I will start with the positives. The resort in general is very beautiful. The pool is well kept & restaurants etc are quite nice. The keys in general are beautiful & serene. I would not say it is too far from Marathon which is a big hub. Key Largo to Key West is over a 2 hour drive so there is not going to be any location that will be close to everything. The food is good, perhaps a tad over priced. No room service. The bad. We stayed in one of the little houses with it's own pool. What I did not realize as it is not adverised is that the resort does NOT own the houses it rents out. It instead acts as a rental management company to the home owners, think airbnb but access to the amenities. They also are responsible for cleaning it but it is only cleaned for your arrival. They state you can ask for an extra cleaning if you request it 24 hours in advance, we did & no one ever came, ever. Our little house was quite dirty. There was toothpaste smeared on the bathroom door, small pieces of trash all over the front garden area, sticky cabinets, & the floors were FILTHY. We had to wash our feet each night before bed, even after showering & not leaving the house because they were black. We ran out of toilet paper & had to use tissues. It's almost impossible to reach the front desk by phone. It is definitely outdated. I'm sure each houre is different so just depends on which one you get. Ours had a super uncomfortable couch, falling apart deck furniture, stained pillows, a mattress that was super stiff, etc. It's a great choice if you are traveling with kids. If you are alone as a couple then would not recommend.

The premium 2 bedroom villa at hawks cay was fantastic. So spacious with a big wraparound screened in that was so fun for dinner. The staff was all accommodating, fun and professional. Kids activities, kayaking and a sunset boat cruise were great- the boat captains and activity staff were so fun! The secret spot that we loved was the sunset village pool- beautiful views, clean, warm water and quiet. My kids (3&6) had plenty to do onsite, despite the coral cat splash pad being closed. The grounds were immaculate and the food was great (other than at angler and ale- don’t recommend that place at all). We loved hawks cay!

Beautiful setting, but the experience does not match expectations. We booked this property expecting a true resort-quality experience for our family, and unfortunately it didn’t deliver. The biggest issue was the atmosphere and service. Staff interactions felt transactional rather than welcoming, with no proactive engagement. Our villa was never serviced, and the room was outdated and did not match the photos — loud AC, small showers, and basic bedding. It felt far below resort standards. Food and beverage were also disappointing. The Pilar Bar was never open, the café closed at 5 p.m. (no evening coffee), and some amenities were unavailable without notice. The pool, lagoon, and sunshine were the saving grace — our kids (6 and 8) had a great time. But for the price, there are far better family-friendly resort options in the Keys.

I cannot say enough good things about this Resort. Our family visited this past holiday weekend and it was an absolutely perfect getaway. We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa that had been recently renovated. Our family was a little disappointed that the kids area was closed for renovation, however, the staff did a great job providing additional things for kids to do. Petting zoo, magic show, bounce houses, it was fantastic! The Resort was lively, clean, and all around a great experience. There was an issue in our villa with one of the appliances, however, the owner relations team - Melissa, Lissa, and Corla addressed quickly and professionally. They updated us throughout the process and checked back to ensure everything was great and we were enjoying our stay. I especially liked how they gave us options to choose from as they didn't want to interrupt our vacation although they wanted to ensure the issue was addressed right away. I have never stayed at a Resort that showed so much communication, follow through, and professionalism. We will definitely be back once the new water park opens up!

Everything is amazing except the tiki grill kitchen. We at the bar mostly and our bartending Jacob he is an amazing guy. He took care of us and made sure we had everything we needed. And the drinks were great. The only issue was the tiki grill kitchen. We order food and waited almost more than an hour. We order hummus and a wrap. The only reason I give the 5 stars is because of Jacob's hospitality. The kitchen should be fixed and we have had better at other resorts.

Torn between what this resort promises and what it actually delivers. Hawk’s Cay has all the ingredients for a standout family resort, but the follow-through is lacking. Service throughout the property was inconsistent. Staff were polite and trying their best, but clearly overwhelmed and undertrained. Even breakfast involved excessively long waits, which felt completely out of step with the level of resort being marketed. Their top billed restaurant, Salt and Ash, was also a disappointment. A beautifully packaged decor but with inconsistent service and overpriced food. Many of the advertised activities felt scrambled, poorly coordinated, with several not properly running at all. Rather than enhancing the stay, the activities program felt lacking for a property with such potential. The spa was the one clear bright spot—a truly excellent massage experience. Overall, there is a noticeable disconnect between branding and reality. Despite the polish, the resort feels outdated and strained, as though it’s working hard to maintain an image it can no longer support. This is especially disappointing because the unique setting and scale could make this a true haven for families. Instead, the overall experience felt scattered and underdelivered.

Everything was going well in the first six hours until our neighbours woke us up at 6am. It felt like we were sharing the same room. We could hear everything the parent said like we were the ones being scolded! It must have sucked for them too when we came in at midnight. Thankfully our kids didn’t wake up. After the first night house keeping came in and took care of the room which was nice until we found out they took our baby’s towel too. Front desk staff weren’t helpful and we had to follow up. All they had for us was no apologies and news. The second night was nicer but we needed sheets changed. Made a request after waiting 15 minutes in line only to come back to nothing done and no staff to help. Thankfully extra sheets were brought to the room and we changed it ourselves before bed time. I don’t even want to talk about the “fancy burger” at the Hotel restaurant ?we are elsewhere after the first breakfast You know when you’ve had very stressful years of no vacation and when the opportunity comes, you go all out, you just want to have a great time! This was not it. We feel we wasted our time and money

Families: kid amenities closed + villas don’t match price point We don’t usually write reviews, but wanted to share this so other families can plan accurately. Pros: Great location, excellent food at the café and onsite restaurant, and the main pool area is very nice. There are also many pickleball courts and kayaks available to use onsite. Cons (especially for families): • We booked specifically for the kid amenities (pirate ship splash pad, kids pool, soccer, mini golf, basketball, kids programming). None were available during our stay. • We were not informed prior to arrival — the first notice was a sign on the kids center door after check-in, despite these amenities being advertised. • Our villa was not ready until 7pm, despite check-in being at 4pm. • The villas do not reflect the price point and feel dated. • Wi-Fi was unreliable for days — at times it did not exist at all, making it difficult to work. • Staff had to come to our villa 10+ times throughout the week to address basic issues (trash not picked up, missing pans, dishes and towels, broken Wi-Fi, broken drain, broken curtains, AC issues). • Overall communication was poor, and most things required repeated follow-ups. This may not matter to adults traveling without kids, but for families it significantly changes the value of the stay. If kid amenities are important, confirm in writing what is actually open before booking.

The dolphin experience was the absolute best and the highlight of our trip. I would return to the resort for this experience alone. Please keep the dolphins at Hawks Cay! Room was clean and spacious. Staff very accommodating and friendly. The lagoon area needs a revamp, cleaned out and add more sand around the area. Everything else was great. Shout out to the door concierge, bellmen. They were quick to offer dinner recommendations while we were there, and lunch recommendations on our day of checkout.

We took a special trip down to Dolphin Connection while we were in the Keys. The staff was incredible. The photos were great. The whole experience was definitely worth it! It was one of the highlights of our family trip. Our whole extended family made comments that the resort looked really nice while we were at Dolphin Connection. We will remember the resort next time we visit the kids. The staff at the resort were very professional and polite.