New in the Florida Keys & Key West for 2008

Key West’s historic Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, located on a private Atlantic Ocean beach, has completed a $43 million renovation that introduces a luxurious modern style while honouring the landmark property’s rich history.

Facets include a full redesign of the lobby, pools and terrace, a comprehensive renovation of the 311 guestrooms and suites and the creation of Flagler’s Ballroom, named for the resort’s founder, early 20th-century railroad baron Henry Flagler.

The spacious open lobby features lovingly preserved antique wood floors and ceilings enhanced by intimate seating areas, plush linen and organic rattan materials, and a colour palette of amber, ivory and navy. The lobby opens onto a stunning outdoor “water walk” pathway, incorporating shallow cascading water features and a line of royal palms, that leads to the 1,100 feet of private beach and blue Atlantic. Twin tropical swimming pools with private poolside cabanas also await guests.

The Casa Marina is part of the LXR Luxury Resorts collection. For more information and reservations, visit Casamarinaresort.com.

Key Largo’s Horizon Divers recently debuted Pisces, a 30-foot Island Hopper dive boat, to offer platinum service for divers and snorkellers. Aboard Pisces, adventurers can enjoy Key Largo’s reefs at shallow depths, where a diver can get a full hour of bottom time with a remarkable variety of fish species.

For the more intrepid technical diver, Key Largo offers the sunken U.S. Coast Guard cutters Duane and Bibb, and the USS Spiegel Grove to explore. At intermediate depths of 60 to 140 feet, these wrecks can satisfy divers’ “lust for rust.”

Horizon is now a full-service IANTD technical facility offering Tri Mix fills, doubles and stage bottle rentals and IANTD and PADI technical instruction. The facility also recently became a Zeagle, DUI and Salvo dealer. For more information, visit Horizondivers.com.

Above-water visions are to make U.S. Highway 1 an attractive roadway with appropriate signage for the more than 2 million visitors who call the Florida Keys and Key West their holiday destination. The Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance was formed recently to implement the combined vision of the Florida Keys Scenic Highway and the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.

The alliance’s priorities include installing signage alerting visitors that they’re travelling a designated scenic highway, and creating an interpretive map that identifies historic and scenic spots from Key Largo to Key West. Key Largo and Key West are designated Heritage Trailhead Centers, where visitors can orient themselves and get information on eco-heritage tourism.

The Rain Barrel, a quaint open-air colony of artists at MM 86.7 bayside, is under new ownership and also offers a new restaurant: The Red Parrot Café, which specializes in a light lunch fare, coffees and refreshing smoothies in a garden setting.

As well as works by 10 resident artists, visitors to the Rain Barrel can view pieces by more than 500 artists represented through the facility’s galleries. The newest artist to join the village is Stacie Krupa, known for her bold, in-your-face style in oil, acrylic and mixed media depictions of local marine and sea life and a wide variety of animals.

The History of Diving Museum, located at MM 82.9, bayside, has unveiled a unique exhibit titled the Parade of Nations. The exhibit displays a helmet from every nation that ever made diving helmets throughout the world.

In addition to the Parade of Nations exhibit, the museum features artefacts and ephemera covering 4,000 years of mankind’s quest to explore under the sea. The museum’s galleries are designed to appeal to the young, the novice or the historian through collections and interactive displays. Artefacts and rarities include spectacle-sized hand-carved bamboo goggles used by pearl divers in Asia in the early 1900s and a gigantic 1940 Galeazzi-made "Iron Duke" diving armour that weighs nearly a ton.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket price is $12 per person for adults, $11 for seniors, $6 for children 5-12 and free for children younger than 5. For more information, visit DivingMuseum.org.

The Sunset Inn, located in the centre of Islamorada at MM 82.2 bayside, has recently had a facelift to freshen and update the comfortable, affordable property. All rooms offer tropical décor, telephones, new air conditioners, refrigerator and colour TV with extended basic cable. A dozen of the property’s accommodations are located poolside and another 15 front an expansive lawn.

Anglers staying at the Sunset Inn will find plenty of secure parking for boats and trailers. Also located at the Sunset Inn complex is Mangrove Mike’s Diner, open for breakfast and lunch. Guests who book six nights at the property stay free on the seventh night. For reservations visit SunsetInnKeys.com.

Coconut Cay Resort and Marina, located at MM 51 in Marathon, is slated to become GreenSteel Homes’ first environmentally sound project in Florida. GreenSteel Homes’ president is Lawton “Bud” Chiles, son of Florida’s former governor, the late Lawton Chiles.

Jim Rhyne, owner of Coconut Cay, contracted with GreenSteel to replace 25 resort units on the three-acre property with HexSupport Building Systems. These are affordable, modular concrete structures built to meet flood standards and sustain hurricane winds of up to 180 mph.

GreenSteel Homes expects the new Coconut Cay structure to qualify for LEED certification for environmental responsibility. Ground breaking on the project was due in late December 2007. The resort is slated to be back to full capacity before the summer fishing season.

A new experience awaits diners at Castaway, MM 47.8 oceanside, renowned as the oldest restaurant in Marathon. Castaway boasts a brand-new dining room and new sushi menu to compliment its already bountiful selection of steaks, seafood and spirits.

In addition, diners can arrive at the restaurant in style thanks to a recent partnership between the restaurant and Look Limo. Look’s 10-passenger limousine is now available to transport dinner guests from their hotels to Castaway free of charge. For more information and reservations, e-mail lobstercrawl@aol.com.

Deer Run Bed and Breakfast, located two miles off U.S. Highway 1 at MM 33 Oceanside on Big Pine Key, recently became the Lower Florida Keys' first certified member of the Green Lodging Program. The designation is awarded to environmentally conscious lodging facilities by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Nestled on a secluded, tree-shaded Atlantic Ocean beach, close to two protected wildlife preserves, Deer Run is operated to reflect its innkeepers’ earth-friendly mindset. Guestrooms feature organic cotton towels, cruelty-free eco-friendly products are used throughout the inn and water is collected in rain barrels for irrigation. At breakfast, guests at the small Caribbean-style property can savour vegetarian feasts. Home-baked breads and fruits are predominantly organic and sourced locally, and the kitchen serves only organic fair trade coffee and tea.

The innkeepers encourage visitors to enjoy low-impact nature-oriented activities in the Lower Keys such as snorkeling or diving Looe Key Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, kayaking the shallow mangrove areas or simply lounging on Deer Run’s sandy beach watching tiny, protected Key deer explore the sheltered property. For more Deer Run information and reservations, visit Deerrunfloridabb.com.

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, a five-acre private island resort three miles offshore of Little Torch Key at MM 28.5 oceanside, has christened a luxurious new launch to transport guests to and from the resort. The 40-foot cruiser is named the Woodson after Little Palm founder Ben Woodson. Designed by renowned yacht designer Robert Perry, the vessel has two main cabins with comfortably elegant indoor and outdoor seating. It features polished teak, brass fixtures and rich mahogany trim.

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa incorporates 30 secluded thatched-roof bungalows with private sundecks and ocean views. As well as a romantic private setting surrounded by the blue Atlantic, the property’s highlights include the Indonesian-inspired SpaTerre, a private marina and acclaimed fine dining. For more information and reservations, visit littlepalmisland.com.

Southernmost Hotel & Resorts, a group of four unique properties on the Atlantic Ocean side of Key West’s historic Old Town, recently became the Southernmost Hotel Collection. In addition, in December the hotel collection was designated the Florida Keys’ largest independently owned Green Lodging accommodation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The designation signifies the properties’ commitment to protecting and conserving Florida’s natural resources.

The collection includes the 19-room La Mer Hotel & Dewey House on South Street - a AAA Four Diamond bed-and-breakfast in a pair of historic homes on an Atlantic beach; Southernmost Hotel, on Duval Street, with 127 guest rooms, and Southernmost on the Beach, on South Street. With a private Atlantic Ocean pier and 47 guestrooms overlooking the ocean, Southernmost on the Beach is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion to add 80 luxurious guestrooms measuring more than 400 square feet each.

Among the Southernmost Hotel Collection’s amenities are three swimming pools, a tiki bar, a full-service concierge and the new Southernmost Beach Café, offering open-air oceanfront dining for breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails. For more information and reservations, visit Southernmostresorts.com.

Visitors interested in writing and the arts can awaken their creativity in nearly 40 workshops taught by acclaimed professional artists, authors and educators at The Studios of Key West. The non-profit Studios of Key West was established in 2006 to support artists’ creative development and cultural experiences in the island city. Its campus and art studio space is located at 600 White St. in an historic former armoury in Key West’s Old Town district.

Workshops range from one day to one week. Subjects include narrative non-fiction, poetry techniques, fiction writing, plein-air painting, portraits, watercolour, digital portrait photography, decorative furniture painting, collage, mixed media, precious metal clay, beading, plein-air poetry, mosaic making and writing culinary memoirs. Workshops are scheduled through until early May 2008, with tuition from $65 to $650 per person depending on length and subject.

The Studios of Key West also offers a full calendar of lectures, art exhibits, readings and presentations. For more information and a complete schedule of workshops and events, visit Tskw.org.

Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa on the Gulf of Mexico, was recognised in December as the first hotel brand in the Florida Keys to receive a Green Lodging designation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP created the Green Lodging Program to recognize and reward Florida’s environmentally conscious lodging facilities.

To earn its certification, Hyatt Key West initiated 32 improvement projects in the areas of water conservation, energy efficiency, waste reduction, clean air practices and communication of green practices to guests. Continued improvements are planned over the next three years to enable the resort to achieve the highest level of Green Lodging certification.

The 118-room waterfront property recently underwent an $11 million renovation to its guestrooms and private and public areas that complemented its “greening” goals. Enhancements included the opening of the Jala Spa, named for a Sanskrit word for water, with an inviting range of revitalizing treatments that feature natural locally formulated aromatherapy oils and other products. With each signature Jala Blue treatment booked, the spa contributes to a Florida Keys non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Keys’ coral reef. For information and reservations, visit Keywest.hyatt.com.

Key West’s vibrant cultural community is opening its doors to visitors (literally) during Arts and Breakfast Tours and Art and Wine Tours. Led by a local artist, the excursions introduce participants to leading Key West artists and writers in their homes and studios. Tour participants can watch them at work and, through insights and discussion, find out how they approach their craft.

Arts and Breakfast Tours are scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon. In addition to the creative experience, participants enjoy breakfast and great coffee at a favourite local spot. Cost is $45 per person.

Art and Wine Tours, scheduled 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday nights, feature wine and gourmet tapas at a fine Key West restaurant as well as the artist meetings. Cost is $85 per person. Tours are kept small and intimate, with no more than eight to 10 guests and transportation is provided in a comfortable arts shuttle van.

For more travel information about the Florida Keys & Key West explore the destination’s Web site at Fla-keys.co.uk.