Hey Friends! HAPPY THURSDAY! I feel like I go way too long in between blog posts! I am working on all the Florida guides, and I can't wait to continue sharing!!! The first one is on our first stop, which was Islamorada, FL. Our original plan was to stop in Palm Beach and stay at the Colony Hotel! S was doing so well, we just decided to continue driving! We randomly booked a place called The Islander. We arrived at 11 PM on Thursday night. Our first thoughts of the place when we pulled up was oh gosh, what did we do! It looked like an old Motel from the street. As we walked into the Lobby we were immediately relieved! The receptionist told us the rooms had all been redone post all the hurricanes a few years ago. To our surprise our room was absolutely precious!!! Our biggest surprise came the next day though! We stepped outside our room, and BAM, PARADISE FOUND! The beach was absolutely stunning!!! All the lounge chairs were spaced out at a COVID friendly distance. There were cabanas you could rent for the day! We did that Friday, and it was so worth it with a child! S napped under the cabana while we lounged in the sun! There is wait staff that serve you while out on the beach or by the pool! It honestly didn't feel like a 3-star hotel, more like a 4-star for sure! Quick detour... when we were reading reviews we noticed a lot of complaints about the restaurant at The Islander. We did eat breakfast there that morning, and I can see why there were lots of negative reviews! I hate even saying that, because I hate saying anything negative, but I want to be as transparent and honest with you guys! Our breakfast was wonderful, but our waitress was pretty rude, and our food did come out all wrong! It was all fixed eventually, and the food really was good! I did just want to throw that out there if ya'll are reading the reviews and wondering about it! Okay, back to the beach and pool part! We ate lunch in our cabana, and it was good! Also, the wait staff around the beach and pool were absolutely wonderful! S had her first virgin Pina Colada and LOVED it!!! My Mom, Dad, and I were completely blown away by this places beauty! It was a hidden gem that we are so lucky to have stumbled upon! We met the nicest family while we were in the pool and they mentioned they vacation at The Islander often! They rent the villas, and they talked highly of them! They also mentioned how wonderful all the food was off the resort! They told us to go to Square Grouper for dinner. We did and BOY was it DELICIOUS!!! It was half indoor, half outdoor, so my parents felt comfortable eating there! I will say either show up really early, or really late, because there was an hour wait at prime dinner time. I would highly recommend Square Grouper! It was phenomenal! Another place they recommended for dinner was Bad Boy Burrito, said it was the best burrito joint! For best view, they mentioned Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar (they did say the food was awful, but the cocktails were good). We only got to try the restaurants at the Resort and Square Grouper, but we wish we would of been able to try way more! For breakfast they mentioned Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar. We did attempt to go there, but they were way too packed for my Mom's comfort level. Must mean it's good though!!! Saturday morning we hung out by the pool for a couple of hours before we left for our next destination, Hawks Cay (which will be the next blog post). We would all 100% recommend staying at The Islander! We definitely plan on returning!!! Here are some fun pics from our amazing time spent at The Islander! Hope you enjoyed this post!!! xOxO, T
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