Westin Key West hotel resort

The Westin Key West hotel and resort is central but almost too central: it's on the harbor and so the docked cruise ships block and obscure the ocean view rooms in this hotel. What is the point of an ocean view room when the actual view you get for most of the day, most days, is of the starboard side of a huge, very tall, multi-level, cruise ship?

Ok, so the Westin argue that cruise ships don't dock here all the time (truth: for the months you are likely to visit Key West, there will be a cruise ship 6 days out of 7). Or that the cruise ship only docks here for part of the day (truth: most of the day, sometimes for sunset too).

And, also while you are indeed located in super-central Key West, you are also in the middle of a very busy pedestrian throughway - with thousands of cruise ship passengers disembarking as well as all the non-cruise ship tourists milling around, just outside your "ocean view balcony".

Basically, if you like it busy, then great. If you wanted a fairly quiet and a guaranteed ocean view then think carefully about the Westin Key West.

Click below for pictures...

Some ocean view rooms at the Westin Key West hotel, these just by Mallory Square, where they hold the sunset celebrations nightly. You see the harbor side restaurant as well in the top left of the picture

The view of a cruise ship from the ocean view rooms at the Westin Key West. The ocean view is almost totally obscured.

Same cruise ship, view from different rooms at the Westin

And these ocean view rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors... slightly further along the harbor, get a different view...

..this view of  luxury yacht. Nice, just not the ocean.

The Westin Key West in the background is right on the water

And these rooms (above the retail) at the Westin get this view...

....a little bit of ocean, and a lot of cruise ship

Sunset Key run by the Westin might be a better option. It's own island 500m from main Key West. But you can only get to it on a ferry.

The Westin Key West Resort and Marina sign

For my guide to Key West's best hotels - click here.

And don't forget Key West's guest houses.