Bakers Cay Key Largo

While we were excited about our stay with our young adult children for New Year's, we will NOT return and cannot recommend. Very disappointed in Baker's Cay. We had two connecting rooms (as a family of 5) in the hammock wing. Upon arrival, the front desk seemed annoyed but got us checked in. Immediately after opening the door, we realized the A/C did not work in one room. Had to call maintenance before we even unpacked. They arrived quickly and said they fixed the issue. Went out to dinner and upon return it was obvious it was not working. Kept the adjoining door open. The following day, even after requesting maintenance on numerous occasions, they did not arrive. No one cleaned room (included this in our texts) or looked at A/C despite repeated requests. For what we paid, this was ridiculous. It was not until after 9pm that we had someone look at A/C, determine it could not be fixed, and offer to put part of our group in another room. This was after we returned for an awful dinner at Calusa on NYE. We had two adjoining rooms so this did not work as their was no attempt to accommodate our family. Brought an industrial fan in, which, while quite loud, provided some relief. VERY disappointed in our New Year's Even dinner at Calusa. Service was AWFUL despite having made reservations months prior. We were seated by the front desk, in the midst of chaos. Our group of 5 never got a chance to order a cocktail, had to flag down someone to order dinner, waited and then had to flag someone down to ask where our food was. Some of us left after eating due to lack of service and no one seemed to care. They likely would not have noticed but my husband stayed to pay the bill. Of course, as soon as most of us left, someone approached him with the bill. What we thought would be a fun night with our adult children was TERRIBLE. On New Year's Day, they came AGAIN to look at A/C (after repeated texts AGAIN to do so) and again offered another room for part of our group (one room), but again, we were checking out the next day so it did not matter. Despite completing an online survey asking for follow-up, no contact by management and no attempt to reimburse any part of the stay. We stayed on the Hammock side which was definitely quieter and worth it as we could not have gotten chairs on the main beach but did on the shady quiet side. Will not return and very disappointed in our New Year's stay. Read less

We've had the most relaxing and rejuvenating time at Baker's Cay. The unbeatable views, stunning water, fresh food, drinks, and various complimentary activities are superb. However, what makes this trip so memorable is the staff. Tashana and Andito are two that stood out as both consummate professionals and yet such warm, welcoming people. We were able to begin and finish each day by connecting with our new and cherished friends. We are already excited to return. Read less

Just returned from 2 nights at Bakers Cay in Key Largo, FL! Figured I’d leave some thoughts in pro/con form. I used a FNC and points to cover half the stay (plus 90k pts for the other night) and got the “king hammock view room.” Booked a few months in advance and despite it being right around the New Years holiday, was glad to have been able to find standard room award availability. Pros: -good location being about a 2 hr drive from Miami/FLL. Not the quickest airport drive by any means, but certainly doable and nice to have more than one airport option (we actually drove in via Key West, where we started for a few days, then continued on to FLL) -has decent sized beach area (private for just hotel guests) with some tree/umbrella-shaded spots for those who don’t want to be in the direct sun -we were celebrating a special occasion and they left us a fruit platter, OJ, and rum upon arrival-nice that was recognized (I’d emailed in advance) -decent sized room with king bed, pull out couch, and small patio with chairs -separate kid/adult only pool areas -a lot of programming/activities offered for both kids and adults-very family friendly! We played bingo on the beach one day (didn’t win but there were prizes) and they had s’mores at night -$36 f&b credit per day (I think this was due to my gold status?) and no resort fee (I think because I used a FNC and points to cover the stay?) -dock on site for those who want to fish (and you can actually have your fresh catch for dinner if you want, a unique feature!) -water sports offered on site (kayaks etc) -have a concierge team that was relatively responsive via email and answered questions in advance of our visit -front desk was responsive via text throughout stay -lobby/beach/pool bathrooms were all very clean/tidy -cute coffee cart in lobby for quick grab and go coffee drinks (replaced with ice cream sundae and cotton candy cart at night); not complimentary but nice to have available Cons: -uncomfortable beach chairs (not padded) (nitpicky I know) -food overpriced (not surprised) and everything already had a 20% tip added -sluggish Sunday "Flamingo" brunch service with several items wrong (dinner service had been much better) -no room upgrade despite special occasion I’d emailed about (wasn’t expected ofc, but would’ve been nice extra touch!) -room was missing robes upon arrival so I had to text front desk to request (no slippers provided) -front desk didn’t provide water bottles upon arrival as they were supposed to (went back later to get them myself) -the pool is kind of awkwardly separate from the beach area (it’s actually on the other side of the parking lot closer to the highway)…this was temporarily a pro when the beach was very windy and cold one morning so it was good to have a less windy spot to read at, but on the whole, I think it feels disjointed being designed this way and kind of offputting being so close to the major roadway IMO -front desk warned us at check in that they charge $20 for each beach towel that’s not returned…idk if they actually stick to this or if it’s just to scare guests into not abandoning/stealing towels…in any case, they have these “vending machines” to get/return towels which is pretty easy -charged for parking (not surprising and it was only $10/night…could’ve been worse) but easy to come and go whenever -ordering food/drinks by QR code at the pool didn’t work; had to wait and flag someone down (also very limited pool menu) -guest room doors were very loud and would slam and shake the walls of the rooms nextdoor -despite having a room technically facing the ocean, if you’re on level 1 or 2 (in the Hammock wing anyway) and not above the tree line, you will just see the trees and not the actual water beyond. The trees are lovely but definitely request a higher floor if you want to see the water. Wish we’d been upgraded to a higher floor or I’d known to request that ahead of time! -like many resort properties, there’s definitely an issue with people placing belongings on beach chairs and then disappearing for hours, leaving others struggling to find a chair. You’d think their charging for unreturned towels would help limit this…but it did not and plenty of towels were just abandoned on unoccupied chairs -limited chairs by pool-it's just not a huge area/doesn't have a lot of space for extra seating; gotta get a spot early or pray someone is leaving soon! Overall: I wouldn’t rush back to stay here again, but for a quick 2 nights in the upper FL keys it was definitely a good option. It wasn’t the most luxurious Hilton property out there, but it seemed like one of the nicer options in this particular area esp if wanting a private beach. We weren’t traveling with kids but I can see how all the programming would be helpful for parents wanting to keep kids entertained. I think it was a decent use of a Hilton FNC and pts, at least over the holidays when cash rates are elevated everywhere anyway. The food wasn’t particularly memorable but it’s easy enough to leave and dine elsewhere nearby. The room was comfy and clean and modern, just be aware some rooms will have better water views than others. Happy to answer any questions! Read less

We arrived on Christmas Day and experienced some of the same staffing issues that some other reviewers commented on, including issues with getting our room serviced the first couple of days. However, after a couple of calls to management, they eventually worked things out and made things right which we very much appreciated. It would have been fine if they had just told us up front that they were short-staffed due to the holiday and we would have known what to expect. After a few days it seemed that everything was back on track. Otherwise, it was a great experience. Our kids loved the property. The pool is heated and big enough that it never felt overcrowded. The beach is calm and shallow, almost like a lake, so kids can swim and safely take out kayaks and paddle boards on their own. The activities were super fun including fishing (my daughter caught her first fish!), a foam party and the silent disco. The staff did a great job with the activities including having to change some things up due to weather but our kids (6 and 8) thought that it was one of the best vacations that they have been on. The rooms were fine although they could use a little bit of TLC but the property is in great condition and really what makes this a destination that we will plan to return to. The resort is dog friendly to the extreme - not really a problem, just a bit weird, lots of dogs and pet parents, if you know what I mean. Read less