Hawk’s Cay Resort – the Florida Keys
When it comes to the U. S. of A, there’s only one place that feels more like a Caribbean island than part of a state – the Florida Keys. The Keys are a narrow string of islands, beginning south of Miami and continuing in a gentle curve to the end in Key West. They’re connected by a single highway and a total of 43 bridges.
Hawk’s Cay Resort, located mid-way down the chain on Duck Key, offers a Caribbean-style vacation closer to home. Hawk’s has all the amenities, plus the opportunity to interact with dolphins.
It’s a snap to fly to Miami, rent a car and two hours later be at Hawk’s, where sun, relaxation and topnotch service await. Or leave the driving to others and take a limo or town car to the resort.
Lodging Choices
Spread over a large area, Hawk’s has a variety of lodging options, including inn rooms, inn suites and villas. I had a two-bedroom, two-bath villa, with a heated splash pool – perfect for a family of four. Each villa has a complete kitchen, convenient for between-meal snacks. The villas are individually decorated, many with island and nautical themes.
Activities Abound
Water activities at Hawk’s cover the spectrum. The scuba center has half- and full-day charters with captain and dive master, equipment rental and a fully-accredited NAUI, PADI and PDIC dive school. If you’ve always wanted to try scuba, a full-day resort course will introduce you to the undersea world.
Boats, personal watercraft and kayaks are available for rental. In addition, there’s fishing, snorkeling, parasailing, water-skiing and glass-bottom boat rides. The resort has five swimming pools; the Atlantic pool is adults-only.
The two-hour sunset cruise is the perfect way to round out a busy day, complete with champagne.
Here’s something you won’t find at many resorts – Hawk’s offers an offshore sailing school. Beginners can sign up for their Learn to Sail courses, which last three hours. An introduction to sailing, these lessons take place in the waters surrounding the resort. Experienced sailors can opt for more advanced classes.
If you want a break from liquid fun, you could take a leisurely bike ride or try your hand at tennis.
Dolphin Date
Without a doubt, the dolphins are a major highlight of Hawk’s Cay Resort. The resort’s dolphin program focuses on breeding research and boasts eight dolphin births. They “loan out” their dolphins to other facilities for breeding purposes. All the dolphins have been born and raised in captivity, with at least one coming from Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
In the resort’s lagoon area, I had a close encounter with these lovable creatures in their Dolphin Discovery program. A dockside experience is also available.
In the Dolphin Discovery Program, trainers gave us a brief educational talk, which included safety instructions, prior to getting into the water. Rather than tread water, as with other dolphin experiences, we stood in chest-deep water on a secure platform attached to the dock. If you’re in doubt about the water temperatures, wet suits are available. While in the water, we learned special hand signals used to train the dolphins and got the chance to pop fish in their mouths, among other things. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to kiss a dolphin on the snout. Although you’re not allowed to bring your own camera near the water, a staff photographer is on hand.
The Dockside Dolphin Program is a similar experience, where guests learn dolphin training techniques without getting into the water. Both programs are very popular, so it’s a good idea to make reservations ahead of time. At any time of day or night, however, you can watch from the sidelines as the dolphins jump and play.
Eating at Hawk’s
The Palm Terrace restaurant opens at 7 a.m. and features a gourmet buffet breakfast with made-to-order omelets. To take advantage of the weather, they have seating both inside and outside.
For lunch, the Cantina has a poolside location with relaxing views of the ocean. Next door to the Palm Terrace is Porto Cayo, a unique fusion of Italian and Caribbean cuisine, in an elegant setting for dinner.
Warm evening breezes off the water make the WatersEdge Restaurant the place to savor seafood in a tropical setting. Room service is also available at the villas. Finally, the Marina Store has a selection of groceries to stock your refrigerator.
Indies Spa
Indies Spa offers both individual treatments as well as day-spa packages. I had a 45-minute massage that was, in a word, heavenly. A vacation is the time to try new and exciting things. How about a pineapple coconut salt loofa body treatment or a hydrating seaweed wrap?
