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 Cheeca Lodge & Spa
is located in Islamorada, Florida on the Atlantic Ocean side of Overseas Highway
at Mile Marker 82. Islamorada, the sport fishing capital of the world, is
seventy five miles south of Miami. Cheeca Lodge’s history began in 1946,
when Mrs. Clara Mae Downey, owner of the Olney Inn outside Washington,
D.C., built the Islamorada Olney Inn on the present site.
The next owners were the heirs of the A & P grocery chain,
Carl and Cynthia “Che-Che” Twitchell, who totally rebuilt
and renamed the resort “Cheeca” by merging their names.
Cheeca was purchased by Coca-Cola bottler, Carl Navarre
in the 1970’s. The Navarre family still maintains a home
on the property. Today, Cheeca Lodge and Spa is owned by Cheeca Holdings, LLC.
My first impression of Islamorada was that of your typical tourist beach spot.
The highway was lined with a variety of t-shirt and sea shell shops.
At mile marker 82, we made a left turn into a long winding driveway-
and that’s when everything changed. Impressive and impeccable golf
greens, intricate gardens and wide tennis courts enveloped the
Cheeca property which rests along a 1000 foot stretch of white,
sandy beaches. To access the property you go through a guard
house and gate which gives it a nice exclusive feel. The valet
greeted us by name as we pulled up to the entrance of the
resort which has recently undergone a $30 million renovation.
It was at this moment, I knew it was going to be hard to leave.
 Cheeca
Lodge and Spa offers 199 guest rooms, including 60 suites featuring private, screened-in
balconies, with views of the Atlantic Ocean or lush tropical grounds. Our renovated
deluxe room
exuded the charm and warmth of West Indies décor featuring rich mahogany accents.
The spacious marble bathroom had a separate soaking tub and shower. All rooms are
air-conditioned and include ceiling fans, two phone with voice mail, in-room
Starbuck’s coffee, a mini refrigerator and in-room safes. All guestrooms are non-smoking.
With one of the longest and most beautiful private beaches in Florida, and the
most ideal location in all of the Keys, Cheeca Lodge offers sports and relaxation
enthusiasts a paradise of recreational opportunities. While, I normally can be
found sitting by a resort’s pool, I found myself having a great time fishing
with my daughter and husband off of the 525 foot pier. We played tennis and
golf and even kayaked along the resort’s beach. Cheeca has two, very large
pools and a wading pool/lagoon with an impressive assortment of aquatic life
swimming alongside guests. It’s a very novel experience as many kids like to
snorkel in this area. The $39 daily resort fee may seem steep at first, but
the value is insurmountable. It includes tennis, golf, fishing rods (bait extra),
pool floats, beach cabanas, kayaks and paddleboats (subject to availability),
valet parking, Internet access, spa exercise classes, in-room Starbucks coffee
and bottled water, housekeeping gratuity, local calls, daily newspaper, and
unlimited fax services.
Children 5 to 12 can have their own customized vacation with Camp Cheeca's
organized activities and events. Camp Cheeca is a values-based program that
offers kids the opportunity to play and learn in the beautiful surroundings
of Cheeca. A typical day begins with a craft project. Each camper paints a
coconut and campers may choose to take their coconut home or contribute the
coconut to the “coconut path” that lines the entrance to Camp Cheeca.
Daily activities might include: searching for native wildlife in the
lagoon, environmental discovery on the resort’s 27 lush acres, or a
series of wacky sports and educational scavenger hunts.
In addition, Cheeca has the luxurious Avanyu Spa with a state-of-the-art
fitness studio. This spa offers gentle indulgences beneath the swaying palms
of the Florida Keys. Featured are four massage rooms, two facial rooms, a wet
room with Vichy shower for scrubs and wraps, Poolside Cabanas and an Oceanside
Tiki Hut for outdoor treatments such as couples massages. There is also a spa
lap pool for adults only.
Visitors to Cheeca Lodge have a choice of three restaurants- Atlantic’s Edge,
Ocean Terrace Grill and the Curt Gowdy Lounge. We made a habit of sitting in
large comfy chairs at the Ocean Terrace Grill each afternoon for pre-dinner
appetizers. There’s nothing better than eating pizza while gazing at the ocean!
For the majority of our meals, however, our family opts to try the local eateries.
We highly recommend Morada Bay for dinner. When’s the last time you can remember
eating an upscale dinner on the beach surrounded by tiki lights? For breakfast,
we would ride bikes to Mangrove Mikes for a delicious serving of eggs benedict.
What truly impressed us was the great service and wonderful attitudes that every
staff member exuded at Cheeca as soon as we stepped foot on the resort. Every single
person that we met during our stay gave us incredibly exceptional service. Cheeca
Lodge and Spa, although luxurious, never strayed from the relaxed spirit that is
so singular to the Keys. It’s definitely a place we will travel back to!
Learn more at
www.Cheeca.com
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