Now just two years later, the resort has benefitted from significant
renovations and upgrades including redesigned rooms, new furnishings, new
landscaping, the popular new Stoned Crab restaurant that specialized in stone
crab and a new dock for fresh daily deliveries from local fishermen. IBIS BAY has quickly become a favorite among
travelers and locals and is already having a big impact on the local community
through the many events and fundraisers it hosts. As the island’s only beach resort to embrace
Key West’s Cuban history, IBIS BAY stands alone as both a resort and a destination. Holland is all about authentic travel, and he
fuses his personal design aesthetic with the island’s classic 1950s style to
create a fun, unique Key West destination.
“We don’t want to be the
Ritz Carlton and have that hotel chain sameness because it’s so boring! We’re looking to provide travelers with a
unique experience that allows them to enjoy the Key West of the 1950s while
utilizing the advantages of modern technology to ensure a pleasant and
fun-packed stay. Our Fun Desk booking
service is Key West’s one-stop shop for the island’s best dining, shopping,
adventures, tours and rentals, so we’ve got something for everyone. We’re not going for Palm Beach,” Holland
emphasized, “we’re going for Jimmy Buffet.”
The new on-site Stoned Crab restaurant offers a true
boat-to-table seafood experience with daily deliveries of fresh stone crab,
lobster and other locally caught delicacies that go right from the dock to the
kitchen. Located adjacent to IBIS BAY with its own dock, the restaurant has
beena big hit with locals and visitors who love dining on the freshest seafood
anywhere, including the local Key West delicacy, stone crab!
“A lot of air travelers
see the giant crab claw on our restaurant’s roof,” Holland continued, “and
their first question off the plane is ‘What’s that giant crab restaurant?’ It’s really amazing how much people love our stone
crab dishes. Recently a couple took a 7
p.m. flight from Miami to Key West just so they could enjoy the fresh stone
crab claws that The Stoned Crab is famous for.
Then they turned around and took the 9:30 pm flight back home. Whether it’s the food, the atmosphere or the
special events we host, we’re all about keeping things fresh and exciting, so
there’s always something fun going on at IBIS BAY!”
IBIS BAY is a study in
contrast, maintaining the classic Key West feel while including all the modern
amenities and technologies that travelers expect. Pelicans and ibis birds roam the pebble stone
courtyard, palm trees and hammocks dot the white sand beaches, and parrots and
iguanas can be found all over the resort.
The design aesthetic mirrors classic 1950s Miami/Havana, contrasting
with the flat screen TVs in every room and the Fun Desk that offers guests and
locals an easy way to plan a whole day or week full of exciting Key West
activities. Even the resort’s approach
to maintenance is high tech, with the maid staff now using eco-friendly clean
UV wands to sanitize each and every room.
The 80-room resort caters to all kinds of travelers, from families to
fishermen to honeymooners, with special dock-front rooms for boaters, plus it
sits adjacent to Key West’s hottest new fresh seafood restaurant, The Stoned
Crab. And to make IBIS BAY’s white sand
beaches even better, Holland has extended it to more than 600 feet, so that
it’s now Key West’s largest private beach!
Holland came to Key West,
like a lot of people, as a second homeowner.
But he brought with him nearly 30 years of experience as the founder and
creative director of Holland Advertising in New York, and as creative director
for Ted Bates in Hong Kong prior to founding his own agency. Holland has created memorable campaigns for
clients as diverse as Panasonic, AIWA, McCall’s magazine and Esquire. His creative sensibility is apparent
everywhere in what’s taking place today at IBIS BAY.
“People say that Key West
is like no other place on Earth, and IBIS BAY Beach Resort is like no other
place in Key West,” said Holland. “Since
I took over the Blue Lagoon and turned it into IBIS BAY we’ve made incredible
improvements and progress, creating a truly unique destination that has
everything a traveler could ask for, from the gorgeous beaches and ocean views
to the updated rooms, friendly service and stellar dining.”
What’s more, IBIS BAY
hosts a wide variety of special events, from weddings and local designer
fashion shows to Thursday night poolside Dive-In Movies and fundraisers like
mixed martial arts fight nights for local causes and charities. Holland and the resort have quickly become an
important part of the Key West community.
The resort also recently
introduced a new block of fishermen-focused rooms, called “The IBIS BAY Fish
Camp”, where a boat ramp sits just outside the rooms and visitors can arrive by
car or boat. With seven fish-themed
double queen suites right on the water, each with a kitchenette, it’s the
perfect place for fishermen to get a head start on the day and then haul back
the day’s catch.
About IBIS BAY Beach
Resort:
IBIS BAY Beach Resort (www.ibisbayresort.com) embodies the
very best of Key West and offers guests a vacation experience like no other.
With a full deck of options for active adventure-seekers, Hemingway buffs or
travelers who want to fit in with the locals, there is something special for
every guest. Featuring classic Key West architecture and design, 600 feet of
beautiful private beach, a 20-foot poolside movie screen for outdoor movie
nights and The Stoned Crab restaurant, IBIS BAY Beach Resort is more than a
resort—it’s a destination.
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