The Florida Keys and Key West tourism office is promoting the destination as an ideal "wellness meetings" option. Here's what they have to say about the tropical locale:
The 125-mile-long island chain of the Florida Keys and Key West offers a range of opportunities for wellness, blending work with play in outdoor spaces framed by seascapes and landscapes. The Keys are ideal for a business meeting or incentive retreat. The island chain is easily accessible with nonstop flights for meetings that typically include 15 to 100 attendees.
The following include transportation and wellness options for participants attending meetings and incentive group events in the Florida Keys.
Key West International Airport has begun its two-year, $100-million Concourse A terminal expansion project, with targeted completion in late 2024. The new 48,000-square-foot, second-level concourse will include a departure area, additional baggage areas, seven passenger boarding jet bridges and an expanded security checkpoint with up to four security lanes. Currently, Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, Silver and United serve the airport with daily nonstop flights.
In the Middle Keys, a new 60-passenger tram, sporting a locomotive front and two 30-passenger coaches, transports visitors along a 2.2-mile span of the historic Old Seven Mile Bridge to the tiny island of Pigeon Key. The section of the bridge nicknamed “Old Seven” reopened to pedestrian recreation in January. Old Seven was originally the centerpiece of railroad magnate Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, which debuted in 1912 and connected the Keys with each other and mainland Florida for the first time.
The private Ocean Reef Club in northern Key Largo has a 28,000-square-foot spa and fitness building. Wellness offerings include signature treatments, sunrise and sunset beach yoga, standup paddleboard yoga and breath-work sessions. The resort has an eight-lane fitness pool, with swimming classes offered by five-time Olympian Jon Olsen. A resort naturalist guides eco paddleboard and kayak tours; racquet and family sports and diving, snorkeling and fishing are offered on-site. Guests can also enjoy healthy F&B options at Fitness Café.
The 200-room Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, a Curio Collection by Hilton has unveiled a new wellness salon, Ooh la la at The Cay. It incorporates plant-based, cruelty-free and sustainably sourced and packaged products in its treatments. Resort activities include outdoor yoga, walking trails and watersports. Group team-building opportunities are also offered.
In Islamorada, the 114-room Islander Resort features cottage-style suites, screened lanais, two saltwater pools, a hot tub and family splash pad. Activities include snorkeling, sand bar and eco tours, bicycling and boating. Yoga on the resort’s expansive lawn is offered at 10 a.m. (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays), and full moon yoga takes place during the appropriate lunar phase.
Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key, with 117 guestrooms and 250 two- and three-bedroom villas, features a 7,000-square-foot Calm Waters Spa with eight treatment rooms, a tropical rain room, fitness room, candlelit whirlpool, relaxation and eucalyptus steam rooms, and a dry sauna. Activities include group exercise sessions, backcountry fishing; diving, kayaking and standup paddleboarding; a Cliff Drysdale tennis program; and the Dolphin Connection program with complimentary daily viewings in the continental United States.
In Marathon the 199-unit Isla Bella Beach Resort near the Seven Mile Bridge offers over 24,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meetings function space, besides a 4,000-square-foot full-service spa with five treatment rooms. Weekly activities highlight Spa Flights, welcoming guests for champagne, fresh fruit and sampling of skincare products with a hand massage and spa tour. A 1,000-square-foot workout center adjacent to the spa features Peloton treadmills and bicycles, and other equipment.
On Stock Island, the Oceans Edge Key West Resort & Marina offers 175 suites and rooms, each with waterfront balconies. Wellness offerings include poolside massages, poolside complimentary yoga sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 a.m.; paddleboard fitness classes on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.; and kayak and bike rentals, complimentary for the first two hours. Outdoor event space overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and marina can accommodate up to 100 people.
Sunset Key Cottages, an Opal Collection property with 40 two-, three- and four-bedroom cottages on the island of Sunset Key just 500 yards off Key West. The Spa at Sunset Key offers signature treatments. Opal Collection’s Keys meeting properties include the Reefhouse Resort & Marina in Key Largo, and Opal Key Resort & Marina and The Capitana in Key West.
Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, has hosted meetings and conferences since 1920 with over 11,000 square feet of indoor event space. The 311-key resort’s Spa Al Mare offers indoor-outdoor treatments including massages in a private cabana near the Atlantic Ocean, a collagen-boosting facial, custom-blend aromatherapy and cannabidiol, or CBD, integrations. Group wellness activities include private beach yoga.
The 150-room The Reach Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, caters to small groups and retreats with over 4,000 square feet of indoor event space. Guests can enjoy outdoor experiences such as paddleboarding, ocean biking, private jet ski tours, boat charters with snorkeling and sunset cruises, and coral reef exploration. The resort also keeps groups active through sand sculpting with a resident professional sculptor, bocce and a giant chess set.
For more information, visit fla-keys.com.
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