With a hot new Netflix series Bloodlines filmed on site, The Moorings Village & Spa in Islamorada shows just how beautiful the Keys can be.
For the uninitiated, The Moorings Village & Spa is arguably the most beautiful resort property in the Keys. Its canopied driveway leads to a shroud of big banyans and other tropical hardwoods, a glade of palm trees, and a private beach. The entire property is dotted with exquisitely quaint yet luxurious cottages—it’s what the Keys could have been with better zoning. It’s also where Netflix chose to film its new series Bloodlines about a family with a beautiful surface and vicious secrets. The cast, which includes luminaries such as Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek, and Kyle Chandler, looks perfect set against Islamorada sunsets, but the first episode ends with a scene that will have you saying, “Wait, what! Did he really just do that!?!”
The Moorings, though, needs no such drama to be entertaining. Though the 18 acres of prized oceanfront property were once at risk of supporting 200 homes, there’re now just 19 cottages ranging from one- to three-bedrooms, overseen by owner and former wind surfing pro Hubert Baudoin.
Relax
Not that you’ll need any help relaxing at The Moorings, but the resort offers a spa with a range of options including Kobido, a Japanese facial process involving warmed gemstones to relieve tension, increase blood flow, and stimulate the lymph. Massage options include the Tranquility Sugar Scrub Body Massage, which incorporates an organic sugar scrub with pikake aroma of paradise, and the Aloha Spirit Kauai’i Body Clay & Mango Butter Massage, which uses noni, aloe, kava, and awapuhi ginger to purify the skin and mango butter to warm it up.
Dine
Top of the cuisine game in Islamorada is The Mooring’s sister property, Pierre’s across US-1. The two-story, plantation-style house faces west over Florida Bay and is helmed by chef Jouvens Jean, who cut his teeth at spots like Baleen and Sawa and as chef de cuisine at St. Regis Bal Harbour. Ask for a table on the second floor balcony and sample Jean’s local catch meuniere, or rib eye au poivre, and watch the sunset. Another option within walking distance is Chef Michael’s, where Michael Ledwith specializes in local catch with outstanding iterations of the snapper, grouper, hogfish, golden tilefish, and even tripletail. Pro tip: Don't leave without destroying a chocolate Nutella torte.
Do
The Moorings has a fitness center, a 25-meter lap pool, a tennis court, and 8 a.m. yoga classes each weekday except Wednesday. The sea, though, may offer the most fun. From the private beach, use complementary kayaks and paddleboards to go snorkeling among grass beds and patch reef within swimming distance. The property can also arrange SCUBA trips and snorkeling at nearby coral reefs, and there’s plenty of fishing, either on nearby flats, the Everglades backcountry, or offshore for tuna, mahi, and sailfish. If you prefer to remain terrestrial, use the property’s bicycles to head to nearby galleries.
Party
If you’re in town for the full moon, Morada Bay, where Pierre’s sits, transforms into a raucous carnival with bonfires, live music (jazz, rockabilly, flamenco, reggae), DJs, fireworks, acrobats, and a fantastic Bahamian Junkanoo Parade.
Hammocks
These hanging havens are all over the place at The Moorings, since the best thing to do there might be nothing at all. 123 Beach Rd., Islamorada, 305-664-4708
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KICKA WITTE (PIERRE'S)
