Kona Kai Resort, Gallery & Botanic Gardens

This place is quaint, charming and delightful. Clean rooms, comfy beds and a darling beach. I’d stay here again if given the opportunity.

Stayed here once and thought it was a really decent place … for a cute 1980s-​feel Keys-​style motor lodge. I’d give it four stars but it was overpriced given the quality of the rooms. No hot tub neither. But everyone there was really nice.

We thoroughly enjoyed are brief overnight stay at Kona Kai Resort in Key Largo. Denise, who checked us in, was quite nice, recommended nearby restaurants and gave us a mini tour of the resort. We were impressed with how meticulous and beautiful the rooms and gardens were. It was the perfect get away and I can’t wait to go back for a longer stay :-)

A second stay at Kona Kai and every bit as good as the last — if not better. This was a special event (engagement) and the staff was super helpful with helping me setup the details. The room, grounds and staff are all top notch and we can’t wait until our third stay at Kona Kai. Geared with couples in mind, we appreciated the privacy and the resort is limited in the number of guests which keeps it quiet and intimate. A must stay for a romantic get away!

My wife and I came on a honeymoon for two nights. Service was great! We had the Kiwi room and it served us very well. Enough room with all the amenities, including great AC. The details to the room make the experience more refined, with hardwood furniture and window blinds. We checked in the following day because we arrived late night. Much to our pleasant surprise, an envelope with info on hotel and greeted us on the glass door of the office. It was a nice personal touch.
The grounds were well kept and so so clean. I took the kayak out for a morning and it was just easy. The little touches of gift candles and notes of congratulations of us being here on our honeymoon made the experience more special.
The locale was great. We were within minutes of the place to take the glass bottom boat. The seafood restaurant Ballyhoo’s was right across the street and it was awesome. Everything we tasted was delicious: grilled lobster, stone crabs, sweet potato casserole, sangria.
Please, stay at this place when you are in key largo!

I cannot say enough great things about this little slice of paradise. The rooms are adorable, each one having it’s own unique tropical décor. The pool is immaculate and the staff even kept it stocked with fresh fruit from the garden (which is sooooo beautiful!) In addition to the pool, this resort has it’s own private beach complete with hammocks and tiki cabanas. Staff is incredibly friendly and more than willing to recommend things to do in the area. I really hope to have the chance to stay here again!

My wife and I were in desperate need of a getaway from the rat race and kids! She surprised me and booked a trip to Kona Kai and it was just what we needed. The woman at the front desk was very helpful when we checked in and gave us recommendations on where to eat and what to do… we then checked into the pineapple room which was well appointed and offers great water views. The grounds are gorgeous and we took a tour with their grounds keeper Rick. He was great and a wealth of knowledge. He spoke to us for close to 2 hours about various topics and plants, trees, flowers and other areas as well. It was quite educational and interesting.
There was complimentary wine offered and we indulged with a couple glasses as we watched the beautiful sun set…
There are hammocks on the palm trees, lounge chairs by the water and a nice beach area as well. The pool is really nice and heated to a toasty 85 degrees. There is also a hot tub and complimentary fruit and bottled water which was a nice touch.
It is very quiet and adults only which was exactly what we were looking for. So nice to read a book by the water in a tranquil setting. And if you go make sure to lay in the hammock at night for an incredible view of the stars!
It was a great experience and we hope to return soon to recharge our batteries.

I have stayed twice for 7 nights in total and it is simply a relaxing, intimate escape from the world. You feel as if you’re on your own private island. The gardens are beautiful, there are kayaks and paddle boats free of charge for you to use and you can snorkel along the beach side as many people do. The staff is very friendly, well aware of resources around the area and passionate to help in any way that they can. My favorite part of my stay was the gorgeous sunsets sitting on the dock. Both times that I have stayed there were only two other couples staying there… Can you say privacy! The insides of the suites are very cozy and comfortable.

Very clean place but not can’t figure out how they call themselves a resort. Cute but a bit spendy (300 hundred and something) for what it is (a made over efficiency motel). Its also very small but the best option in the area since the choices are minimal. The other reviews were so glowing that I suppose my expectations were too high. The sheets were scratchy and the pillows and bed lumpy so had a horrible nights sleep. Its a bit like upscale roughing it. It has bbq’s in front of each of the few units which was nice if you wanted to stay in. No kids allowed which is also nice if you want an adult get away. That being said it is right next door to a not so nice place where there were a lot of kids and loud Bee gee’s music being played.

My fiancé and I stayed for 4 nights to escape the stress of wedding planning, and Kona Kai did the job! The resort was truly intimate. The staff achieved a balance of excellent service and a laissez faire attitude. They gave us tons of area resources & personal recommendations and arranged a snorkeling trip & massage for us. But the staff seemed to disappear when we didn’t need them, leaving us with privacy and almost no restrictions. We could take out kayaks whenever we wanted to and for as long as we wanted to– no charge, and if we wanted to play tennis at night, we just turned on the tennis court lights.
The best part of our stay was watching the sun set over the bay with a bottle of wine (in the company of 2 manatee one evening!) and then sitting in the outdoor hot tub under the stars. It felt a little like we were staying on our own private property. The only downside (which wasn’t a big deal): the front desk closes at 7. So if you need extra towels or want to borrow a DVD for that night, get it ahead of time.

We stayed at Kona Kai for three nights and really enjoyed ourselves. It is a very laid back place, the staff are friendly and helpful. The property is made up of 11 cabins within a beautiful and well maintained garden. Every cabin has a full kitchenette and outdoor grill and the beach has a few palapas covered tables, so instead of eating out, we bought some charcoal and grilled outdoors every night with some people that we had met there. Definitely one of the nicer spots we saw in Key Largo.

This place is a great place to stay at if you are going to the Keys and Key Largo in particular. It is a small, privately owned resort that has 11 cabin like rooms. It is very private and the setting is beautiful and not your typical hotel room. If you are looking for a great get-​a-​way, this is the place to go. The owners work there and are great to talk to. They were also very helpful in signing up for diving/​tours and other trips. This place is worth going to.

Great place for a Honeymoon. Adults only, small, friendly staff, and beautiful gardens and suites. If I ever was to return to the Keys, Kona Kai would be my first choice as a place to stay, no doubt about it. The perfect place for a couple to stay.