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Being There Key Colony Beach Focus on Florida beaches & keys

We found a piece of heaven on this quaint, frill-free island

Tina Langlotz

Special to the Sentinel

July 13, 2008

"Honestly now, what's your hurry? You're here," beckons a sign on the causeway to Key Colony Beach, 53 miles north of Key West. After fighting bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Keys' overseas highway, my husband and I are ready to relax.

Reme, the desk clerk, checks us into the Ocean Beach Club. Also an artist from the Apache tribe of New Mexico, he beams as we admire his colorful, hand-painted coconuts on display. This oceanfront hotel has no valet parking, no concierge, no turndown service. Instead of chi-chi luxury, the room is dated with mediocre décor consisting of beachy aqua and pinks.

No problem. The appeal is the sound of the Atlantic Ocean waves gently lapping the hotel's 200-foot private, white sandy beach. From our second-floor balcony, we sip Chardonnay and gaze at the aquamarine water as the breeze rustles through pineapple palms.

Key Colony Beach, dubbed the "Gem of the Florida Keys," evokes Florida nostalgia. This 286-acre man-made island was carved out of mangrove swamplands in 1954. There are 857 residents, but the population peaks to about 3,800 in midwinter, according to Vickie L. Bollinger, city clerk of Key Colony Beach.

Each morning, we arise to view remarkable shades of soft gray, pink and blue in the sky, soon augmented by the sun. Strolling to Sunset Park nearby, the only sounds are birds singing and drones of fishing boats heading out to the ocean.

Before returning to the hotel, we spot a sign on a vacant lot. It warns: "Owl's Nest -- Please Do Not Disturb." The mother owl shields the nest as the father owl stands guard.

As we leave Key Colony Beach, my husband and I agree that in this peaceful place, it is as if time stands still.

Tina Langlotz lives in Altamonte Springs.

Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

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