In the early morning hours that don’t lend much light, I arrived at Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, an eco-haven that serves as the sustainability incubator for Curio Collection by Hilton. Curio Collection is an upscale hotel brand within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. The hotels are supported by Hilton, but embrace their own unique and local elements.
The resort’s strong focus on sustainability is inspired by its location in the Florida Keys.
"From the aquamarine of the Florida Bay to the protected hardwood hammocks, we are surrounded by picturesque pieces of the planet,” said Joy Michelle Boyd, the resort’s general manager. “Stewardship of that ecosystem was important to us and moved us to weave elements of sustainability throughout the resort.”
Guestrooms With a Focus on Sustainability
The hotel’s focus on sustainability was immediately apparent as I stepped into my Coconut Wing Waterfront guestroom. Parched from traveling, I was pleased to find ProudSource 100% recyclable Florida bottled water in my room. (The water is complimentary for Hilton Diamond, Gold and Silver members; otherwise, it’s $6 each.) Water refill stations are also available throughout the property.
The waterfall shower, donned with black-and-white patterned tiles, was a welcome respite after a long travel day and was equipped with eco-conscious Lather refillable bamboo shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Additional toiletries were packaged in recycled materials, and other sustainable features included fabric laundry bags, recycle bins in rooms and wooden keys.
The 200 rooms and suites are sea-inspired with private balconies — most with vistas of the sweeping bay. My Coconut Wing Waterfront guestroom had a king-size plush bed, a private patio and a cozy sitting area. Baker’s Cay has two distinct wings — Coconut Wing and Hammock Wing — with waterfront rooms, partial waterfront rooms and junior suites. There are also Baker’s Cay Kitchenette Suites and Premium one- and two-bedroom Waterfront Suites with bathtubs, dining areas and sleeper sofas.
Heading out to shop, I noticed the mustard and blue beach-inspired hues throughout the property that also adorned the gray textiles and lightwood furnishings in my room. The vibrant and welcoming tropical decor creates a barefoot luxury ambiance.
Baker’s Cay On-Site, Eco-Conscious Amenities
At the boutique, clients can purchase the Baker’s Cay Resort reusable aluminum bottles with a bamboo lid, another show of the hotel’s commitment to environmental awareness. The profits from the water bottle sales benefit the efforts of the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit on Key Largo at the forefront of saving coral reefs in the area, only a five-minute drive away. Guests can visit CRF to participate in education programs or stay on-site and join the property’s Eco Champion on eco walks and talks about the coral planting process in the Florida Keys.
Guests can purchase reusable bottles that support a local nonprofit that helps save coral reefs in the area.
Credit: 2022 Baker’s Cay Resort Key LargoThe shop offers many other sustainable products, such as Solo sunglasses, which are made from bamboo and recycled materials; Sand Cloud throws that benefit marine life conservation; and 4Ocean bracelets made from recycled plastic and glass bottles.
The property’s library is donned with furniture made from responsibly harvested wood and stocked with educational books about preserving the area’s coral reef and the nearby everglades.
Outside, at the resort’s secluded white-sand Coconut Beach — a rarity in the Florida keys — the towel station is stacked with yellow striped beach towels. On the counter are gigantic bottles of complimentary sunscreen from Stream2Sea, a local reef-friendly and biodegradable brand. Guests can relax on oversized floaties in the crystalline sea without worrying about getting harmful sunburns or their sunblock contributing to coral bleaching.
An Eye on Wellness
The resort has two waterfall swimming pools to enjoy, a 24-hour fitness center and select complimentary watersports and activities such as stand-up paddleboarding. A few mornings a week there are complimentary yoga classes on the beach in a remote corner of the tropical paradise shaded by a palm tree grove.
I rented a clear kayak and cruised around the calm bay looking for manatees, dolphins and stingrays. Key Largo is the dive capital of the world and home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, a protected marine area dense with coral reef and aquatic life.
The mixologists at the Tiki Bar thatch-roof hut on Coconut Beach prepare tropical cocktails with fresh fruit and the in-house Baker’s Cay Patron and Baker’s Cay Anejo, a collaboration with sustainable brand Patron Tequila. Beverages are served in a biodegradable plant-plastic cup with a straw made from avocado pits.
The property has a partnership with Patron Tequila.
Credit: 2022 Baker’s Cay Resort Key LargoCalusa is the spot for dinner. Caribbean dishes are prepared using ingredients grown in the resort's rooftop garden. I doused my seasoned cauliflower steak in Baker’s Cay house hot pepper sauce. (It was so good that I couldn’t help but put it on everything; I heard that guests use more than 100 bottles of the hot sauce per week).
Some guests were eating seafood they had caught that morning as a part of the Dock to Dish local seafood initiative, during which guests go fishing with Captain Casey, a fourth-generation Florida Keys fisherman, and then have their catch prepared for dinner.
After-dinner drinks are enjoyed by the fire pit at Dry Rocks, named after the 2,800-square-nautical-mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, with six preservation areas including Dry Rocks Coral Reef. Live music serenades guests as they drink concoctions prepared by the hotel's certified tequila connoisseurs.
Boyd tells me that she wishes that a stay at Baker’s Cay will “spark love for natural resources and inspiration toward a spirit of conservancy.” I left the Florida Keys with that sentiment in mind. The property may be gorgeous, the guestrooms spacious and staff incredibly helpful, but what makes Baker’s Cay my favorite resort in the U.S. is the intersection of sustainability and luxury.
The Details
Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo
