The road less traveled

Marquesa, Key West

GETAWAYS • Key West

In Key West, it’s not hard to veer from the beaten path. Simply turn off Duval — ideally by bicycle — onto one of the side streets lined with pastel conch cottages and white gingerbread porches, shaded by palm trees and riots of fuchsia bougainvillea. As a former local who (14 years later) still can’t get over the fact that I no longer live there, whenever I visit, I crave  this kind of hotel in these types of environs. No place fits that bill better than Marquesa.

On the corner of Fleming and Simonton Streets in the heart of Old Town, Marquesa epitomizes Key West architecture — tin roofs, seafoam clapboard siding, and a wrap-around white porch. Beyond the façade, a secluded courtyard under a tangle of palm fronds is home to three swimming pools. There are 44 rooms inside a complex of restored, Victorian-style cottages dating back to the 1880s. While no two rooms are the same, they’re all spacious, and all decorated in a tropical-classical manner, with wood furniture sourced from around the globe. Plenty of them have a separate seating area and patio or balcony, making for an idyllic setting for a glass of wine before dinner.

The onsite café with big picture windows overlooking the sidewalk is easily one of the island’s most elegant, and favored by locals for special occasions. On a recent Monday night stay, I caught up with an old friend about our wild youth over dinner, indulging in martinis, Marquesa’s signature she-crab soup, grilled tenderloin “Oscar'' with lump crabcake, and the grouper special. For dessert, lighter-than-air beignets with crème anglaise that would do a New Orleanian proud.

After dinner, we ambled up Duval, contemplating a nightcap. A live band blared from the backyard of Virgilio’s, which we used to frequent Martini Mondays. We were just three blocks from Marquesa, but miles apart. –Shayne Benowitz 

 → Marquesa (Key West) • 600 Fleming St.