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1401 Atlantic Boulevard Key West, FL 33040 |
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THE PALM BEACH POST Copyright (c) 1999, The Palm Beach Post BY: BRIAN CRECENTE DATE: Sunday, July 18, 1999 EDITION: FINAL SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: 1H MEMO: WEEKEND GETAWAY HAVEN LETS YOU GET AWAY FROM KEY WEST CROWDS KEY WEST Atlantis House isn't your common lodging. Trust me, I spent a handful of weekends working through dozens of web pages and reviews and brochures on places to stay in Key West, but nothing was what I wanted. They seemed too commercial or too rustic or too busy. Then I stumbled across the Atlantis House. The first thing worth mentioning is that the Atlantis House is just that, a house. Steve and Kayla Kessler decided to build an attachment on the back of their home in 1992. Originally it was to be their master bedroom and a work-out room, but they renovated and started renting it out in 1995. What they ended up with was a two-room guesthouse removed from the hustle and bustle of Key West tourist spots, but still walking distance from the island's two most popular beaches. Steve Kessler says they cater to honeymooners, offering a complimentary bottle of champagne and fresh-cut flowers to all newlyweds, but the house is also great for a romantic getaway. The guesthouse sits on the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Steven Avenue, just across the street from Rest Beach. It's a five-minute drive from Duval Street, so after a day nosing around the lesser-seen parts of town we started feeling like locals. Before I knew it we were puttering our way along Atlantic Boulevard on rented mopeds on our way to the grocery story to pick up some fixins for dinner. Granted, the room we stayed in, the Garden Suite, only had a wet-bar with a hotel-sized refrigerator and a large-ish toaster oven, but it was fun to feel like we lived there. We woke the next morning in a room filled with the early morning sun, in a plump bed surrounded by slightly fluttering mosquito netting. Our room's French doors opened onto a wooden deck with a shaded table, the perfect place to sip coffee and munch on croissants. The Kesslers stopped by to make sure everything was OK and to offer advice on the best places to eat and even the best deal in town on renting mopeds. Kayla, who bears a striking resemblance to Xena, also mentioned that she teaches personal fitness training, stretching and even reflexology for a small fee. Steve takes couples out on his 20-foot Seacraft for ``island adventures'' that feature a meal and half day trip around nearby islands. We spent the day sunning on the beaches and mopeding to small shops along side streets. In the evening we relaxed in the two-person Jacuzzi in our suite and then sat on the porch watching the stars and enjoying the silence. The cacophony of Duval Street; the noisy tourists, the shouting college students, the street hawkers all seemed islands away, replaced by the lull of a restless ocean and the tinkle of wind chimes. In the back of my head I could hear The Girl from Ipanema wistfully walking by. If You Go: Guesthouse: Atlantis House, 1401 Atlantic Blvd., Key West, FL 33040. Call (305) 292-1532. Rates: In-season rates (Dec. 25 May 1): 350-square foot Garden Suite $149 and 700-square foot Master Suite $225. Off-season rates (May 2 Dec. 24): Garden Suite $129, Master Suite $165. Discounts offered for stays of more than seven days. The two rooms also can be rented as a single unit. Call for prices. Information: Well-behaved children allowed. No pets
allowed. No smoking Getting there: From West Palm Beach, take Florida's Turnpike south to Florida City. Take U.S. 1 south to Key West. Turn left on Roosevelt Boulevard, which turns into Bertha Street as it bears to the right. Turn left onto Atlantic Boulevard. Turn right onto Steven Avenue, just past the Atlantis House. There's a gravel driveway immediately on your right.
*Some of the details as well as the RATES in this article have changed since this article was written. See website for accurate rates and details. |
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