Ocean's Edge Resort & Marina: Key West's Luxury Oasis

Ocean’s Edge Resort & Marina is an incredible place to stay while visiting Key West, Florida. During a recent four-night stay, we were able to experience luxurious accommodations including a spacious room, the on-site full-service restaurant and bar, live music, beautiful pool areas, complimentary bike and paddle board rentals, and killer sunsets. The hotel has a concierge desk to help with last-minute planning and activity suggestions, and we found the hotel to have friendly staff eager to answer any questions. If you are planning a Key West vacation, then you should seriously consider Ocean’s Edge. Let’s dig into it.

Ocean’s Edge Key West Hotel on Stock Island

Ocean’s Edge is located on Stock Island, and while technically it is not on Key West, it’s pretty close. It’s a six-mile drive or bike ride from the resort to Mallory Square in Old Town and takes about twenty-five minutes. Ocean’s Edge runs a shuttle in and out of Old Town every hour until 11:00 pm, so you you will have easy access to all of the major attractions in Key West and won’t have to worry about driving or parking.

One of the first things that we noticed right away about Ocean’s Edge is the relaxed atmosphere. Key West is a non-stop party, and that’s great. It’s probably what you’re looking for and it’s a lot of fun. That being said, you’ll want to have some chill-out time on vacation where you can relax by a quiet pool or sit out on your ocean-view balcony with a drink. This is where Ocean’s Edge excels.

Although the resort was near full capacity, it never really felt crowded. Much of that can be attributed to its design. While most resorts have a central pool area that draws large numbers of hotel guests to a concentrated area, Ocean’s Edge has six, smaller pools that spread guests out over a wider area. The pool decks are beautiful, with plenty of lounge chairs, umbrellas, lounging pods, and sky chairs. We never had any issues with finding a place to hang out.

Ocean’s Edge is near Key West International Airport along the flight path. We did see several commercial jets on final approach into the airport, but it wasn’t a big deal. They were relatively silent as they glided into the runway and I would not consider them a significant deterrent when making a decision on where to stay.

Accommodations

We booked our stay using the American Express travel service. Because we used the AmEx Platinum credit card, we were eligible for a complimentary room upgrade, which was nice to have. The suite included a living room with a couch and television in addition to the bedroom, along with an ocean view balcony. While it was a welcome upgrade, I wouldn’t pay extra for it. The standard rooms are big enough and include a balcony or outdoor patio for a little extra space. We also received a $100 experience credit from AmEx, which we used on breakfast, but eligible purchases could include the bar or any merchandise from the resort.

The resort offers daily housekeeping service, so you will return to a tidy bed and a re-stock of toiletries, towels, coffee, and bottled water when it’s time to relax.

The rooms have a small refrigerator for cold drinks and snacks and a Keurig machine for in-room coffee.

Amenities

On-Site Dining

Ocean’s Edge features a full-service restaurant, Yellowfin Bar & Kitchen, that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has indoor and outdoor seating on the marina. During our stay, we ate dinner off-resort while out and about in Key West, but we ate breakfast there several times. The service was friendly and prompt, and the food was excellent. They also deliver to your room or poolside.

If you just need a cup of coffee and a pastry or breakfast sandwich to go, then the Ocean’s Edge Cafe has you covered. They have all specialty coffees including Cuban coffee and cafè con leche. Grabbing a coffee and going for a walk along the marina is a great option for some quiet time in the morning.

Off-Site Dining Options Nearby

We also visited a couple of nearby places on Stock Island to grab a bit to eat. For breakfast, we visited Deluna’s Cafe, which is actually a food truck located at the entrance of the campground down the road. You can see it from the street as you drive to and from Ocean’s Edge. They have great breakfast sandwiches on Cuban bread and picnic tables where you can sit and eat. It smells incredible, too, as the cooks are smoking meat on the sidewalk for Cuban sandwiches and other lunch items. I would recommend this as a solid breakfast option that is quick, convenient and gets you on your way if you have an excursion lined up in the morning.

For dinner, we visited the highly recommended Hogfish Bar & Grill. With a thatched roof, open-air seating, and a gritty atmosphere, this place exudes Florida Keys ambiance. This place is located only a few minutes from Ocean’s Edge, and if you had a long day out on the water or just got back from Old Town and want to visit an authentic, local seafood dive, then this is the place. Like most great restaurants in the Keys, they have live music nightly.

Pools

As I mentioned earlier, the layout of Ocean’s Edge contributes to its tranquility. You won’t have 150 people crowded around a central swimming pool space. Instead, the resort features six small pools spread out along the hotel & marina, each with ample lounge chairs and pods, towels, and ice water available. There are no kids’ features at the pools. No splash pads and no water slides. Although it is not an adults-only resort, Ocean’s Edge does not go out of its way to accommodate young families. That can be good or bad, depending on where you are in life.

Although there is no cabana bar on the pool deck, the Yellowfin Bar & Kitchen is only steps away. You can even order a Key Lime Pie Piña Colada and have it delivered to your chaise lounge.

Fitness Room

I’m not going to lie, here. It’s not great. The fitness options are limited to a few cardio machines, Peloton bikes, and dumbbells within a small room. It could be better, but there are other ways to stay fit while on vacation, and not a big deal for us, even though we both work out regularly. After all, it’s vacation.

Activities

The pool dock at Ocean’s Edge Resort & Marina

One of the niceties at Ocean’s Edge is the availability of beach cruiser bikes that you can ride around Stock Island or even into Key West if you’re feeling ambitious. For water sports, there are stand-up paddle boards and kayak rentals that can be launched from the resort and paddled around the marina or to a nearby beach. I call it a beach, but there’s very little sand. It’s mostly coral, so if you decide to venture over there, be sure to take along a pair of water shoes or flip-flops so you can get out and walk around in the water a bit. You won’t be able to go far if you are barefooted. You will get two hours per day complimentary with your stay. After that, there is a charge, but two hours should be plenty. We took the stand-up paddleboards out before heading into town and were able to see some small nurse sharks zipping along in the shallow water. Nurse sharks are harmless, so no big deal.

They also offer a few guided classes and tours including a paddle board fitness class, guided kayak eco-tour, and complimentary morning yoga.

Golf Cart & Scooter Rentals

The resort also offers golf cart rentals that you can take into Key West for the day. While we did not take advantage of this during our stay, there are a lot of people riding along in golf carts on the streets of Key West. It’s something that you may want to enjoy, but even though it’s a golf cart, you will still be using it on public roads with big, metal cars. So unless you are sure you have a designated driver, stick to the resort’s shuttle service.

Knockabout Key West Audio Tour

Take a self-paced walk through Old Town Key West. Explore all the major attractions and must-sees while traveling at your own pace. The tour is GPS guided with audio that starts automatically as you walk, so you don’t have to keep looking at your phone.

Details and Purchase

Additional Charges

Ocean’s Edge does have a couple of fees that you won’t see upon booking. They have a $50/night resort fee and a $27/night parking fee. I think that given the amenities, the resort fee is appropriate and in line with other major resorts in the area. The parking fee is a bit steep for self-parking in an open lot. If you’d like to save money, you can get away with not having a car in Key West. Uber, golf cart rentals, and the complimentary shuttle to downtown Key West should cover all of your transportation needs.

Ocean’s Edge was an incredible place to stay while enjoying Key West. While doing your vacation planning, you will undoubtedly find countless opinions on where to stay. Many will advocate staying in Old Town, within walking distance to Duvall Street, Lazy Way, and all of the other nightlife activities. If you plan to close the bars down or stay after, say, 11:00 pm, then maybe that’s a good idea for you. But I’m glad that we stayed in a relatively low-key resort that was a bit tucked away from the action. The downtime was therapeutic, and we were able to enjoy all the sights of Old Town with a short and comfortable shuttle ride. I would definitely return to Ocean’s Edge.

If you have any questions about staying at this property, feel free to post in the comments or send me an email directly at [email protected]

Recommended Experiences While Staying at Ocean’s Edge Resort & Marina

Key West is quite the adult playground. There are hundreds of things to do, and if you watch the video above, you’ll see that we packed our itinerary full of activities. Here are a few of the things that we did and would recommend.

Sunset Sail aboard the Appledore Star, a representation of an 1890s schooner with drinks and Hors d’oeuvres included. While some sunset cruises are packed with partygoers and live music, the Appledore Star is limited to 22 guests and designed for those who desire a more chilled-out sunset cruise. There will be plenty of time for partying once back on land, so enjoy your time on the Star.
Explore Old Town Key West with the Knockabout Audio Tour. See all the highlights of Old Town, stopping at the bars, restaurants, and points of interest of your choosing. This is a great way to learn more about the island while keeping your travel plans flexible. It’s also great for listening in your living room before arrival to determine what interests you and build some vacation excitement.
Go fast on the Key West Jet Ski Adventure. Although I mentioned in the video that I probably would not do it again, it was fun and if you want to go fast, then this is the way to do it. It’s located only minutes from Ocean’s Edge, so you won’t have to get up too early.
Go deeper with the PADI Discover SCUBA Resort Course. Southpoint divers will teach you the basic skills to be comfortable in the water, and then take you on a two-tank reef dive in the afternoon. If you have ever been curious about diving, this is a great first experience.