on the right and the old bridge is cut off but provides a nice walking path.
Alan says
Hi kath. Such a beautiful family you have. Thank you for sharing them with us!!
Did this site “sponsor you”? Or was it all opinion courtesy Kath? Also, how did you find this place? I am always nervous to try places like this that aren’t part of a big company that I can then go after if needed (i.e. if there is a problem). Your photos and words sure made this non-beach lover very intrigued and maybe even considering…
Glad the boys are doing so well.
KathEats says
Nope they didn’t sponsor me at all. I found it through Google searches for resorts in Florida. I looked at a LOT of them! I know there are nice chain resorts, but I actually prefer the boutique ones.
Melissa says
Hi ! How was the pack and play ? I saw a review that it was hard. Are there many restaurants to walk to in the area ?
Thanks !
Kath Younger says
I don’t recall on the travel crib, but our baby slept fine! And no, there aren’t a lot of walkable restaurants. The lack of restaurants is my number one complaint about the keys. The two on the property were good, but if you’re there for a week you might want to explore other areas by car.