A fire forced the closure of Cheeca Lodge & Spa on December 31, 2008. Almost a year later, the hotel, long a favorite of Hollywood stars and professional athletes (think Forest Whitaker and Hall of Famer Ted Williams), in Islamorado, in the Florida Keys, will reopen December 15 with significant upgrades, including the construction of a new Main Lodge building. And, in celebration of the reopening, Cheeca Lodge is offering travel agents a 12 percent commission.
Cheeca’s new four-story Main Lodge is being constructed with its original porte-cochere entrance, traditional Florida Keys architecture, West Indies décor and tradition of “barefoot elegance”—a term, the hotel says, was coined at Cheeca. The Main Lodge is also being built to LEED specifications.
Included in Cheeca’s 212 guest rooms, suites and bungalows are 62 new Premier Oceanfront and Island View Suites in the new Main Lodge. At 840 square feet, including 24-foot wide balconies, they will be among the largest guest rooms in the Florida Keys. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls will open to ocean or island views, while rooms will also boast open-air round tubs for two with overhead tub fillers.
The Main Lodge will have two restaurants, each with indoor and al fresco dining. The new Nikai Sushi Bar will offer sushi, Asian-inspired fare and a selection of Japanese sake and wine, while the resort’s signature Atlantic’s Edge restaurant will feature a seasonal fine-dining menu with fresh local seafood, including stone crabs year-round.
The Spa will include five treatment rooms, which join the poolside cabanas, adult-only spa lap pool and an oceanfront tiki hut for al fresco treatments.
The hotel is located 90 minutes south of Miami International Airport.