Recommend September 2011 - (Page 14)

SuNSeT Key guest cottages, a westin resort north america F paloma villaverde de rico onsite review july 2011 Forget “home away from home”—this is the home your clients wish they had! Let me give it to you in a nutshell: with this vacation they’ll get a deluxe cottage on a gorgeous secluded private island, and will be only a few minutes by boat from one of Florida’s most iconic destinations, the always-entertaining Key West. This isn’t just a slice of Heaven, this is Nirvana to the Nth degree. Sunset Key Guest Cottages, A Westin Resort is in a class by itself for families looking for that idyllic private island paradise. How do we know this is such a special place? Well, we recently spent a few days indulging ourselves—excuse me, we mean, getting all the facts, straight up—at this 27-acre, pedestrian-only island resort, where the sun, sand, sea, sincerely nice staff and high-end amenities commingle in an unabashed way to create a destination resort where families can reconnect and spend genuine quality time together. “Today’s traveler is looking for a unique experience,” says the resort’s general manager, Diane Schmidt. “Something less typical than a traditional trip to the beach, a standard resort hotel, a round of golf or a day at the spa. The experience here is different—upscale, consistent, full-service and with great value, but different. Maybe it’s the island, the water, the serenity and seclusion. Or the quaint cottages, the genuine hospitality, the ferry that zips you over to Key West or the complimen- tary breakfast basket awaiting your retrieval at sunrise. It’s a place to connect, or reconnect, in every way and on every level. And that’s not easy to find so when you do, I think it is worth recommending.” Let’s take a look at those quaint cottages Schmidt mentions. There are 43 of them in total, occupying seven acres of the island, and they come in 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom configurations and guests can choose from either gardenview, oceanview or oceanfront. Guests can also request a lockout of master bedroom, kitchen, living and dining areas of either 2- or 3-bedroom Gardenview Cottages to create a 1-bedroom cottage. Of course, we recommend you book your clients an oceanview or oceanfront cottage because there is nothing like waking up with the turquoise-colored ocean as your backyard, or sitting out on the porch and watching as the sun sets or comes out to play with the sky in the morning. What all the cottages do have in common—whichever the view—is their authentic Key West design with pastel colors, Victorian-style tin roofs and spacious, Old Florida-style white verandahs with Adirondak chairs complemented by high-end decor inside. Within, all guests, no matter the size of the cottage, will find such modern amenities as flatscreen TVs, radios with iPod docking stations and complimentary WiFi, as well as separate living and dining areas and a fully equipped kitchen, recommend.com 14 september 2011 http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend September 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Abercrombie & Kent
Sunset Key Guest Cottages, Key West
Can't Get Enough of Jupiter Beach, Florida
Hanging Out in the Outer Banks
Aloha to Families in Hawaii's Resorts
Cruise Stockholm
Galapagos Islands- Cruising 101: Back to Basics
The Ultimate Family Adventure in Costa Rica
Flanders Travel Planner
Fabulous Family Voyages
China: A Wonderland for Kids
India: Pure Wonderment
An African Adventure
Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa, D.R.
The Bahamas: Islands of Adventure
Cayman Islands: A Home Away from Home
Mazatlan Reinvigorated
CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort

Recommend September 2011