The final event of Fantasy Fest is the "It's not over until the fat lady sings" Tea Dance at La Te Da hotel in Key West, which was last night 4pm until 8pm, Sunday 26 October.
I've never seen the tea dance, a regular Sunday afternoon institution in Key West, busier. It was packed. The whole of the hotel was open - with a new pool bar and also the Crystal Room bar was open - plus access to all the many balconies in La Te Da. And the hotel was looking better for a little bit of love and attention as a result of the new owners.
Hundreds of dancers, swayers, movers and shakers enjoyed a fantastic set from usual tea dance DJs Rude Girl and Molly Blue, who were resplendent in their bright pink woopie cushion costumes. All in all a very good night indeed. I just never can figure out why the tea dance has to stop at 8pm!
Alexander's Guesthouse in Key West is currently the best gay guesthouse in Key West. Alexander's has 17 well maintained rooms, an excellent team and a social happy hour. Its location on beautiful Fleming Street is perfect (for me anyway!) - far enough away from the noise of Duval Street but close enough to walk there in 15 minutes. Prices of the rooms, which vary significantly, range from $175 to $420 per night. Recently (October 2014) as a result of two bad recent reviews Alexander's was demoted to 4th best guest house in Key West. Prior to this it had been at #1 for 2 years or so.
The 5 best things about Alexander's
1: It's really friendly. Both the staff and the guests.
2: The basics are gotten right, always. The service is excellent; the property and rooms are spotless and excellently maintained.
3: Happy hour (free for 1 hour from 5 to 6pm) every evening at the pool bar in Alexander's. Very social, very fun.
4: It's not bland and standardized like a hotel. The rooms are all different, and have character. You're in the middle of the community in a residential area in Key West Old Town.
5: It's gay. See other gay hotels and guesthouses here.
The cons. Are there any downsides? Sure. I find the air conditioning noisy in all rooms. They don't have central air but units in each room. Next issue: the curtains are lovely but totally useless to block out light - then again I am light sensitive and it's a compromise I choose to live with when I stay at Alexander's. Finally, I have detected a slight belt tightening over the years. Cosmopolitans are now charged for even in happy hour (not the case in 2013) and the wine quality is really not very good, even for a "free" happy hour. Some of the rooms are REALLY small so do your research - see below for a room by room guide.
Look - I'm being picky, right?! I still, right now, would not stay anywhere else in Key West.
Below are videos, loads of pictures taken my me, a history of Alexander's, the Alexander's ghost and cat, why Alexander's is called Alexander's, and a room by room guide....
The gay thing
Alexander's is a guesthouse for gays and lesbians. It varies from week to week, but I would say at the moment the average is 60% gay men, 40% lesbians. Of course, it's not gay exclusive and some straight people stay here, but this is currently less than 5%.
This is absolutely not a gay bathhouse/sauna - if you want that, Island House 10 seconds right over the street is the place for you. There (Island House) it is loud and busy. Many men stay at Alexander's (because it's peaceful and relaxed) and visit Island House a number of times in the week. At Alexander's, there are 2 clothing free (=naked) areas but they are on the sun decks only so it's secluded/private. And other guests don't run the risk of a nude display during, say, breakfast!
Laura, the general manager of Alexander's, talks a little about the gay/straight policy later in this post - go down to "The History of Key West" section, half way down the post.
Alexander's Guesthouse Key West on Fleming Street
Location: Alexander's is right at the top end of Fleming Street
Alexander's is a little way away from Duval Street, at a moderate pace it's a 14 to 20 minute walk to Duval Street (which is Key West's main drag) along Fleming. As Fleming Street is one of the finest Old Town Key West streets the walk is fascinating, even if you end up doing it several times a day. The buildings along Fleming are impressive and there is an interesting variety of architecture (and people) including old Conch houses, the city library (oldest public library in Florida) and palm park, Timmy's Tuxedos, etc... There is always something happening or going on!
There is a large convenience store (called Sunbeam) right behind Alexander's, a 20 second walk from the front door. Old Town Key West's (modestly sized) supermarket is called Fausto's and it's actually also on Fleming, so you will pass it when you walk down Fleming towards Duval Street.
Parking: park on the streets around Alexander's
Alexander's has no parking lot or area. This is typical of guesthouses in Key West (because they are mostly converted real dwellings in residential areas of Old Town). If you have a car then you'll need to park on the roads around the guesthouse. There are a few spots on Fleming Street within 30 metres of Alexander's (i.e. so you can see the car from the front porch) but these get taken very quickly.
Most likely, you'll need to park on the side streets around Fleming (i.e. so you won't see the car). Important: Make sure you avoid the residential spaces (they are marked in paint on the tarmac "residential" but the paint on some of the spaces is very old and so faint and so hard to see, especially in the dark). Take the usual precautions when parking in Key West but it's safe in these streets around Alexander's.
Facilities at Alexander's
There is very good wifi in all rooms and communal areas. There is a lap top for communal use in reception if you have not got your own.
Breakfast is served every day for several hours. It's "expanded" continental but with changing daily specials and home baked pastries like muffins.
There is a happy hour (free lager, wine, spirits, cosmos) every day at 5pm for an hour. After this the bar stays open for a few hours more, but you gotta pay!
There is staff on site from 9am to 9pm every day. Outside these hours there is no staff in site, but an emergency mobile number.
Rooms are cleaned daily of course, and the cleaning team do an excellent job.
Every room has a fridge or mini fridge.
The team are great at recommending things to do, places to eat and making bookings, including cycles.
Outside - lots of balcony space, 1 pool, 1 hot tub
The 3 main buildings are arranged around the pool and hot tub, by the pool is the small bar where evening happy hour takes place. There is a raised sun gallery above the bar/pool and then a sun deck on the very top of the main house with room for maybe 6 loungers (which gets sun until the late afternoon). Rooms 16 and 17 each have their own private and secluded outside space - see below. Several of the other rooms also have their own balcony. Here is a video tour of the property (it's quiet because I took this very early in the morning!):
All this means that there is enough sunbathing space for everyone even when the place is full. You can always get sun at any time in the day. Here is a video of the sun deck at the very top on a lovely day:
The breakfast and general sitting area to the side of the pool. You can see the coffee area which is available all day.
The kitchen and help yourself breakfast area for continental breakfast daily
The pool at Alexander's guesthouse Key West
The history of Alexander's - built in 1911, BY LAURA This section has been written by Laura, the excellent General Manager of Alexander's.
Both houses were built in 1906 and were purchased for two sisters by their husbands so they could live side by side. The main house stayed in the family as a private home until it was sold in 1981 to Walt Marlow and Dell Brixey. It was the main house that they purchased. After doing some renovations on it, they opened Alexander's Guesthouse in 1982 as a Gay and Lesbian guesthouse. The name came from their very sweet parakeet who chirped and sang all day...who's name was Alexander. They named it after their little parakeet.
They built and kept the business going until 1992 when an architect named Michael Ingram bought it from them. He then acquired the house next door and built the third house where Rooms 14/15 are. During his ownership he started the happy hours around the pool and decorated with Key West style decor.
Alexander's history. I've added this to Laura's section here. This is a photo I took of an original framed picture that used to be in the apartment (it's not now). I don't know the people or the date (assume 1980s). It looks like they are laying the decking around the pool. Looks hot but fun work!
The present day owners Orlando Torres and Raul Diaz, purchased in back in 2003. They used to come and stay here as a couple for years. They were so excited when it came available for purchase. Raul Diaz came in and really updated the style and feel of Alexander's. He has enjoyed so many positive comments from guests over the years, that he recently decided to create Alexander's Lifestyle...with furniture and tips to create that Key West Casual look and feel.
We also have a ghost in the house, I only found out after several guests at different times told me about what they would see. It is a little boy about 10 years old, very sweet, just wants to play. He passed away from tuberculosis probably around 1920-1925. He was the son of one of the sisters. His grandfather have also been spotted on the grounds as well. His grandfather passed away about the same time and for the same reason.(tuberculosis).
Alexander's has gone through a transition also over recent years in our guest base. We have always been a gay and lesbian guesthouse...also always welcoming friends and families (straight) who were friends of guests. However, over recent years we have seen more and more straight guests wanting to stay here. With the changes happening in the world with more acceptance and integration, we see it here at the guesthouse. While we do ask straight guests many questions before we allow them to reserve as to whether or not know we cater to LGBT community, if they are all comfortable with that as we do not want our guests to feel uncomfortable...etc...we are not allowed to turn any guests away due to sexual orientation. We have fought the fight, but it goes both ways. Overall, the experience of more integration has been positive, straight guests who seek us out want to stay here for a reason...many are exploring their own sexuality, some have friends who are gay, some have children or parents who are gay...many different reasons for wanting to be here. In the end, we are grateful as we get a chance to educate each other on how the other lives.
Laura Zequeira
General Manager
Alexander's Guesthouse
Key West, Florida
November 2014
Thanks Laura, very interesting I think you'll agree. When you come to stay say hi to the ghost! Right, I'm back.
Let's cover the rooms now. I've stayed in quite a few of them over the years. First thing to say is that:
All the rooms are nice
They are all excellently maintained and stylish
But they are quite different (this is not a hotel with just a few rooms types!): very different sizes, positions, views etc
The costs are quite different too so check out the room rates on their website. For example, the apartment (room 17) is $410 per night in March 2014, but room 8 only $175.
That said, here are the rooms I am familiar with, listed in order of my preference: MY FAVORITE ROOM Room 17 - the apartment Room 16 - the suite Room 11 - lovely porch facing the main street. A little noisy from street noise but if this does not worry you the porch makes up for it Room 15 - upstairs in the small house Room 14 - downstairs in the small house Room 1 - in the main house Room 10 The other rooms in the main house Rooms 8 and 9 - very top of the main house Room 7 - just by the breakfast/communal area MY LEAST FAVORITE ROOM
Map of Alexander's guesthouse Key West showing room layout (source: Alexander's website)
If neither budget nor availability are an issue then Room 17, the
Apartment, is the room for you. It's the largest room; actually it's a
lot larger that the other rooms, it's therefore also a lot more
expensive. But it is great, and well worth it, if your budget can
stretch. The current rate is $410 per night, peak season.
Room 16 - the Suite. Is the next largest and next best room - see below for full review.
Rooms 14 and 15. Identical rooms, 14 on first (i.e. ground for UK readers) floor, 15 on second floor. These are nice sized rooms. They are in the small house by themselves and so a little tucked away which is nice. They look directly onto the hot tub and pool. i.e. the hot tub is 5 metres from your front door. The great thing about these rooms, especially 15, is that they get direct sun through into the late afternoon and are therefore the most light and airy rooms in the property. It's lovely to be on the balcony of 15 in the afternoon getting the setting sun direct.
Room 10. Tucked round the back of the main house, this room is well liked. The special feature is a private, OUTSIDE shower, very useful/fun during really hot and humid summer months in KW. A nice, private room.
Room 1 - main house, second floor. This is a great room. Main bedroom with "wet bar" to the side (=with 2 sinks and fridge) and in addition an en suite bathroom. The wet bar feature makes this room feel bigger than it is. Accessed through the main house's stairs. Look out onto Fleming Street. I really like this room.
Rooms 8 and 9. These are on the third (top) floor of the main house accessed via the external stairs. These are very small rooms - make sure you do your research before you select these and these would be too small for me to be really happy - but that is just me! Couples stay in here happily.
Room 11 - Second house, first (ground) floor. Facing Fleming Street and with it's own entrance and porch (nice to have some private outside space even if it looks onto Fleming Street!). We are staying in this room for Fantasy Fest 2014, so a full review of the room then!
Room 7 - on the first (ground) floor by the pool and by the breakfast area. Not a big fan of this room. You are right by the breakfast area which gets busy from 9am so if you are a light sleeper don't count on a lie in. See pictures (below) of where the room entrance is relative to the breakfast area and you will be able to figure if this will be an issue for you. Also because you are tucked in on the ground floor, under a balcony, there is little light into this room, as you'd expect.
Rooms 5 and 6 - Second floor. Looks out on pool. Own balcony. Lighter than rooms 1,2,3 and 4 (which was "internal" in the main house) but more noisy than those rooms if this is a factor for you. 1,2,3,4 are more private/quieter (generally), but darker and don't have balconies.
Now for a detailed review and pictures of some of the rooms....
Room 16 - the suite
Room 16 is the second largest room in the guesthouse. It's in the second house and on the ground floor, actually under the apartment, but about 40% of the size of the apartment. I really like 16 as it's more affordable yet has a private outside area.
Dedicated entrance way
Outside sitting area with table and 2 chairs, and 2 loungers. No one can view you in this area so it's totally private. Only gets direct light during middle of the day as it has walls on all sides (hence the privacy).
Small bathroom with shower
Sitting area as well as bedroom area
Room 16 Alexander's. Private entrance and outside sitting area makes this very secluded room.
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Room 16 just outside the room front door, which you can see to the left of the picture.
Room 16 is divided into 3: sitting area, bed, bathroom. This the sitting area.
The bed area of room 16. In the background you can see the sitting area and front door.
Room 16 bathroom. Excuse all of our mess!
Room 15
Very light and bright. Balcony with setting sun right in your face. Lovely design and decoration. Great room.
Room14 and 15 at Alexander's Guesthouse from outside. 15 on the top. By the hot tub. You can just see the stairs to 15 on the left behind the black planter.
Main doors to room 15 at Alexander's guesthouse Key West.
Bed in room 15 in Alexander's
Bathroom in room 15 Alexander's guesthouse
You can see how really light room 15 gets - most of the day
View through the tall bamboo from balcony of room 15. You can just see the pool area below
Balcony for room 15 Alexander's is a huge asset of this room. Very sunny most of the day.
Room 7
Is downstairs on ground floor right by the main sitting area where breakfast is served. As I've mentioned this is a dark-ish room and is very near the breakfast area and general sitting area.
Entrance to room 7 Alexander's Guesthouse Key West is right by the breakfast area ands sitting area by the pool
Bed in room 7 Alexanders
You can see the sitting area for all guests outside the room
Small fridge and small tv
You see the entrance (to the left of the coffee cups) in context to the sitting/breakfast area
Hercules the house cat
Guest pets are not allowed at Alexander's.
However, no post would be complete without mention of the resident cats. All the cats are ex-rescue cats and they don't get in your way as they are mostly shy. The leader of the pack around here is the handsome Hercules who is friendly but aloof in an alpha cat kind of way.
If you're not a cat person he won't bother you. However, I am, and I let him come in when he occasionally wants to. Here's a few pics of Hercules over the years.
Hercules the house cat at Alexander's guesthouse Key West. Half asleep. It's a hard life being surrounded by all these holidaymakers.
A younger Hercules attacking my sock
Hercules the Sphinx. Keeping guard in the spotlight on the front entrance to Alexander's
Is Hercules the best looking cat in Key West? October 2014 on the sofa on the main porch at Alexander's
There are many other options, of course
I recommend staying in a guesthouse in Key West. Much of Key West's charm comes from its history, quirkiness, architecture and friendliness. You get these much more if you stay in a guesthouse here. And you don't have to compromise on much as so many guesthouses are such high quality.
Of course, Alexander's is currently the best but it's a competitive market and it's not the only five star guesthouse.
Price watch
Quality Key West is a premium experience and it can be expensive. That applies just as much to guesthouses as it does hotels in Key West. It makes a big difference when you come. For example, in Alexander's the prices of rooms are on average 20% or 30% higher in peak season (Fantasy Fest and Dec to May) than off season (July to Sept). See here for guide on when best to come to Key West.
Please leave comments in the comments section at the end
If you have any questions then please contact me - click on the About Me tab at the top.
9pm at Aqua bar and nightclub on Duval Street in Key West is showtime when the Aquanettes hit the stage with their drag show called Reality is a Drag. It's $15 entrance (no drinks included in this price): get there for the 9pm show and, if you like it, you can stay through the next show for free (which is at 11pm Friday and Saturday). This is a great show, good fun, not for the easily offended and highly recommended.
For more pictures of the show and the performers click below…
There are nine gay hotels and gay guesthouses in Key West. My partner and I have been staying at gay guesthouses and hotels in Key West for over 14 years and so I've got an informed view on where's best. In this article I cover all types of gay accommodation: resorts, guesthouses, inns, B&Bs, hotels.
Here's what this blog post covers:
1. Background
2. The best gay accommodation
3. Review of other gay places to stay
4. "Gay hotels"
5. Key West on a tight budget
1. Background
Gay hotels
Even though I have called this post gay hotels, there is only 1 gay hotel in Key West! (La Te Da hotel, and even that is not exclusively gay - see below). So be prepared to widen your accommodation search to gay guesthouses and B&Bs.
How necessary is it to stay in a mostly gay guesthouse?
Not at all necessary in KW - most places are very gay friendly in Key West, so it depends on your own personal preference. There are lots of good gay friendly places to stay, and many are cheaper than the gay places. Personally, as there is a good choice of high quality gay owned/run guesthouses, I've only ever stayed at gay places in KW.
9 gay hotels and guesthouses
How'd I get that number? I've added up all the gay owned accommodations plus places which are straight owned but known to attract exclusively or predominately gay guests. It's an arbitrary number, lots of other hotels are gay friendly and have gay people working there.
What area of Key West is it best to stay? Key West is small and compact. The gay accommodations are all in Old Town and none are more than 20 minutes gentle walk from Duval Street (i.e. the gay bar area). There are mainstream chain hotels outside Old Town which are on the outskirts of Key West island (and they will be cheaper) but it could take you an hour to walk in from there so I don't recommend you stay there.
The gay scene
There are "only" 5 gay bars and 9 gay hotels/gueshouses so don't come here just for a hardcore gay holiday. But I guess you knew this already. The gay scene epicentre is located on Duval Street, around the junction with Petronia Street. Read more about the gay bars, clubs, shops, and saunas here.
Does this mean Key West is not very gay?
Not at all. Key West is very gay. Lots of gay people live in Key West. Gay has been assimilated into the mainstream here. It's very gay friendly. Even though not exclusively gay, most hotels and guest houses are very gay friendly.
Key West is an expensive place to stay, gay or straight
Yep, the room rates (per square foot) in Key West are second only to New York City. There is one solution to this, if you want hotels cheaper come in the Key West off season which is May through December inclusive, with the very cheapest month being August. There are 2 big downsides to visiting in the off season: it's very humid, and the gay scene is not that busy at all. I recommend you stick to the peak season (January through April).
It really matters when you decide to visit
I covered it in the point above, but it's worth making this point twice: You can divide Key West into two seasons - busy and quiet. Busy is January to April. The gay scene is also quiet during the off season. This doesn't mean you should not come (I like it in off season!) but you'll have a different type of vacation.
2. The best gay places to stay
Depends on what you want. To cut a long story short:
Very lively, lots of sex: Island House (sauna and hotel in one)
Medium trashy, and medium sex: Equator Resort, or New Orleans House
Low trash, high cost, low sex: Alexander's guest house
The best gay and lesbian place to stay in Key West at the moment is: Alexander's Guesthouse
For the last 5 years, the best gay accommodation on the island is a guesthouse, albeit a luxury, incredibly well maintained and run, spotlessly clean and very friendly guest house: it's called Alexander's and it's up the top end of Fleming Street. I've stayed here many times and it's always been great. Don't expect sexy/dirty/cruisy - that you get over the road (literally, Island House sauna).
The best things about Alexander's:
the staff are second to none. they really make you feel at home and are incredibly friendly
the place is kept spotless with a fantastic attention to detail.
little extras - like very social happy hour every afternoon
fellow guests are great!
***I've done a huge and super long review of the place...For my full review on Alexander's guesthouse see here. Video, pics, every room reviewed.
The best (and only) place to stay if you want it noisy and very raunchy: Island House
Key West's only gay sauna. It's male only and it is very raunchy. Many people choose not to stay here but buy a day pass and visit for the day, or night.
3. Reviews of other gay places to stay
The Cabana Inn (formerly Big Ruby's)
If you want to be closest to the gay bars on Duval Street then you have 2 gay options: Cababa Inn or La Ti Da hotel. It's 5 minutes walk to the gay block from either place with Cabana Inn being marginally closer.
Cabana Inn was called Big Ruby's and is on Appelrouth Lane, half a block away from bars on Duval Street so it does get a little noisy here. I used to stay here for years (it was the premier gay place to stay by a mile) but stopped several years ago when the quality of the staff and the guesthouse generally went downhill.
As of August 2013 Big Ruby's was sold and during the latter half of 2014 has undergone some changes. The new name, new manager, some renovations, and it is no longer exclusively gay male only. It is adult only. The early reviews are positive but if you were expecting the gay days of Big Ruby's past, stay somewhere else.
Time will tell about how gay this place works out to be. If it turns out to only be minority gay then I will remove it from these listings. (Last updated: January 2014).
La Te Da hotel and complex
Laid back, quite small for a hotel, and friendly are the words most used to describe La Te Da. However, the hotel needs refurbishment around the property and in the rooms.
Also it's right on Duval and the rooms are built around the pool and bars/restaurant. There are 2 bars which get busy and so this place is not quiet and relaxing. If you like a really busy, lively hotel - this place is exacly for you. The pool does not get much sun and is really run down (peeling paint in the pool, etc). I love La Te Da bars, customers and staff; I'd just never stay here.
Update: January 2014 La Te Da ownership changed hands. It's now owned by the people that used to own Antonia's restaurant. You can definitely tell signs of real improvement around the property.
Oasis/Coral Tree Inn/Coconut Grove = now called Equator Resort
Property changed hands in 2012 and has been refurbished. Was quite gay but now targeting a more general demographic. From online reviews seems like some of the (gay) regulars have deserted this place now. This is the biggest gay property on the island - is seems to be on the up and the owner is making a good go at making this place great again.
Pearl's Guesthouse
A few years ago on this blog I referred to Pearl's as women only. But I was contacted by the nice people at Pearl's and corrected: they are now both gay-friendly and straight-friendly. This is a tricky change to make: from the reviews on the TripAdvisor this seems to have pissed off some straights (who think it's too gay) and some ex-regular gays (who think they've sold out and that it's too straight). Most people seem to be happy but some issues with wear and tear. Great location.
The Grand Guesthouse, Grinnell Street
Gay owned. Seems to have gotten great review on TripAdvisor.
Caribbean House, Petronia Street
Gay owned. Good reviews. Close to gay bars. New Orleans House Above Key West's leading gay pub: the Bourbon Street Pub in the middle of gay central Duval Street. I love this pub but would never, never stay here. The hotel is noisy until 4am when the pub / nightclub closes. Unless you want to party until 4am every night and be very friendly with the pub goers then stay further away from Duval Street and here.
4. "Gay Hotels"
Apart from La Te Da (see above), there are no other gay owned hotels in Key West, only guesthouses. Most big brand hotels are gay friendly, and many gay locals are employed in them. Key West's spirit of diversity and respect ("One Human Family" is the city motto) means you are unlikely to have gay hassle anywhere in regards to Key West accommodation. I'd not recommend any gay person to stay at a big hotel in Key West because the guest houses are so good, much more gay and better run.
No single hotel sticks out as being the gay-est big hotel on Key West, so pick the one you like the look of the most. Which is a shame. I am still waiting for the Hyatt or Pier House toy contact me about their gay credentials…. I might be waiting a long time! Let me know if you've had a good experience at these "straight" hotels in Key West.
5. Gay Key West on a tight budget
I'd recommend still staying in one of the gay guesthouses listed above, but do the following:
be prepared to stay in a small room. And by small, I mean SMALL. Key West guesthouse rooms are generally small anyway, but the smaller rooms ones are really small! But cheap(er).
come in the shoulder or off season (May through December, with the cheapest time being August and September). It's much less busy, as I metioned above, during this time so be careful.
contact the guesthouse directly to negotiate a better rate. You can often get an extra 10% or 15% off the already reduced online prices. This will ONLY work in the off season, you'll get a polite no if you try this during peak season.
It's worth noting that many restaurants offer very discounted, or hurricane, special menus/set meals during off season, making eating out much more affordable too at this time of year
I've seen the show at Aqua on Duval Street a few times over the years, and it's still the best drag show in town. The performers are excellent; the music mixed, loud and well chosen; they even manage to lip sync in time with the music every now and then!! Seriously, they are great and it was brilliant to see Elton John too in the line up, see this video:
All together then:
"Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love"
Everything goes at Aqua! Here are some pics of our night there on Saturday:
Inga is my favorite. Great outfits, dirty music, classic expressions.
Inga x2 at Aqua in Key West
Just some of the drinks. We drank quite a lot!
There are 2 shows, on at 9 and one at 11pm. We arrived at about 10pm and saw the end of one and then the all of the other.
The finale of the Aqua show.
Immediately the last show ends the disco starts. Here's the first song they played:
