Modern pilgrimage
The Perry Hotel & Marina, Stock Island
GETAWAYS • The Keys
When The Perry Hotel & Marina opened on Stock Island, it gave travelers unprecedented access to a distinctly local piece of the Florida Keys. Separated from Key West by the narrow Cow Key Channel, Stock Island is an extension of its famed neighboring island, and also, a destination unto itself. Just five miles from the heart of Key West’s Old Town, and about a 20-minute drive, it’s long been considered to be a holdout of old Key West, before tourism became the island’s largest economic force. Stock Island is where you’ll find the area’s last shipyards and working waterfronts for shrimpers, lobstermen, and commercial fishermen — it’s also home to artists, boat builders, and multigenerational Keys families.
In 2017, both The Perry and nearby Ocean’s Edge Resort & Marina opened, within months of one another, as Stock Island’s first hotels. They’re both modern, escapist retreats offering exemplary service on boat-dotted marinas, where fishing charters and off-beat haunts like Hogfish Bar & Grill and Cuban luncheonette El Mocho have long lured visitors. Between the two, I’d pick The Perry every time, for its hip, industrial design and excellent dining offerings.
Outfitted in raw concrete, steel, and natural wood, spacious guest rooms come with oversized balconies, rainfall showers, and local art. During my stay, I was more than content to while away an afternoon by the pool, hypnotized by ship masts swaying in the breeze. Come nightfall, fire pits along the waterfront grounds are a perfect spot for pre-dinner margaritas.
And while the onsite Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen & Bar has been a worthy restaurant companion since the hotel opened, the recent return of Bad Boy Burrito — a dormant Key West cult classic, now grown up as Bad Boy Taqueria & Tequila with an expanded menu and full bar in a breezy waterfront setting, and also, on property — is cause alone for a pilgrimage. –Shayne Benowitz
→ The Perry Hotel & Marina (Stock Island) • 7001 Shrimp Rd.